Survey reveals why Google’s Wicked Pixel Drop was a total letdown

Pixel Drops used to be something to get excited about, especially if you had the latest Google handset, but not anymore. These software updates brought exclusive features to Pixel phones, giving users more toys to play with than other Android users. However, as the November Pixel Drop came and went, the play chest was empty, save for a “feature” that’s annoying our Pixel users and many readers.

My colleague Rita El Khoury received almost none of the new features on her Pixel 10 Pro and XL, except for the Wicked theme pack. Similarly, Joe Maring took issue with Google’s aggressive marketing, which paints a rather dim picture of future Pixel Drops and the infusion of advertising material within them.

“If Google had launched its theme pack system with a few ‘normal,’ non-branded options along with the Wicked ones, that would be one thing. But in choosing to debut theme packs exclusively with the Wicked themes, it’s easy to imagine these theme packs being used as nothing more than an advertising machine going forward,” he wrote.

I couldn’t agree more, but that’s just my opinion. What do you — our readers — think about Google’s November Pixel Drop? We put this question to a poll across both articles, and the results are stark.

What do you think of the new Pixel November Drop?

Readers cast over 2,400 votes in this poll, and it’s clear that Google’s effort disgruntles the majority. How so? Well, ~59% of the votes cast were for “It’s disappointing. There’s nothing here I want.” That’s pretty telling.

Some liken Google’s new theme pack to adware. “It’s bloatware in an expensive mobile phone. Period. This is not a Xiaomi. Worst wishes to the Google team that [brought -ed] us this,” wrote reader alfredosoro.

“The Wicked theme pack feels like Google is trying to make a quick buck off a popular IP. The fact that most of the updates were not included for the 9a also leaves a bad taste in my mouth,” penned Notna.

Notably, these sentiments are shared elsewhere on the internet. On a Reddit thread, u/purpleblossom called out the real issue with the Wicked theme pack: “I’m upset that they don’t have ANY OTHER themes, making this whole theme feature ONLY an ad.”

However, it’s clear that the problem doesn’t simply hinge on the handling of theme packs, but rather Google’s promised feature list not materializing when the update rolls around. Several of our readers called this out in the comments.

“Google should simply release all the features it claims with the update,” wrote fuertegollito.

Reddit user u/toumei64 summarizes the problem perfectly: “They’ve been doing this for at least a few years now. They hype up these ‘feature drops’ and then drop nothing but trash themes and new bugs. I’ve been having issues ever since the November update. It sucks.”

Interestingly, a surprisingly large portion of Pixel users weren’t even aware of the Pixel Drop. In our survey, ~12% voted “Wait, there’s a November Drop already?” which really highlights Google’s problem with staggered regional rollouts of Drops.

It’s not all doom and gloom for Google, though. ~16% of users said they’d “reserve judgment” until they receive the complete list of features Google has promised, which also speaks to the fact that not everyone has received the full range of promises yet.

Finally, a combined ~13% of readers viewed the Pixel Drop in a positive light, with 6% describing the update as “awesome” and the remainder as merely satisfied.

Judging by the survey results and the overall sentiment online, Google is juggling something of a hot potato. It wants to push Pixels along with the promise of exclusive features, but then fails to deliver when the rollout date comes around, well… except if you’re a Wicked fan. Let’s hope that the company’s next Drop makes good on its promises far sooner than this month’s effort.

Do you agree with the survey results? Is there anything you’d like to add? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.