6 disabled Google Pixel features that every owner should enable first - Android Police

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Google does a good job of keeping the Pixel experience clean and approachable, but that simplicity comes with an odd trade-off.

Some of the phone's most useful features are either switched off by default or buried deep in Settings, making them easy to miss.

Every time I set up a Google Pixel, I change the same handful of toggles before I start using it.

I haven't noticed an increase in spam calls

A screen protector is one of the first accessories I put on an expensive phone like a Pixel, but it can slightly change how the display feels.

I have noticed this most with thicker tempered-glass protectors, where a light tap or swipe does not always register as confidently as it did on the bare screen.

That is where Pixel's Screen Protector mode comes in. I enable it from Settings > Display & touch > Touch sensitivity > Screen Protector mode, which increases touch sensitivity to compensate for that extra layer of glass.

It is a tiny setting, but it makes a noticeable difference when typing quickly, swiping through apps, or using gestures near the edge of the display.

I have lost count of how many times I have accidentally swiped away a notification before properly reading it.

Sometimes it is a delivery update, an OTP, a message preview, or an alert from an app that I can't immediately remember.

That is why Notification history is one of the first things I enable on a Pixel.

You can find it under Settings > Notifications > Notification history.

When it is turned on, Pixel keeps a record of recently dismissed notifications, so I can go back and check what I missed instead of opening several apps and trying to figure it out.

I find it useful on busy days when notifications pile up quickly, and one careless swipe can make something important disappear.

I often keep my Pixel on a short screen timeout to save battery, but that can become annoying when I am actually reading something.

A long article, recipe, email, or travel itinerary can suddenly dim because I haven't touched the display for a while. Screen Attention fixes that small frustration.

I enable it from Settings > Display & touch > Screen timeout > Screen attention.

After that, the Pixel uses the front-facing camera to detect whether I am still looking at the screen and keeps the display awake when necessary.

I like this because I don't have to increase the timeout for every situation or keep tapping the display to stop it from turning off.

I don't need my Pixel to vibrate with the same intensity in every situation. A strong buzz makes sense when I am walking outside or sitting somewhere noisy, but it can feel excessive when the phone is resting on my desk in a quiet room.

I enable it from Settings > Sound & vibration > Vibration & haptics > Adaptive Vibration.

Now, the Pixel can adjust vibration strength based on the environment and how the phone is being used.

In practice, that means alerts can feel more noticeable when they need to be and more subtle when they do not.

Phone calls are still one of those situations where background noise can quickly ruin the experience.

If I am calling someone from a café, a busy street, or even a room with a fan running nearby, I don't want the other person struggling to hear me.

That is why I make sure Clear Calling is enabled on my Pixel.

I can find it under Settings > Sound & vibration > Clear Calling on supported Pixel models.

The feature uses on-device processing to reduce background noise and make voices clearer during calls.

I like that it works quietly in the background without requiring me to switch modes or change anything before every call.

For a feature this useful, I think it deserves to be enabled from day one.

Don't live with a slow phone; stop ignoring these Pixel settings

Not every notification needs my attention the moment it arrives. Sometimes I get a reminder, message, or work alert at the wrong time, but I also don't want to dismiss it and risk forgetting about it completely.

That is why I enable notification snoozing on my Pixel.

You can turn it on from Settings > Notification > Allow notification snoozing. When enabled, supported notifications have a snooze option that lets me temporarily hide them and check later.

It gives me a middle ground between dealing with a notification immediately and swiping it away for good.

Google's default Pixel setup is good, but I still think it leaves a little too much on the table.

These features are easy to overlook, yet they solve the kind of small frustrations I run into every day.

They only take a few minutes to enable, but the phone feels noticeably better afterward.

The Pixel Camera is also packed with features. You can change these settings to get the most out of the Pixel Camera.