The HiLight notification light on Google's Pixel 11 Pro phones now works with WhatsApp messages as well as calls. Google confirmed the change on November 13, 2026. It means Pixel 11 Pro owners who mostly text over WhatsApp can now see a colored glow on the back of a face-down phone when a favorite contact messages them.
Shenaz Zack, Google's Senior Director of Product Management for Pixel, confirmed it in a short video posted to X. Google's November Pixel Drop, released earlier in the week, only mentioned Google Messages support. WhatsApp messages are an addition that wasn't part of that announcement.
“HiLight already worked with WhatsApp calls and now, it works with WhatsApp messages, too, doing the heavy lifting so my favorites get the VIP attention,” Zack wrote in the post.
What HiLight does
HiLight is a light built into the camera island of the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. The standard Pixel 11 doesn't have it. According to Google's HiLight support page, the feature gives you light-based cues about what's happening on your phone while it's lying face down.
At launch, HiLight did only two things:
- It pulsed while you were speaking with Gemini, to show when the assistant was thinking and responding.
- It glowed in a color you picked when a favorite contact called you, through either Phone by Google or WhatsApp.
Google's support documentation lists a few conditions. HiLight is on by default, and it only glows when the phone is face down on a flat surface. If you turn on flash notifications, HiLight won't show for incoming calls. You'll find the main controls in Settings under System, then HiLight. To give a contact their own color, open that favorite contact in the Contacts app.
Many owners and reviewers expected a notification light to handle messages from day one, so the call-only launch drew criticism. Message alerts first showed up for testers in the Android 17 QPR2 beta, which let users set a color for a favorite contact's messages as well as their calls.
Part of the November Pixel Drop
Message support became official this week with the November 2026 Pixel Drop, which runs on Android 17 QPR2. In that release, Google said HiLight now lights up when a favorite contact texts you in Google Messages. WhatsApp messages are the second messaging source, and the first one from a third-party app.
Google hasn't described any new setting for WhatsApp message alerts. The feature appears to use the same favorites and colors as Google Messages. For it to work, a contact likely needs to be starred in your Contacts app and linked to their WhatsApp account. Google hasn't spelled that out.
HiLight is only one part of the November Pixel Drop. The update also brings Create My Widget, a new tool for building custom widgets; an AI-powered math solver; Call Screen updates; and new features for older phones, including the Pixel 10 series.
Why it matters for Pixel 11 Pro owners
In much of the world, WhatsApp is the main messaging app, not a backup to SMS or RCS. Supporting only Google Messages would have left out a large share of Pixel 11 Pro buyers. Since WhatsApp calls already worked with HiLight, adding WhatsApp messages means the feature now covers both calls and texts in the same app.
HiLight is still limited, though. Google hasn't announced support for other messaging apps such as Signal, Telegram or Slack, and there's no general setting to light up for any app's notifications. Users have also asked for more control over colors and pulse patterns than Google offers today.
Google seems to be adding HiLight support one app at a time instead of opening it to every notification. That fits how the feature has been presented from the start: it's meant to flag important people, not every buzz from your phone.
Availability
As of November 14, 2026, the WhatsApp message support is rolling out to the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold with the Android 17 QPR2 update. To get it, install the November Pixel Drop from Settings, open the HiLight settings, and turn on the option for favorite contacts. Google hasn't said which apps will get HiLight support next.
