Make your new phone better with 10 simple tricks

There’s one thing particular concerning the first time you arrange a brand new telephone. Urgent the facility button and seeing the show spring to life is enjoyable irrespective of how typically you do it. There are such a lot of menus to discover and settings to customise that the setup course of can nearly really feel overwhelming. With that in thoughts, we’ve provide you with some Google Pixel 6a ideas and methods to attempt proper out of the field to make your telephone even higher.

Google Pixel 6a ideas and methods

Google launched Fast Faucet on the Pixel 6 sequence, letting it function a religious successor to the much-loved Energetic Edge. It hasn’t precisely changed the legacy characteristic within the hearts of longtime Pixel followers, nevertheless it’s a straightforward technique to put some further performance at your fingertips.

Our verdict: Google Pixel 6a overview

Utilizing Fast Faucet is as simple as could be. All you need to do is rapidly double-tap your system’s again to activate your chosen command. The choices aren’t limitless, however you’ll be able to attempt completely different options like taking a screenshot or launching the Google Assistant. If you happen to can’t discover a most well-liked Fast Faucet from Google’s current record, you can even set it to launch an app. For instance, I’ve my Fast Faucet set to open the Lifx app so I can entry good lights all through my house.

Right here’s methods to arrange Fast Faucet:

1. Open the Settings menu.
2. Choose the System heading.
3. Faucet Gestures.
4. Select Fast Faucet.
5. Choose your command.

Reside Caption is likely one of the most handy accessibility features in Google’s lineup. It may be a lifesaver in a loud atmosphere the place you’ll be able to’t hear your video or a quiet one the place you don’t wish to make a sound. The AI-driven characteristic provides real-time captions to only about any media, together with movies, podcasts, and precise telephone calls on the Pixel 6a.

Whereas you need to dig by the Settings menu for many controls, Reside Caption is straightforward to seek out with the amount rocker. Any time you increase or decrease the amount, you’ll see a bubble seem with a small textual content field on the backside. It’s not labeled, however this textual content field is the Reside Caption toggle. Suppose you need much more management over your captions. In that case, you’ll be able to open the Settings menu to handle your profanity preferences and determine if the caption consists of sound labels like laughter and music.

Right here’s methods to discover the Reside Caption menu:

1. Open the Settings menu.
2. Select the Accessibility part.
3. Faucet Reside Caption and toggle it to On.

When you arrange Reside Caption within the Settings menu, it’s a good suggestion to check it with the amount rocker once more.

Our subsequent Google Pixel 6a tip has nothing to do with the software program. It’s additionally the one characteristic you’ll be able to change earlier than the telephone arrives at the doorstep. We at all times suggest that you just choose up a case to your new telephone — we purchase one every time we get a telephone for overview — and the Pixel 6a isn’t any exception. Google’s mid-ranger isn’t product of glass, nevertheless it’s not invincible, both, so it’s higher to be secure than sorry.

Fortunately, we’ve already put within the work to seek out among the greatest circumstances round. We’ve tried to cowl a number of classes, together with skinny circumstances, clear circumstances, and a few battle-tested rugged choices. You can even take a look at certainly one of Google’s first-party silicone circumstances, which comply with the identical design that began with the Pixel 6.

There’s a superb probability you’ll hear music taking part in if you’re out and about. It received’t at all times be to your style, however there’s an opportunity it could possibly be a brand new artist you wish to take heed to once more. If that’s the case, you may be scrambling to open an app like Shazam to catch the tune title, however there’s no assure that you just’ll be fast sufficient. As an alternative, you’ll be able to attempt Google’s Now Taking part in characteristic. It makes the lower as certainly one of our prime Google Pixel 6a ideas as a result of it’s one characteristic you should use with out pondering.

Now Taking part in listens for ambient music and mechanically shows the tune and artist throughout the underside of your show. Even higher, it retains a historical past of the previous few songs you listened to in case you overlook to make a remark of it your self. The simplest technique to dig up Now Taking part in is to open the Settings menu and kind it into the search bar. It’s additionally hidden below the Sound & Vibration menu if you wish to toggle it concurrently Reside Caption.

We had reassurances that the Pixel 6a’s fingerprint reader was not the identical one utilized in its Pixel 6 siblings, nevertheless it’s at all times good to watch out. Google’s flagships had been rife with points, from not registering fingerprints to opening slowly and even breaking if the battery died. To date, there haven’t been as many points on the Pixel 6a, however one of the best ways to extend your probabilities of unlocking is to re-register your fingerprints. The sensor placement continues to be simple to achieve, so it may be a good suggestion to register every of your thumbs twice.

Right here’s what to do:

1. Head to Settings.
2. Scroll to Fingerprint Unlock.
3. Enter your PIN when prompted.
4. Choose Add fingerprint.
5. Comply with the steps to scan your complete fingerprint.

