This story is a part of 12 Days of Tips, serving to you take advantage of your tech, dwelling and well being through the vacation season.
Google’s Pixel units are already easy and straightforward to make use of, however digging into the settings may help you tailor sure facets of your cellphone to your style. For instance, you’ll be able to optimize your cellphone’s storage, improve the display’s refresh fee (or lower it to avoid wasting battery life) and use the quantity key as a shortcut for the digicam.Google launched the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro in October, and each telephones embody a refreshed design, face unlock, the brand new Tensor G2 processor and improved cameras. But many of those settings choices beneath must also be accessible on older units too, together with the Pixel 6 lineup.Follow the steps beneath to be taught extra about the way to get essentially the most out of your new Pixel. Turn on themed icons to make your icons match your wallpaperOne of the largest options that debuted in 2021’s Android 12 replace is Material You, which customizes the software program’s colour palette to match your wallpaper. To give your app icons a colourful refresh, long-press any empty house in your Pixel 7’s dwelling display. Then faucet Wallpaper & model and ensure the swap subsequent to Themed icons is toggled on. Now app icons on the house display ought to match your wallpaper. You’ll discover that some parts inside sure apps — just like the keyboard in Messages and Gmail’s Compose button — can have coloured accents that match your wallpaper, too.Unlock your Pixel 7 simply by taking a look at itGoogle’s Pixel 7 and 7 Pro each help face unlock, in contrast to final yr’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. If you personal a Pixel 7 and have not set it up but, you are able to do so by launching the Settings menu and tapping Security. Tap Face and fingerprint unlock and enter your PIN. From there, select the Face Unlock choice to register your face to your cellphone. Google cautions, nevertheless, that your cellphone may be unlocked by somebody who appears such as you, corresponding to a sibling, when utilizing this characteristic. As such, the Pixel 7’s face unlock performance is supposed only for rapidly unlocking your cellphone relatively than authenticating funds and different transactions. That makes it considerably completely different than Apple’s Face ID, which creates a depth map of your face by “projecting and analyzing thousands of invisible dots,” in accordance with Apple’s help web page.You can unlock the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro together with your face.
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Use Quick Phrases to dismiss an alarm or cellphone name with out saying, ‘Hey, Google’We’ve all been there. It’s 6 a.m., your alarm begins blaring and also you barely have the vitality to achieve to your cellphone. Google makes this somewhat simpler on the Pixel lineup by enabling you to pause or dismiss an alarm by merely saying, “Snooze” or “Stop” with out requiring the “Hey, Google” set off phrase. You can do the identical for cellphone calls by saying “Answer” or “Decline” with out having to seize your system.To flip this on, open the Settings menu and select Apps. Then, choose Assistant and faucet Quick phrases. You ought to see choices for alarms and timers and incoming calls. Tap the swap subsequent to every one to allow this characteristic.Read extra: Best Android Phones in 2022This characteristic permits you to dismiss alarms and reply calls with out utilizing the “Hey, Google” wake phrase.
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Have Google Assistant wait on maintain for you and transcribe automated cellphone menusTired of ready on maintain? Try utilizing Google’s Hold For Me characteristic, which has Google Assistant wait on maintain after which notify you when a buyer consultant turns into accessible. If you do not need to keep in mind which quantity to punch the following time you are sitting by automated voice prompts, it’s also possible to activate Direct My Call. This transcribes automated menus in order that you do not have to recollect which quantity to press to get directed to the proper extension. Direct My Call ought to work even quicker on the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro, since Google says these telephones might present some transcriptions earlier than they’re even spoken. Both of those options are accessible from the Pixel’s cellphone app. Hold For Me works on the Pixel 3 and later, whereas Direct My Call is offered on the Pixel 3A and later. Open the Phone app and faucet the three dots within the prime proper nook to get began. Choose Settings and you need to see Hold for Me and Direct My Call beneath the Assistive part.The Direct My Call characteristic appears promising, however it solely works for toll-free numbers in English proper now. That could make its transcriptions a bit complicated since many automated cellphone menus sometimes learn choices in Spanish, too.Read extra: Best Wireless EarbudsGoogle Assistant can transcribe automated menus for you when calling toll-free numbers, however solely in English.
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Choose whether or not you need to prolong battery life or increase efficiency Google’s Pixel telephones can optimize battery life relying on how you employ your cellphone. While that is a helpful perk, there could also be occasions whenever you’d choose to show this characteristic off with the intention to get higher efficiency out of your system. You can flip this setting on or off anytime by opening the Settings menu, selecting Battery and tapping Adaptive preferences.You can optimize your Pixel’s battery primarily based in your cellphone utilization.
