9 hours ago
5
The Google Pixel 9a mightiness beryllium the best-value telephone of 2025, particularly present that it brings flagship-level AI tools, a agleam 120Hz display, and a monolithic artillery into a much affordable terms tier. But, conscionable similar any Pixel phone, the champion features often aren't enabled by default.
Also: I switched from my Pixel 9 Pro to the 9a for 3 weeks - here's my buying proposal now
These tips are based connected a Pixel 9a running Android 15. Depending connected which Pixel exemplary and Android mentation you're using, the nonstop paper locations whitethorn alteration slightly, but the settings themselves are wide disposable crossed caller Pixel generations.
1. Enable Smooth Display
Pixels proceed to vessel with a superb Actua 120Hz OLED surface acceptable to a much blimpish 60Hz by default. It's good for artillery conservation, but if you privation buttery-smooth scrolling and animations that amusement disconnected the screen's afloat potential, crook connected Smooth Display.
Also: 7 Google Pixel telephone settings you should alteration instantly (and however to bash it)
Go to Settings > Display > Smooth Display and toggle it on. You'll instantly announcement a boost successful responsiveness erstwhile scrolling done societal feeds oregon navigating the UI.
2. Customize Quick Tap
The Pixel's Quick Tap diagnostic lets you double-tap anyplace connected the backmost of the telephone to trigger customizable actions -- but it's not enabled by default. You tin acceptable it to motorboat the camera, instrumentality a screenshot, intermission music, oregon unfastened your favourite app.
Also: I upgraded to Android 15 connected my Pixel 9 Pro. Here are my 6 favourite features truthful far
Go to Settings > System > Gestures > Quick Tap, past crook it connected and take your preferred shortcut. I acceptable excavation to toggle the flashlight, which comes successful precise handy.
3. Maximize artillery beingness with Adaptive Battery and Extreme Saver
Pixels already person coagulated artillery life, but Google's battery-saving tools instrumentality it adjacent further. Adaptive Battery learns which apps you usage astir and cuts powerfulness to the rest. Extreme Battery Saver shuts down predetermined non-essential apps to agelong powerfulness for days.
Also: 12 Android telephone settings you should alteration to dramatically summation artillery life
Enable some successful Settings > Battery > Battery Saver > Adaptive Battery and Battery Saver > Extreme Battery Saver. You tin besides acceptable schedules for them to activate automatically erstwhile needed.
4. Personalize the fastener surface with At a Glance
The Pixel's fastener surface tin go a mini bid halfway if you crook connected its smarter widgets. At a Glance tin amusement formation info, upwind alerts, calendar events, and more.
Also: How to mill reset your Android telephone without unlocking it first
All of this happens done the Pixel Launcher. On the location screen, pat and clasp immoderate unfastened abstraction and prime Home settings, past pat the settings icon for At a Glance. There, you tin negociate what kinds of accusation volition look and what information sources it taps into (with your permission, of course).
As a bonus, your location surface volition besides showcase this info successful the At a Glance widget, truthful you're much apt to drawback those reminders and updates.
5. Enhance Now Playing for adjacent greater opus recognition
Now Playing is simply a chill diagnostic that auto-detects songs playing astir you. The telephone displays that accusation connected your fastener surface passively. Even though the database is awesome and stored afloat on-device, it can't place each opus retired there. That's wherever Google Search comes in.
Also: Google's Circle to Search tin place songs connected Android now. Here's however it works
Head to Settings > Display > Lock Screen > Now Playing and activate Identify songs playing nearby. Then, crook connected Show hunt fastener connected Lock Screen. The adjacent clip Now Playing comes up short, pat the fastener surface icon to nonstop that audio fingerprint to Google Search for a 2nd opinion. It doesn't ever work, but erstwhile it does, you'll beryllium gladsome you did.
6. Enable app suggestions connected the location surface
The Pixel Launcher tin aboveground app suggestions based connected idiosyncratic discourse similar location, clip of day, and your usage habits.
Also: 6 Android location surface launchers that are amended than your default
Tap and clasp an unfastened abstraction connected the location surface and spell to Home settings > Suggestions. Enable Suggestions connected Home Screen, past region astatine slightest 1 static icon from the bottommost enactment connected your Home Screen. That spot volition crook yellowish and statesman to dynamically displacement depending connected usage patterns. You tin adjacent use this to the full enactment if you want.
7. Set up Live Translate and Interpreter Mode
Tensor-powered Pixels enactment offline translation tools. Live Translate lets you automatically construe substance messages successful existent time.
Go to Settings > System > Live Translate and Add a language. Depending connected your selections, you'll unlock antithetic features similar in-message translation, camera presumption translation, and Live Caption translation for videos. Interpreter mode inactive requires Google Assistant, which is becoming little cardinal present that Gemini is taking over.
8. Change your fastener surface privateness settings
By default, notifications look connected your lock screen, which means others mightiness spot your messages. I ever set this mounting connected my caller Pixel devices.
Go to Settings > Notifications and acceptable Sensitive notifications to Off. This keeps the sender and app disposable but hides the connection contents. For maximum privacy, spell to Notifications connected fastener surface and prime Don't amusement immoderate notifications.
9. Use caller ID and spam ID to prevention clip and sanity
Pixel phones actively filter spam and chartless numbers. With Caller ID and Spam, Google flags robocalls and different junk earlier you adjacent answer.
Also: 4 Pixel telephone tricks each idiosyncratic should cognize - including my favorite
Open the Phone app > Settings > Caller ID and Spam. Enable See caller and spam ID, and those incoming calls volition beryllium fixed a agleam reddish informing that's intolerable to ignore. If your Pixel shows the enactment to crook connected Filter spam calls, I urge activating that, which prevents those calls from ringing your phone, alternatively sending them straight to voicemail.
10. Dismiss notifications crossed Pixel devices
This 1 is for the Pixel superfans retired there. If you ain aggregate Pixel devices signed successful with the aforesaid Google account, you tin sync notification dismissals crossed them.
Go to Settings > Notifications > Dismiss notifications crossed Pixel devices. Toggle connected Dismiss connected this device, assistance notification access, and take the apps you privation synced. Make definite to repetition the process connected your different Pixel devices, and you'll ne'er spot the aforesaid notification doubly betwixt them.
Also: Sick of ads connected Android? Change these 5 settings for much privateness - fast
A fewer tiny tweaks tin spell a agelong mode toward making your caller Pixel consciousness faster, smarter, and much personal. Whether it's your archetypal Pixel or, similar me, you've mislaid number astatine this point, taking a infinitesimal to excavation into these settings helps unlock immoderate of the champion of what Google offers.
Get the morning's apical stories successful your inbox each time with our Tech Today newsletter.
Follow my latest tech reviews and projects crossed societal media. You'll find maine connected YouTube astatine YouTube.com/@JasonHowell, connected X (formerly Twitter) astatine @JasonHowell, and connected Instagram astatine Instagram.com/thatjasonhowell.
English (US) ·