6 must-try Pixel options you most likely have not heard of

On some degree, the Pixel is meant to symbolize Google’s idealized model of an Android telephone. Each Pixel is meant to be the Google-iest model of a smartphone that may exist. The corporate has spent years creating the {hardware} and normal look of the Pixel line, main it down the unconventional design path that produced the camera bar, however it’s additionally performed the identical factor with software program.

If something, software program is the standout motive folks use Pixels within the first place. The telephones leverage Google software program — significantly the corporate’s work with AI — to allow distinctive abilities you may’t fairly get wherever else. Pixel telephones simply really feel a bit smarter than the common Android phone, and that is all due to what Google’s capable of pull off on the software-side of issues. Sadly, the corporate is not all the time one of the best at filling folks in on all of the issues that Pixels can do, although, so this is a recap of the nice Pixel options you would possibly now find out about.

1 Fast Faucet provides you prompt entry to telephone options

It is like an invisible shortcut button

Just like the iPhone, you may allow a particular faucet gesture in your Pixel telephone that offers you fast entry to particular features of your telephone. It is simpler than looking by means of menus, and it presents a probably extra accessible strategy to management your Pixel you probably have a tough time urgent small on-screen buttons.

I’ve Fast Faucet set to take a screenshot on my Pixel 9 — all the higher for remembering issues for later with Pixel Screenshots — however you may as well head into the Settings app and set Fast Faucet to features like enjoying or pausing media in your telephone, opening an app of your selection, or flattening the notification shade.

Fast Faucet has been accessible for some time on Pixel gadgets, however it’s oddly a characteristic Google would not actually promote, regardless that it may clearly be helpful for lots of people. To allow it for your self, head to Settings > System > Gesture > Use Fast Faucet. You may choose the particular factor you need Fast Faucet to do from the menu.

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2 Now Taking part in Shazams songs for you

Enjoyable and helpful passive info

One of many Pixel’s earliest and greatest particular abilities is a built-in music recognition instrument known as Now Taking part in. In case you’ve used Shazam, otherwise you’ve requested Google Assistant to determine a track for you earlier than, Now Taking part in is comparable — it is simply all the time working within the background. With Now Taking part in enabled, you may have a look at your lockscreen or notification shade and see the identify and artist of no matter track is enjoying close to you. You can even faucet on that small widget / notification to begin enjoying the track in your chosen music app or share it with another person.

You may allow Now Taking part in in Settings > Sound & vibration > Establish songs enjoying close by. In case you occur to faucet on the “coronary heart” icon subsequent to the songs, you may as well construct an inventory of favourite songs that is viewable instantly from the “Sound & vibration” menu in Settings. It is much less handy than these favorites ending up in your default music app, however it’s higher than nothing.

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3 Notification historical past permits you to by no means miss a message

Don’t fret about by accident deleting issues

The notification shade in Android makes it simple to handle notifications in your Pixel, however it will get fairly simple to fill it with alerts and messages you do not essentially must see. With the ability to clear your entire notifications directly helps, however what occurs to the messages you by accident delete? When you have notification historical past enabled, you can get to them once more.

You may allow and examine notification historical past in Settings and get entry to each latest notification you’ve got obtained, even when it was deleted. Activate the characteristic by going to Settings > Notifications > Notification historical past > Use notification historical past. In case you do not need to wade by means of Settings each time you need to search for an previous notification, you may faucet on “No notifications” within the notification shade to instantly leap to notification historical past.

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4 Stay Captions converts spoken audio into textual content

Add subtitles to audio throughout the Android working system

The Pixel characteristic Stay Captions can mechanically add captions to speech throughout your telephone. It really works on issues like movies, podcasts, telephone calls, video calls, and audio messages, although it will not caption something aside from spoken dialogue except you toggle a separate possibility in Settings.

You may allow Stay Captions by urgent the quantity controls on the aspect of your Pixel and tapping on the caption icon to show Stay Captions on. The caption field will be repositioned simply by tapping on it and dragging it across the display screen, and you’ll technically view them in a number of totally different fashions. It would primarily look like an accessibility characteristic, however in our video-driven world, there are literally lots of conditions the place you would possibly want to look at a clip with the pontificate. Now you are able to do it whereas nonetheless realizing what is going on on.

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5 Display consideration retains your show on and unlocked

Tapping your telephone awake is a factor of the half

In case you’ve ever had your telephone go to sleep whereas taking a look at one thing, you know the way annoying it may be. Pixel telephones have a built-in characteristic that may maintain you from ever having that occur once more. It is known as “Display consideration” and it retains your telephone energetic so long as you are taking a look at it. That approach your display screen would not go to sleep whilst you’re watching or studying one thing and never touching your display screen.

You may activate the characteristic by yourself telephone by going to Settings > Show & contact > Display timeout > Display consideration. The characteristic may have a damaging impression in your telephone’s battery life within the sense that your display screen goes to spend so much extra time powered on, however that is a small damaging to take away an actual annoyance.

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6 Add Me lets your Pixel create group photographs for you

You do not have to prop up your telephone and hope for one of the best

Google

Among the Pixel’s greatest digicam options cope with eliminating edge-cases, conditions that may not be common, however can break your picture in the event that they occur. Add Me, a brand new characteristic added with the launch of the Pixel 9, does simply that for taking group photographs. When you do not have to take a photograph for you, your solely choices are to prop up your telephone and set a timer or depart somebody out of your picture. Add Me permits you to embrace everybody by primarily combining two photographs into one. One picture with out the photographer and one other with the photographer posed subsequent to the place the remainder of the group was standing.

You may entry Add Me instantly from the Pixel Digital camera app. The characteristic will information you thru taking every picture and even consists of onscreen silhouettes so you know the way to pose on your second picture. After a little bit of loading, you will get a photograph that wasn’t doable with out Add Me. That is a reasonably nice magic trick.

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The Pixel is full of abilities that make it stand out

Google’s Pixel telephones have nice options that different Android telephones do not have. The six options above are among the greatest and underappreciated issues a Pixel can pull off, however there are different options price taking a look at, too. The Pixel 9 is able to some fairly wild AI-generated photo edits, and there is a entire list of Pixel Tablet features to peruse you probably have one in all your personal. The purpose is, Google’s Pixel gadgets have quite a bit going for them, and with a Pixel 9a on the way in which, you do not have to pay flagship costs to understand every part they’ll do.

Google Pixel 9

$649 $799 Save $150

Pixel 9 contains a 6.3-inch show and a well-recognized design. It helps the addition of a 48-megapixel ultrawide lens to its rear digicam array alongside Google Gemini and AI options.