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Turn on Smart Storage to keep away from operating out of houseIf you’re taking a number of photographs and movies, you know the way treasured your system’s cupboard space may be. As one strategy to take care of that drawback, you’ll be able to select to have your Pixel cellphone robotically delete outdated photographs to unlock house. If you allow this characteristic, your Pixel system will erase photographs backed as much as your Google Photos account which were in your system for 60 days in case your cellphone’s storage is lower than 25%. To flip this on, open Settings, select Storage and faucet Free up house. Then faucet the menu icon within the prime left nook and choose Settings. Toggle the swap subsequent to Smart Storage.Google’s Smart Storage characteristic robotically deletes outdated photographs to avoid wasting house.
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More from 12 Days of Tips:Use Storage Saver to optimize your Pixel’s picture and video storageIf you need to save house, there’s an alternative choice: Enable Storage Saver in your Pixel system. This adjustments settings that use giant quantities of storage, corresponding to saving RAW photos as JPEG and recording movies in 1080p as an alternative of 4K. If you care extra about saving house than having the very best decision doable, you may need to do this.Launch the Camera app and faucet the settings icon within the prime left nook. Then, faucet More settings and choose Device storage. Toggle the swap subsequent to Storage Saver.The Pixel may change sure media settings to optimize storage.
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Customize what occurs whenever you press the quantity key whereas taking photographsYou can use the quantity button to snap a photograph, modify the zoom or management the audio quantity in your Pixel system. Open the Camera app, press the Settings icon and select More settings. Then, select Gestures and choose Volume key motion to decide on your most popular possibility.You can customise the quantity key on the Pixel 6.
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Make positive your Pixel’s display robotically switches orientation when neededFew issues may be extra annoying than having your cellphone caught in portrait mode whenever you’re holding it in panorama mode to look at a video. Avoid this in your Pixel cellphone by opening the Settings menu, selecting Display and tapping Auto-rotate display. You may select to activate face detection to make autorotate extra correct. Google says photos utilized in face detection are by no means saved or despatched to the corporate. Make positive your Pixel switches its display orientation whenever you need it to.
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Identify songs enjoying close by on the lock screenEver heard a tune enjoying at a restaurant and questioned what it is known as? Google Pixel units can acknowledge songs and show the title of the tune and artist in your cellphone’s lock display. Open the Settings menu, select Display and faucet Lock display. Press Now Playing and toggle on the swap subsequent to Identify songs enjoying close by.Your Pixel cellphone can show the observe title and artist for songs enjoying close by.
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Choose whether or not you need smoother scrolling or longer battery lifeCertain Pixel units can increase their refresh charges to allow quicker scrolling and smoother animations, which makes the software program typically really feel extra responsive. The Pixel 7 can bump its refresh fee as much as 90Hz just like the Pixel 6, whereas the Pixel 7 Pro can go as much as 120Hz identical to the Pixel 6 Pro. But since this characteristic will increase battery utilization, there are occasions whenever you may need to flip it off.To entry this selection, open the Settings menu and select Display. Scroll right down to Smooth Display and toggle the swap to show it on or off. This characteristic is not accessible on the Pixel 6A. You can select to extend the display’s refresh fee or maximize battery life in your Pixel cellphone.
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Add captions to movies, podcasts and cellphone callsGoogle’s Live Caption characteristic generates captions for media enjoying in your system, and it really works on older Pixels courting again to the second-generation mannequin. It’s an accessibility characteristic, and it will also be helpful for occasions whenever you’re caught with out headphones and want to listen to the content material of a video or podcast in a public setting. To flip this on, press the quantity button and faucet the Live Caption icon, which appears like a speech bubble. Just do not forget that utilizing Live Caption can use further battery assets. Google’s Live Caption know-how captions audio enjoying in your system.
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Edit your fast settings to simply entry shortcutsPulling down from the highest of the display will launch the fast settings menu. Tap the pencil icon to edit this menu and add the settings you employ most frequently. Google affords all kinds of choices starting from battery saver to enabling and disabling the microphone and accessing alarms. Here you may discover staples together with airplane mode, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.These are only a few of the numerous settings shortcuts accessible on the Pixel.
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Looking for extra recommendation to your different Google units? Check out our suggestions for reinforcing your productiveness on Chromebooks and getting essentially the most out of your Google Nest.