Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL is the latest smartphones from Google succeeding the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. These new devices are packing new hardware as well as some new software features.
These devices come with one of the best software features which require a little bit of exploring.
This is why we’ve come up with some of the best tips and tricks to help you get started with your new Pixel 4 or Pixel 4 XL device.
Some of these tips are also exclusive to the Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL smartphones only.
Without further ado, let’s get right down to it.
Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL Best Tips and Tricks
Dark theme
Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL comes with the much-requested dark theme out of the box thanks to the Android 10 operating system. Other Google Pixel devices can also get this dark theme if they update their device to the latest Android operating system.
Now, It’s no news that the Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL comes with Android 10 which comes with the Dark theme. What you don’t know is that the dark theme doesn’t just turn your settings menu and notification bar dark, it also affects other apps.
For example, if you turn on a dark theme, apps like Google play store, Gmail, Chrome and some other apps also go Dark. This list of apps with dark mode/theme is always growing and so, very soon, with just one tick in your settings menu, all apps will activate their dark theme.
To turn on the Dark theme, Simply navigate to the Settings Menu >> Display >> Tick Dark theme to turn it on.
Styles & Wallpapers
The Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL running Android 10 doesn’t come with much when it comes to customisation. However, you can play around with both the styles of your icons like changing the colour, fonts and even how the icon looks. Now, people who are already used to using a custom launcher won’t find this appealing.
However, if you are among the few that use the default launcher then you can spice things up a little. Although this doesn’t change the icons as you’d need an icon pack for that, you can the size, shape and even colour of both icons and notification bar icons.
You can create different themes with different shapes, sizes and colours then save them and apply them whenever you want.
Motion Sensor
Motion Sensor is one of the new hardware features of the Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL which opens up new ways for you to interact with your device. Thanks to this motion sensor, you can easily swipe your finger above your device to skip to the next or previous music on apps like Spotify, Amazon music and the rest.
This device also uses the motion sensor to determine when you are reaching for your device in order to prep the facial recognition for fast face unlock. You can find the motion sensor and a bunch of other related settings in the Settings Menu >> System >> Motion Sensor. From here, you can either turn it on or off as well as customise it as you want.
Smooth Display
It’s no news that both the Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL support up to 90Hz refresh rate which Google has chosen to call “Smooth Display”. You can turn this on or off in the Settings Menu under Display.
Now, what most people don’t know is that, unlike other devices that sit on 90Hz, the Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL don’t stay at 90Hz all the time. It goes up to 90Hz when you are interacting with the device and comes down back to 60Hz when you’re not or in an app that doesn’t support 90Hz.
This is done in order to reduce the battery drain as the Google Pixel doesn’t have the best batteries out there. However, you can lock the display to 90Hz by going into the Developer Settings and forcing it from there, that is, go to settings > Display > Advanced > Smooth Display
This will keep the display at 90Hz at all times but will also increase battery drain.
Identify songs around you with Now Playing
Now playing is also another feature on the Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL that comes in pretty handing to almost everyone. This feature allows your device to identify and show you the name of the songs playing around you as well as the artist that sang them. Now playing isn’t exclusive to the new Google Pixel 4 but has been a part of Google Pixel smartphones since the Pixel 2.
You can either have the now playing show you the songs on your lock screen or have it keep the songs in what is called “The Master Log” in the Settings menu which you can check later. It also sorts the list of music it has identified chronologically in order to make it look neat, organized and easy to go through.
This feature doesn’t require an internet connection so no need to worry about your data, nor do you have to worry about your battery. To set this feature up, simply navigate to Settings >> Sound >> Now Playing. From here, you can toggle on the show on lock screen option and also view the master log under the now-playing history
Conclusion
There are still lots of other new things on the Google Pixel 4 & Pixel 4 XL like the ambient EQ that matches the colour temperature of the screen to the light of where you are or the new Android 10 gestures. Found anything new on your Google Pixel 4 or Pixel 4 XL? Do let us know in the comment section down below.
