Android users can now personalize their caller ID with custom photos and share live locations directly in messages, part of a broader update that includes a novel luggage tracking system integrated with major airlines.
Google's Tuesday announcement brings custom "Calling Cards" to compatible Android phones running version 11 or later. Users choose a photo, font, and color theme that appears when they call contacts who also use Phone by Google as their default dialer app.
The feature can be limited to saved contacts or shared more broadly, with cards editable or removable at any time.
Live location sharing arrives in Google Messages, eliminating the need to switch between apps when coordinating meetups. Powered by Google's Find Hub network (formerly Find My Device), the feature displays real-time positions on a map within conversations.
Sharing durations can be preset or manually stopped, giving users control over their location visibility.
The most distinctive addition is luggage tracking through Find Hub's new "share item location" function. When equipped with compatible tracker tags, travelers can generate secure expiring links for lost suitcases and share them directly with participating airlines including Lufthansa Group carriers, Turkish Airlines, and Air India.
Google has integrated the system with industry-standard baggage platforms WorldTracer and NetTracer, used by hundreds of airlines worldwide. Location data remains encrypted, links automatically expire after seven days, and sharing can be revoked at any time.
The company says it's working with over ten major carriers and expects to add Australian airline Qantas soon.
These features arrive alongside Google's March Pixel Drop, which expands AI shopping tools like Circle to Search's "Find the Look" outfit analysis and "Try It On" virtual fitting capabilities for Pixel 10 devices. The update also introduces teacher-approved games for parked Android Auto sessions and TikTok-style vertical video feeds for app discovery in Google Play.
