The Google Pixel and Pixel XL were the first smartphones from the search giant to take on the smartphone market. Previously, the Android-manufacturer used to partner with other smartphone vendors such as Samsung, HTC, LG to release the Nexus phones and offer pure stock Android experience.
Going by the pricing, these smartphones are aimed at taking on the Apple’s iPhones. And, Google has bundled the phones with the latest Android 7.1 OS and they have some nifty software features as well. Here are the top five Google Pixel XL tips and tricks.
1) Moves
Google has included three movement based shortcuts on their Pixel phones. And they work flawlessly. As of now, there are three moves, but a latest update for Canada revealed that Google is also bringing the famous double tap to wake and double tap to sleep option.
The current moves available are: ‘Swipe for Notifications’ with which you can access the notification center by sliding down on the fingerprint sensor. Another one is the ‘Jump to Camera’ option, which essentially takes you to the camera app directly by double clicking the power button.
2) Google Assistant
The one exclusive feature available for Pixel phones. Google first showcased their Google Assistant with the Allo app and now they bought the feature to system wide in the Pixel phones. All you need to do is long press the home button to open the assistant. Also, you can access the Google Now on Tap screen by swiping upwards in the assistant screen.
3) Enable Pulse Notification Light
At first glance, we didn’t realize the fact that Pixel XL has a notification light, however, when accessing through the settings app, we found that the OS has an hidden notification light enabling button. You can access the feature by heading over to Settings>Notifications> Enable the Pulse Notification Light Toggle.
4) Night Light
Following the footsteps of Apple, Google has integrated a dedicated night mode in the Pixel phones. The night mode in the Pixel phones is called as ‘Night Light’ and it can be found under: Settings>Display> Night Light> Turn on. Same as the Apple’s iPhones, you can schedule the night light to turn on automatically, which is a good thing to have around.
5) 3D Touch Like App Shortcuts
Another feature which is directly taken from Apple is the 3D Touch like App Shortcuts. This feature works same as the 3D Touch technology in iPhones, however, Google just added the feature into the software. All said, by long pressing an application will bring a menu of actions which will be performed by that application. The screenshot attached will help you further.
