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Google has packed its flagship Pixel phones with a long list of useful features for everything from privacy to productivity, and rolls out more with its frequent Pixel Drop updates. It can be hard to keep up with all that’s available—plus, many of the best features are disabled by default. If you have one of Google’s smartphones, here are 10 ways to maximize everything your Pixel has to offer.
Before you hand your Pixel over to someone else—whether you’re letting a stranger make a call or showing photos to a friend—enable app pinning to prevent that person from navigating around your device. This privacy feature keeps users in the pinned app so they can’t open your messages, snoop your search history, or find other personal information. The only way to escape a pinned app is with your PIN, pattern, or password. To pin an app, go to Settings > Security or Security & location > Advanced > App pinning and toggle on Use app pinning and Ask for PIN before unpinning. Then, open the app you want to pin, swipe and hold to open your Overview, tap the app’s icon, and tap “Pin.”
Another way to keep your personal information away from prying eyes is by placing it in a Private Space—a hidden section of your Pixel that requires separate authentication to open. Private Space holds sensitive apps (akin to having a separate phone within your phone) and hides them from quick search, launcher, and recent views. Private Space also disables foreground and background activities, including notifications.
To set up Private Space, go to Settings > Security & privacy > Private space and either authenticate with your device screen lock PIN or set up a new PIN if you don’t have one. Tap Set up > Got it and follow the prompts to set up a new lock for the space. You can either add apps when Private Space is open (tap Install) or touch and hold an app then tap Install app in Private space.
Android’s AI-powered Circle to Search tool lets you search within an app simply by circling, highlighting, or tapping an image, text, or video. It can also translate text on websites and social media posts continuously as you scroll down a page or between posts without any additional input or having to relaunch the feature. To activate translation, long press the home button or navigation bar to launch Circle to Search, then tap the Translate icon > Scroll and translate.
Don’t waste hours of your life on hold with customer service when your Pixel can do it for you. With Hold for Me, Call Assist will hang out with the elevator music, detect when a representative is on the line, and alert you that it’s time to pick up the call.
To enable Hold for Me, open your Phone app and go to More > Settings > Hold for Me. You’ll also have to turn the feature on for each call—when you’re placed on hold, tap Hold for me > Start. When the “Someone’s waiting to talk to you” prompt appears, tap Return to call. Note that Hold for Me is available for users in Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK, and the U.S.
Your Pixel can also help manage your missed and declined calls with Take a Message, a voicemail alternative that shows you a real-time transcript on your home screen. This allows you to screen the call and decide whether to pick up before the message is complete—you can join the call in progress at any time. The feature also creates AI-generated call notes and next steps (such as reminders or a single click to return the call). According to Android Authority, custom Take a Message greetings for individual callers may also be in the works.
To enable this feature, open your Phone app and tap More > Settings > Take a Message and toggle the setting on. Take a Message is supported on Pixel 6 and higher in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the UK, and the U.S.
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There is a whole host of gestures you can set up on your Pixel to check notifications, find and open apps, or activate Google Assistant. Quick Tap is one such option that turns the back of your phone into a “button” that can be customized to run a number of different actions with a double tap. Taking a screenshot and activating the flashlight are common ones, but people also use Quick Tap to launch things like Google Lens, Wallet, or Snapchat.
Google recently rolled out a feature for all users on Pixel 8 and newer that allows you to connect your device to an external monitor, essentially turning it into a desktop PC. Simply plug your phone in via USB-C, and you’ll get apps in moveable windows plus an onscreen dock. You’ll likely want to add a few PC peripherals (Bluetooth keyboard and mouse) to your arsenal if you don’t already have them to maximize the desktop experience.
When plugged into your computer (or TV, tablet, or laptop with USB Video Class support), your Pixel also doubles as a webcam. All you need is a data-supported USB cable. Tap the notification labeled Charging this device through USB and select “Webcam” under the Use USB for menu. You can still use your phone as normal when in webcam mode, though the stream will pause if you get a video call or open an app that uses the camera. Note that Pixels cannot be used as webcams for other Pixels.
Standard voice-to-text features get the job done when you need to talk instead of type, but Pixel’s on-device AI takes voice typing up a notch, capturing speech (including grammar and punctuation) quickly and accurately. Gboard on Pixel is “context aware,” meaning it can understand voice commands and corrections, place punctuation based on natural speech patterns, and even insert emojis. You must enable advanced voice typing (available on Pixel 6 and up) in any app you can type with. Tap where you enter text, then select Settings > Voice typing at the top of the keyboard. Then, toggle Advanced voice typing features on.
Getting your phone’s battery to last as long as possible requires some adjustments. Pixel has a handful of adaptive settings that use AI to identify your usage patterns and minimize power requirements accordingly. Adaptive Battery (under Settings > Battery > Battery Saver) reduces background power to apps you use less, while Adaptive Brightness (Settings > Display > Adaptive Brightness) automatically adjusts screen brightness based on context. Finally, Adaptive Connectivity will switch between 5G networks, which require more power, and 4G LTE depending on whether you’re streaming or just enough speed for basic functions.
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