7 Cool Pixel Features You Can’t Get on Other Android Phones

The Google Pixel collection of telephones hasn’t actually caught the creativeness or attracted the kind of gross sales in the identical method that its big-name Android rivals have, however Google truly launched Android options first on its Pixel lineup. Here are just a few of an important Pixel exclusives that make it extra tempting to purchase one—moreover the apparent benefit of having access to new Android software program earlier than anybody else.

1. Screen Your Calls With Google Assistant

The Pixel call-screening characteristic leverages the smarts of Google Assistant, which is able to reply to incoming calls in your behalf, if you would like it to. When a name will get screened, the caller hears a immediate from Google Assistant that asks who’s calling and why. That info is then relayed to you in a transcript, if the caller doesn’t dangle up.

To allow the characteristic, open the Google Phone app, faucet the three dots up within the high proper nook, then select Settings and Spam and Call Screen. You must activate See caller and spam ID, after which you may faucet Call Screen to configure the characteristic additional. At the time of writing, the characteristic has solely been rolled out to the U.S., Canada, and Japan.

2. Get App Suggestions

If you may by no means fairly determine which apps deserve a spot on your property display screen, you may get your Google Pixel to select a few of them for you. Long press on a clean space of your property display screen, then select Home settings and Suggestions, and allow Suggestions on Home display screen (you may as well get strategies in the primary apps drawer too, if you would like).

The strategies all the time seem on the underside row of the house display screen, simply above the search field, although you may substitute a number of of the slots with a static shortcut by dragging the icon down. Google says that the strategies are “based on your recently used apps, most-used apps and routines,” in order that’s why you’re seeing what you’re seeing.

3. Automatically Enable Driving Mode

Another Pixel unique that you simply don’t get on different Android handsets is the flexibility to mechanically bounce into Do Not Disturb or Android Auto driving mode when your handset detects that you simply’re shifting. This works with the Pixel 3 and later (on the Pixel 2, Do Not Disturb is the one possibility). It’s not an enormous characteristic, but it surely’s fairly handy nonetheless.

On a Pixel 3 and later, from Settings, select Connected units, Connection preferences, and Driving mode, then faucet Behavior (the choices you see after that rely in your cellphone and your automobile). On the Pixel 2, from the primary Android Settings display screen select Sound, Do Not Disturb and Turn on mechanically, then choose Add rule and choose Driving.

4. Edit the Sky in Google Photos

One of the neat enhancing methods provided by Google Photos is the flexibility to alter up the sky in your images, however not everybody will get entry to all of the options. Strictly talking, this isn’t a Pixel unique, however it’s, kind of. You both want a Pixel cellphone or an energetic Google One subscription on a non-Pixel gadget to get entry to those sky filters in Google Photos.

With a picture open in Google Photos, faucet Adjust then Sky to make your selection. Radiant actually brings the colours out quite a bit brighter, for instance, whereas Ember offers extra of a hotter glow. The remainder of the image will get modified too, to raised replicate the fashion of sky you’ve chosen, and you’ll tweak the energy of the impact with the dial on the backside.

5. Take Time Lapses of the Night Sky

Pixel telephones produce other neat pictures options, too. The Google Camera will give you an excessive Night Sight mode meant for taking pictures of the evening sky—leveraging the on-board AI processing—as soon as it detects the circumstances are appropriate. In June 2021, a brand new time lapse possibility was added, enabling Pixel homeowners to make their very own stellar films.

You want a Pixel 4 or later for this, but when your cellphone helps the characteristic then you definitely’ll see an Enable Time Lapse for Astrophotography possibility within the Advanced part of the Google Camera app settings—faucet the arrow then the cog icon from the shutter display screen to search out them. When the circumstances are proper, you’ll be capable of seize a brief clip in addition to a nonetheless picture.

6. Identify Any Music, Any Time

The Pixels include a Now Playing characteristic that works like a Shazam clone that’s all the time on and all the time listening. In different phrases, if you wish to know what a specific track is, you don’t need to rapidly seize your cellphone, open an app, and allow the listening mode. Most of the time the track title and artist will already be displayed in your Pixel lock display screen.

To customise how Now Playing works, open the primary Android Settings display screen, then select Sound and vibration, Advanced, and Now taking part in. You can select whether or not or not track IDs present up on the log display screen, and dig into the Now Playing History as properly—a listing of all of the tunes that your Pixel cellphone has picked up within the background lately.

7. Caption Videos in Real Time

Google has promised that this characteristic will finally roll out to “select” Android telephones that aren’t Pixels, however for now you want a Pixel 2 or later to allow it. If you open the primary Settings web page in your Android gadget, then select Sound and vibration, you’ll see the Live Caption possibility—faucet it to allow the characteristic and configure its varied settings.

Essentially, Live Caption provides real-time subtitles to any video or audio taking part in in your gadget, which could be very useful for these with listening to difficulties, or in the event you’re in a quiet place and may’t flip up the quantity. You may even ask for labels like laughter, applause and music, and in our expertise the AI could be very spectacular (albeit not flawless, but).