Google introduces AI agent capabilities for new Android devices

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.: Google launches the Pixel 11 lineup with new AI agent features and outlines plans to make Android phones operate with less user input.

The Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL debut at the Made by Google event. The phones run the new Tensor G6 chip, start at $899 with 256GB of storage, and ship August 20 with seven years of software support. The lineup also includes the Pixel Watch 5 and a Pixel Tag item tracker.

Agent features anchor the launch. A light on the Pixel 11 Pro’s back glows when Gemini processes a command, letting users speak to the assistant without checking the screen. A new Android feature called Halo arrives later this year to display an AI agent’s progress on assigned tasks. Rambler, a dictation tool, cleans up spoken input by removing filler words and packages it into texts or emails.

Sameer Samat, president of Google’s Android ecosystem, tells CNN he wants smartphones that no longer need to be “micromanaged.” Google plans Android versions roughly three years ahead, he says. The operating system powers more than 70% of smartphones globally.

The launch extends agent capabilities Google introduced through the year. Gemini Intelligence, announced in May, handles multistep tasks across apps, browses the web, and fills forms. The AppFunctions developer API lets apps expose capabilities directly to AI agents on the device.

The agent push intensifies competition with Apple, which rebuilt Siri on Google’s own Gemini models in June, and with OpenAI’s growing consumer presence.

Proactive assistance features roll out to Pixel 11 devices at launch, with broader Android availability to follow.