Whether you’ve got the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL or Pixel 9 Pro, these tips and tricks will help you get the most out of your Google phone
Google’s latest Pixel 9 series is an excellent range of smartphones – the company’s best phones to date, if their record-breaking sales figures are anything to go by.
If you happen to be the owner of a shiny new member of the Pixel 9 family, there’s every chance you’re looking for ways to get the most out of it beyond the already excellent out-of-box experience. If so, you’ve come to the right place.
Google has done a great job of refining its clean and unique take on Android, and the setup process of today’s Pixels is better than it’s ever been. But just because these phones come with a robust ‘Tips’ app, there are more features and functions to uncover, especially since the line was updated to Android 15.
Below you’ll find a run of nine tips and hidden features worth trying, and all should be accessible to any member of the Pixel 9 series (that’s the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 9 Pro Fold). Just make sure your device has the latest OS updates installed, to guarantee you have access to all the features mentioned.Maximise display resolution
Google has put a lot of effort into giving its latest Pixels excellent screens. The ‘Actua’ displays introduced with the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro series were a nice step up from those used by older entries in the series, while the panels used across the Pixel 9 line are Google’s best yet.
Be that as it may, there’s a chance you’re not getting the most out of the screen on your Pixel 9, because you’re likely not viewing things at full resolution.
By default, the Pixel 9 series comes with its displays set to ‘High resolution’. For example, the Pixel 9 Pro XL sports a resolution of 1008 x 2244 (equivalent to about 362 pixels per inch, based on the phone’s 6.8-inch display) out-the-box, but that’s with the display set to ‘High resolution’. Set the phone to ‘Full resolution’ and you’re then viewing everything at a significantly sharper 1344 x 2992 (approximately 482ppi).
HOW? Open your Pixel’s Settings app, head to Display & touch, scroll down to the bottom to find Screen resolution and then switch from High resolution to Full resolution.Circle to Search for songs
Now Playing has been a neat feature on Pixel phones since 2017’s Google Pixel 2, able to automatically recognise music playing within range of your phone’s microphones, showing the track and artist in question on-screen automatically.
While Now Playing hasn’t gone away, it’s a passive feature. Sometimes you want to actively ask your phone to try and identify a tune. While Circle to Search arrived in the first half of 2024, one extension of the feature which comes as part of Android 15 is song recognition.
HOW? Long-press on the bottom of your screen (if you use gesture-based navigation) or the home button (if you use button navigation) to activate the Circle to Search interface. Next, tap the musical note icon which appears at the bottom of the screen. Finally hold you Pixel near the sound of the music you’re trying to identify (or hum or sing the song yourself) and if all goes to plan, you’ll be presented with a results card, complete with track information and playback options.
Note: Unlike Now Playing, these results aren’t logged in your phone’s Now Playing history, as this is classed as a separate music identification feature.App Archiving
Another nice addition to Android 15 is App Archiving. Previously only accessible as a beta feature, App Archiving lets you uninstall an app from your phone, while retaining elements like user data, so that if you want to reinstall it at a later date, you can do so without having to re-login or risk losing app-specific files.
Archiving an app is a great way to save space, with archived apps being at least 60% smaller than a fully installed application.
