Pixel 11 Pro's 'HiLight' is another half-baked feature burdened by bad first impressions

A History of Half-Baked Features on Pixel Phones

Throughout the Pixel era, Google has introduced a number of features that simply were not ready at launch, either vanishing in the next generation or sticking around just long enough to find utility before getting a replacement in later releases.

Some examples that come to mind include: Pixel 2: “Active Edge” – Opened Google Assistant with a squeeze, removed on Pixel 5 Pixel 3: Dual selfie cameras – Used for ultrawide angles, removed after a single generation Pixel 4: Soli & Face Unlock – iPhone-like facial recognition + gesture support, removed after a single generation Pixel 8 Pro: Temperature sensor – Recognize surface temperatures, removed on Pixel 11

In the earlier years, these very much felt like Google trying to find Pixel’s defining hardware feature. “Active Edge” was a simple idea, as were the dual selfie cameras on Pixel 3. Straightforward, nothing missing, just pure hardware functionality. The same argument could be made for Soli on the Pixel 4, but that’s where things started getting a bit muddied.

The soft reboot that the “Tensor era” brought along with it also gave the Pixel a chance to shake off some of its growing pains, at least from a hardware feature standpoint, and build a better foundation for the future. A couple of years in, Google started experimenting again with the launch of the Pixel 8 Pro’s infamous temperature sensor. The temperature sensor always felt like a bizarre choice on Google’s part. It launched with the sole ability to measure surface temperatures, adding support for body temperature – the very obvious use case for this idea – only a few months after launch . But it’s that first impression that set the tone. The temperature sensor effectively being useless in the time following its debut left Google’s feature with an uphill battle to relevance alongside online discourse largely full of negativity.

The feature stuck around for a couple of generations, just long enough for some people to find it useful, but it never made enough of an impact to earn a permanent place. That’s where this year’s “HiLight” feature comes into play. The rear-facing LED is available on all three Pixel 11 Pro models, and somehow it feels more half-baked than the temperature sensor. This feature currently exists for exactly two functions – to tell you when a favorite contact is calling you, and to indicate that Gemini is active. That’s it.

And I really want to know how Google managed to botch this one so badly, because every time I hear more about this feature, it just makes me question how the obvious selling points could be completely ignored like this. That starts with what Google literally acknowledged on stage during its Pixel 11 event this week – “HiLight” should obviously work with your text messages. Somehow, though, that’s not available at launch. In a world where Google is targeting younger buyers who avoid phone calls at all costs, limiting a literal hardware feature to calls is not just a missed opportunity – it’s a complete turn-off. “Who will you HiLight?” is a great marketing line, but surrounding it with “oh this only works for phone calls” kills that completely.

Also, elephant in the room, why in the world does this not work as a notification LED?! Our Andrew Romero pointed out just how good this would be. Having the LED customized to the app you got a notification from – reds and purple for Instagram, as one example – would be so good . Pixel 11 Pro’s ‘HiLight’ missed its opportunity to be the perfect notification LED Mockup of what HiLight could look like with an Instagram-themed notification “ I’m tired of this grandpa ” is basically my attitude around “HiLight.” It’s like Google learned nothing from the reception of the temperature sensor, or any of the other half-baked features it has released over the years – hardware or otherwise. First impressions matter, regardless of how many updates arrive down the road. I hope that “HiLight” eventually gains the utility that it very obviously should have, but burdening this feature with such an awful first impression does not set it up for success.