5 Cool New Features Added in Android June 2026 Update

Google announced a ton of new things coming to Android 17 during Google I/O 2026. While Android users will have to wait for some of these features to be removed, Google has already given them a taste of what’s to come for the platform with the June 2026 Android Update. This new update brings improvements to some of Google’s already existing features, like the extremely useful AI-powered Circle to Search, while also introducing new features that will help increase the security of your device and the way you use it.

In total, seven major changes are expected to be released with the latest Android update, and while some are already available at the time of this article’s publication, more are expected to be released in the coming weeks. Of course, you may also have to wait for your phone manufacturer to adapt these features to their custom operating systems, meaning Galaxy S26 users and those with a non-Pixel device may not find them immediately available.

One of the first big features Google is highlighting as part of the June 2026 Android update is a major improvement to how Phone by Google will now verify that an incoming call is actually coming from one of your contacts. We hope this should help reduce the risk of bad actors spoofing a contact’s phone number and then pretending to call from that number. If Phone by Google detects that the call is a scammer, you will receive a notification on your device, essentially saying that the caller may not be who they say they are.

The notification also appears to have a hang-up button that you can press to end the call. This particular feature builds on other fantastic security features that Google has added to Android in the past, like Advanced Protection, which you can find in Settings. Unlike Advanced Protection, which you have to manually enable to start using, Google’s new fake call detection feature will be enabled by default when you download and install Phone by Google on an Android device that supports it (or out of the box if you have a Pixel device).

Google says the system works by pinging the contact’s device, and if it shows they’re not on a call at the time, the warning will appear. It’s a nice addition, but the downside is that it requires the other user to also use Phone by Google. However, like Google Messages, the app is becoming more and more common on Android devices.

Earlier this year, Google announced that it would upgrade Quick Share to work better with Apple’s AirDrop. The feature was initially dropped for Pixel devices, although Google has been steadily expanding the lineup over the months, allowing even more Android devices to take advantage of the ability to AirDrop files to iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Now the feature will be extended to even more Android devices. It continues to be available on the latest Samsung Galaxy devices, as well as devices like the OnePlus 15, select OPPO devices, and upcoming support for the Motorola Razr Fold 2026 model, Honor Magic8 Pro, and more.

It’s important to note that this is not the same as AirDrop. AirDrop remains a feature reserved for Apple devices; However, Google says it has updated Quick Share to work more seamlessly with AirDrop. So while it’s not exactly the same, those who own a phone that supports the updated version should be able to seamlessly “drop” photos and videos to their friends, even if they own an iPhone. All you have to do is be within Bluetooth range, then ask the person with the iPhone to set AirDrop visibility to Everyone for 10 minutes. Then you can share as you normally would using Quick Share.

Continuing the trend of mixing AI with the rest of the Android operating system, Google has also expanded what Emoji Kitchen can do. Google first launched this feature for Gboard in 2020, allowing users to add emojis together to create a unique sticker-like sticker. Now it appears Google is adding even more emojis to the mix, although it hasn’t specified which ones.

Emoji Kitchen is already available on any Android phone that supports Gboard, and you can access the feature by opening the keyboard, selecting the emoji button, then looking for the large emoji at the top of the keyboard window. You can select the arrow to view even more combinations, then select the Choose Emoji button to select your own emoji and cook something unique. The whole point of this feature is to allow users to “remix” their own emoji to find something that perfectly fits the mood – like a mouse holding a heart or a crying face in sunglasses.

Google Books also gets some of the Google AI treatment, but in the form of a useful summary feature that the company says is already rolling out to users on Android devices. If you read with Google Books, you will now have the option to use the Catch me up feature, which will create an AI-powered recap for you of the latest books you’ve read. It appears to be available right in the book itself and can be used to recap everything that has happened up to the moment you are reading.

The feature seems to be primarily aimed at anyone who likes to catch up on their current reading, although readers might certainly have some attraction to the next book in a series they’ve taken a break from. Catch Up with Me is just part of the new Book Insights feature, which provides the ability to chat directly with Gemini in relation to the story you’re reading in Ask books. You can ask the AI ​​various questions, similar to how you might use YouTube’s Ask Music feature, to dig deeper into your digital library.

A new Gemini-based Google Photos feature called Wardrobe will also be available on Android with the June 2026 update. This feature will take photos of different clothes from your Google Photos library and use them to create a digital wardrobe of your different clothes. According to Google, this will allow you to try different combinations more easily, without having to set them up.

This really seems like an interesting way to let AI help solve the “I don’t know what to wear” problem that some of us might encounter when trying to mix things up. The rollout for this particular feature isn’t expected to begin until mid-June 2026, meaning it could take a few weeks after the initial release for it to be available on all Android devices. In addition to Wardrobe, Google also updated Circle to Search to make it easier to find styles you see online, so you can add them to your wardrobe, too.