What you need to know
- The VIPs widget is already popping up on some Pixel phones way ahead of schedule.
- You can pin up to important people with real-time updates, recent chats, and even map location.
- These contacts get a shiny badge in your Favorites and top billing in Google Contacts.
Weeks after sneaking into a Google test app, the Pixel VIPs widget is already hitting a few Pixel phones.
Google is clearly skipping the wait. The widget was previously believed to make its debut along with the Google Pixel 10 series. But Google’s Pixel VIPs widget is already making surprise appearances.
First spotted by 9to5Google, a handful of Pixel users got hit with an unexpected app update Sunday night, hinting that Google is ready to roll it out now.
This handy widget puts your favorite people front and center, showing recent calls, messages from your favorite texting apps like WhatsApp and Google Messages, and their live location on a map, if they’ve shared it.
VIP treatment
The new Pixel VIPs widget is baked right into the Google Contacts app, letting Pixel users pin up to eight key people straight to their home screen. These VIPs will also get bumped to the top of your Favorites list with a special “VIP” tag.
Tapping on any VIP pulls up a detailed information card with everything from their birthday to any notes you’ve saved—all pulled straight from their Contacts profile.
This panel goes way beyond those options. You can ask a VIP to share their location, check their local weather and time, update their notes, and even get activity suggestions based on your shared interests.
DND? Not for VIPs
Furthermore, calls and messages from your VIPs cut through Do Not Disturb, so you never miss what matters.
That said, Pixel VIPs isn’t its own app, so don’t go looking for it in your app drawer after the update. You’ll find it through the regular widget picker or right inside the Google Contacts app.
The Pixel VIPs update is showing up on Pixel devices running Android 15 with the May 2025 patch. It’s missing on the Android 16 QPR1 Beta though, and trying to open its Play Store page there leads nowhere.
If you try hitting the Play Store link directly, you might just get lucky.
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