This story is a part of 12 Days of Tips, serving to you benefit from your tech, residence and well being in the course of the vacation season.
Google’s Pixel units are already simple and straightforward to make use of, however digging into the settings can assist you tailor sure features of your cellphone to your style. For instance, you possibly can optimize your cellphone’s storage, improve the display screen’s refresh charge (or lower it to avoid wasting battery life) and use the quantity key as a shortcut for the digital camera.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 under must also be out there on older units too, together with the Pixel 6 lineup.Follow the steps under to be taught extra about get essentially the most out of your new Pixel. Turn on themed icons to make your icons match your wallpaperOne of the most important options that debuted in 2021’s Android 12 replace is Material You, which customizes the software program’s coloration palette to match your wallpaper. To give your app icons a colourful refresh, long-press any empty house in your Pixel 7’s residence display screen. Then faucet Wallpaper & fashion and ensure the swap subsequent to Themed icons is toggled on. Now app icons on the house display screen 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 — may have coloured accents that match your wallpaper, too.Unlock your Pixel 7 simply by itGoogle’s Pixel 7 and 7 Pro each help face unlock, not like final 12 months’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 could be unlocked by somebody who seems such as you, comparable to a sibling, when utilizing this characteristic. As such, the Pixel 7’s face unlock performance is supposed only for rapidly unlocking your cellphone quite than authenticating funds and different transactions. That makes it considerably totally different than Apple’s Face ID, which creates a depth map of your face by “projecting and analyzing thousands of invisible dots,” in response to 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 power to achieve on your cellphone. Google makes this a bit of 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 gadget.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 allows 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 out there. If you do not need to bear in mind which quantity to punch the following time you are sitting via automated voice prompts, you may as well 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 obtainable 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 it’s best to see Hold for Me and Direct My Call below the Assistive part.The Direct My Call characteristic appears promising, but it surely solely works for toll-free numbers in English proper now. That could make its transcriptions a bit complicated since many automated cellphone menus usually 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 lengthen battery life or increase efficiency Google’s Pixel telephones can optimize battery life relying on how you utilize your cellphone. While that is a helpful perk, there could also be instances while you’d choose to show this characteristic off in an effort to get higher efficiency out of your gadget. 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 based mostly in your cellphone utilization.
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Turn on Smart Storage to keep away from operating out of houseIf you are taking a whole lot of photographs and movies, you understand how treasured your gadget’s cupboard space could be. As one method to take care of that drawback, you possibly can select to have your Pixel cellphone mechanically delete outdated photographs to unlock house. If you allow this characteristic, your Pixel gadget will erase photographs backed as much as your Google Photos account which were in your gadget 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 mechanically 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 photograph and video storageIf you need to save house, there’s another choice: Enable Storage Saver in your Pixel gadget. This modifications settings that use massive quantities of storage, comparable 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 potential, 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 while 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 gadget. 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 well-liked possibility.You can customise the quantity key on the Pixel 6.
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Make certain your Pixel’s display screen mechanically switches orientation when neededFew issues could be extra annoying than having your cellphone caught in portrait mode while you’re holding it in panorama mode to observe a video. Avoid this in your Pixel cellphone by opening the Settings menu, selecting Display and tapping Auto-rotate display screen. 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 certain your Pixel switches its display screen orientation while you need it to.
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Identify songs taking part in close by on the lock screenEver heard a music taking part in at a restaurant and puzzled what it is referred to as? Google Pixel units can acknowledge songs and show the identify of the music and artist in your cellphone’s lock display screen. Open the Settings menu, select Display and faucet Lock display screen. Press Now Playing and toggle on the swap subsequent to Identify songs taking part in close by.Your Pixel cellphone can show the monitor title and artist for songs taking part in 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 usually really feel extra responsive. The Pixel 7 can bump its refresh charge as much as 90Hz just like the Pixel 6, whereas the Pixel 7 Pro can go as much as 120Hz similar to the Pixel 6 Pro. But since this characteristic will increase battery utilization, there are occasions while you may need to flip it off.To entry this feature, open the Settings menu and select Display. Scroll all the way down to Smooth Display and toggle the swap to show it on or off. This characteristic is not out there on the Pixel 6A. You can select to extend the display screen’s refresh charge 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 taking part in in your gadget, 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 instances while 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 seems like a speech bubble. Just keep in mind that utilizing Live Caption can use further battery assets. Google’s Live Caption expertise captions audio taking part in in your gadget.
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Edit your fast settings to simply entry shortcutsPulling down from the highest of the display screen will launch the fast settings menu. Tap the pencil icon to edit this menu and add the settings you utilize most frequently. Google affords all kinds of choices starting from battery saver to enabling and disabling the microphone and accessing alarms. Here you will discover staples together with airplane mode, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.These are only a few of the numerous settings shortcuts out there on the Pixel.
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Looking for extra recommendation on your different Google units? Check out our suggestions for reinforcing your productiveness on Chromebooks and getting essentially the most out of your Google Nest.