If you just got a Google Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro smartphone, here are a few settings and features you should be aware of.
Have you just purchased a Google Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro? There are a number of little things to consider and potentially change before you start using it to its full potential. The Pixel 6 line is unique thanks to the Tensor chip, photo module and a very successful design. But to get the most out of it, you have to dig into the settings and make a few changes, including customization.
Some of these changes will improve the look of the interface, others will help you get the most out of your camera or phone battery. Google has also integrated certain features into the phone app to make it easier to call automated centers. We’ll show you how to turn it all on or off as needed.
Turn on themed icons to make your icons match your wallpaper.
One of the biggest features of Android 12 is Material You, which lets you customize the color palette to match your wallpaper. You’ll notice that certain elements in some apps, such as the keyboard in Messages and the compose button in Gmail, have color accents that reflect your wallpaper. If you go to “Settings”, you can choose from several options.
But you shouldn’t stop there. To give your icons a colorful look similar to your wallpaper, press and hold an empty space on your Pixle 6’s home screen, then tap Wallpaper & Style and make sure the button next to Theme Icons is enabled. The icons should now match the style of your wallpaper.
Use quick phrases to cancel an alarm or reject a call without saying “OK Google”.
It happened to all of us. Your alarm goes off and you’re not awake enough to reach your phone. Google makes it easy on the Pixel 6 by letting you pause or cancel an alarm just by saying “Stop”without the classic “OK Google.”This also works for calls by simply saying “Answer”or “Reject”.
To activate this feature, in the Settings menu, then Apps & Assistant, click Quick phrases. You should see options for alarms, timers, and incoming calls. Activate as you wish.
Allow Google Assistant to wait in robocalls
Being on hold during a phone call is a real pain. With the Google Hold For Me feature, Google Assistant waits for you and alerts you when a person is available on the other end of your phone. If you don’t want to remember which number to enter to get there next time, you can also activate the Direct My Call feature. This decodes automatic menus.
These two features are found in the Pixel 6 phone app. Open it and then tap the three dots icon in the top right corner. Select “Settings”and you should see “Hold for me”and “Direct my call”under “Auxiliary”.
The Direct My Call feature is promising, but currently only works on certain numbers and only in English. And transcriptions are sometimes quite strange.
Choose between battery saver or high performance
Google Pixel smartphones can optimize battery life based on your usage. But there may be times when you would prefer to disable this feature in order to get the best performance from your device. You can enable or disable this option at any time in the Settings menu by selecting Battery and then Adaptive Settings.
Turn on smart storage to avoid running out of storage
If you take a lot of photos and videos, you know how valuable storage is. To deal with this, you can let your pixel automatically delete old photos to free up space. If you enable this feature, your device will delete photos stored in your Google Photos account that have been on your device for more than 60 days if your phone’s free storage drops below 25%.
Activate the memory saver feature to optimize photo and video storage.
If you want to save space, here’s another option: turn on memory saver on your pixel. This changes the most memory-intensive settings, such as saving photos as JPEGs instead of RAWs, and recording videos in 1080p instead of 4K. If you prefer quantity over image quality, you should enable this option.
Launch the Camera app and tap the gear icon in the top left corner, then Advanced Settings and select Device Storage. Activate the switch next to Storage Saver.
Customize the behavior of the volume key when taking a photo.
You can use the volume button to take a photo, adjust the zoom, or control your pixel’s volume. Open the Camera app, tap the settings icon and select “More settings”. Then select “Gestures”and select the volume key action.
Make the Pixel Screen Automatically Switch to the Correct Orientation
Seeing your phone stuck in portrait mode when you hold it in landscape to watch videos is very frustrating. Avoid this on your Pixel 6 by opening Settings, then Display, and tapping Auto-rotate screen. You can enable face detection to make auto rotation more accurate.
Identifying songs from the lock screen
Google Pixel devices can recognize songs and display the title and artist on the lock screen. Open the Settings menu, select Display, and tap Lock Screen. Click “Now playing player”and activate the switch next to “Detect current songs”.
Choose between smooth scrolling or autonomy
The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro can increase the screen refresh rate for faster scrolling and smoother animations, making the interface overall more responsive. The Pixel 6 can run at up to 90Hz and the Pixel 6 Pro can go up to 120Hz, but this feature impacts battery life.
To access this option and turn it off if necessary, go to Settings, then Display. Scroll down to Smooth display and turn it on or off as needed.
Add subtitles to videos, podcasts and phone calls
Google Live Caption creates closed captioning during media playback and works on older Pixel devices up to the second generation. This is an accessibility feature that can come in handy if you don’t have a headset or headphones, for example. To activate, press the volume button and tap on the Live Caption icon, which looks like a speech cloud. Just remember that it connects to the battery.
Change quick settings for quick access to shortcuts
When you swipe down from the top of the screen, the quick settings menu appears. Click on the pencil icon to edit this menu and add the settings you use most often. Google offers a wide range of options, from battery saver and microphone on/off to alarms. There are also shortcuts for Airplane Mode, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.