Whether or not you’re an adrenaline junkie or similar to to journey, it’s good to have a plan in case of an accident. Google’s Private Security app pulls nearly every part — emergency contacts, medical info, and private knowledge like your handle — into one handy spot. The data you enter is then saved regionally to your system.

Prepared for a visit? Listed below are the perfect journey apps and devices to convey alongside

Private Security will first immediate you so as to add emergency contacts, which individuals will have the ability to attain in case of an emergency with out unlocking your Pixel 6a. The assorted medical info menus allow you to add every part out of your blood sort to allergy symptoms and drugs should you take them.

From there, you’ll be able to stroll by a Security verify — the place your telephone will warn you at a sure time and activate emergency sharing should you don’t reply — or activate Emergency sharing, which broadcasts your location on the push of a button. Private Security even helps automobile crash detection and alerts for close by pure disasters and public emergencies.

Spam calls are rampant, and the variety of folks attempting to achieve you about your automobile’s prolonged guarantee doesn’t appear to be it’ll dwindle for some time. The FCC and all three main US carriers have introduced measures to fight spam, nevertheless it retains coming by — nearly just like the calls are coming from inside the home. Fortunately, Google is taking its steps to maintain undesirable robo-callers at bay.

If you happen to open your Telephone app and head as much as the settings (the three-dot menu on the prime proper nook), you’ll discover our subsequent Pixel 6a tip. It’s referred to as Spam and Name Display screen and lives below the Assistive heading. Whenever you open it, you get entry to toggles that may establish caller and spam ID, activate Verified Calls, and fine-tune your Name Display screen preferences. Verified Calls reveals the caller ID and the rationale to your incoming name if it’s from a enterprise.

When you head to the Name Display screen menu, it provides you with choices to deal with spam mechanically. You possibly can filter suspected spam and probably faked numbers with a single faucet, and there are much more choices for dealing with first-time callers and personal or hidden numbers.

I nonetheless let first-time callers by, however I’ve by no means been happier to not have my telephone ring.

The Pixel 6a is way simpler to make use of with one hand than both of its Pixel 6 siblings had been. Nevertheless, typically you continue to wish to tweak some issues right here and there to make life even simpler. We advisable resizing the Pixel 6 keyboard to make it simpler to achieve, however our Pixel 6a tip is to customise every part else.

Not offered on Gboard? The most effective Android keyboards to attempt as an alternative

You will discover the Pixel 6a’s keyboard settings below the Languages & enter menu. From there, you’ll be able to toggle Google Voice Typing on or off or head into the Gboard settings for a bit of extra energy. The Gboard allows you to add language preferences (and completely different keyboards with default characters), activate glide typing should you don’t wish to raise a finger, and even add phrases to your private dictionary. That’s the best technique to fight autocorrect points, however you can even instruct the Gboard to overlook its realized phrases and knowledge in case you wish to begin recent.

I’m unsure we are able to write concerning the Pixel 6a or its software program with out at the least a quick point out of Materials You. Launched alongside Android 12, Materials You is all about making your telephone really feel as distinctive as doable. It affords a sequence of customization choices out of your app icons to your widgets, and it’s all themed round your wallpaper.

It’s simple sufficient to take management of your colourful Android expertise with a long-press in your wallpaper. This can open a menu with choices for Wallpaper & fashion, Widgets, and Dwelling settings. If you’d like color-coordinated app icons, you’ll discover them below the primary possibility, however know that the characteristic is proscribed to Google’s first-party apps in the intervening time. Widgets are in the identical boat — Google’s choices provide completely different shapes and colours, whereas most third-party creations are restricted to basic rectangles.

You’ll discover probably the most freedom within the Google Photographs widget, which we’ve written about previously. So long as you’ve up to date to model 5.65, it is best to see about half a dozen body sizes and shapes to select from.

There’s a superb probability you’ll end up within the Pixel 6a’s Fast Settings menu at the least as soon as per day. Whether or not you’re toggling Bluetooth, your most well-liked Wi-Fi community, or activating Battery Saver, it retains key options only a swipe away. Whilst you may pull down the shade and swipe left or proper to get to every possibility, it’s a lot simpler to customise your record. I’ve pulled options like Airplane Mode to my entrance web page whereas relegating choices like Auto-rotate to the second web page as a result of I by no means use it.

If you happen to’ve by no means reorganized your Fast Settings, you won’t have realized how easy it may be. As an alternative of looking down a cog icon, all you need to do is faucet the pencil on the backside of the menu. Then you’ll be able to drag and drop your current tiles and add new ones from choose third-party apps.

There aren’t as many third-party tiles as widgets, however I’ve added the flexibility to create a brand new Asana activity on the push of a button in order that I’m by no means chased down by an editor for forgetting ever once more.

These are our favourite Google Pixel 6a tricks to customise your telephone proper out of the field. In case you have any methods we would have missed, tell us within the feedback beneath!