7 Hidden Pixel Settings That Transform Your Phone

Reviewed by Corey Noles

Your Google Pixel phone comes packed with features that could transform your daily tech experience—but most of them are sitting dormant, waiting to be discovered. The Pixel 8a ships with Android 14 and includes a 120Hz OLED panel that Google calls an Actua display, yet many users discover that crucial performance-enhancing features are disabled by default. Here's the thing: Google's conservative default settings prioritize battery life over performance, but with a few strategic tweaks, you can unlock your phone's full potential without sacrificing much power.

Unleash your display's true potential

Let's start with the most immediately noticeable upgrade. Pixels continue to ship with a brilliant Actua 120Hz OLED screen set to a more conservative 60Hz by default. This means you're missing out on dramatically smoother scrolling through social media feeds, more responsive gaming performance, and buttery animations when navigating between apps. To fix this, go to Settings > Display > Smooth Display and toggle it on.

The difference is immediate and striking. Video playback becomes more fluid, web browsing feels more responsive, and even simple tasks like opening apps seem faster because the visual feedback is so much smoother. It's honestly one of those changes that makes you wonder why Google doesn't just enable this out of the box.

Want to take it even further? You can make your phone feel lightning-fast by tweaking the animation speeds. First, you'll need to enable Developer Options: open your settings > scroll down to About phone > find the Build number (which should be at the very bottom of the list) > and tap the tile seven times. Once that's done, go back to your main settings list > tap on System > Developer Options > and then scroll down until you find the animation scale tiles. Tap on each one and adjust the value from 1x to .5x. This means all your phone animations will now take half the time to execute, making everything feel snappier.

For even more display finesse, screen timeout can be extended manually or by using Adaptive timeout and Screen attention in the Display & touch menu. This smart feature uses your front camera to detect when you're actually looking at your screen, preventing it from going dark while you're reading or thinking about what you just saw.

Master your battery like a pro

Now that we've optimized your display for performance, let's ensure your battery can keep up. Your Pixel already has impressive battery life—the Pixel 8a has a 4,492mAh battery that the company claims lasts more than 24 hours—but Google's intelligent battery management can extend it even further while supporting that smooth 120Hz display. Enable both Adaptive Battery and Extreme Battery Saver in Settings > Battery > Battery Saver.

Here's what makes this smart: Adaptive Battery uses machine learning to determine which apps you are likely to use most and when you might use them. Over time, Adaptive Battery learns your habits and limits background power to less important apps. This means your high-refresh display can stay smooth for the apps you actually use, while background apps that drain power unnecessarily get throttled automatically.

The battery saver modes work on different levels of urgency. Standard Battery Saver immediately limits background activity, switches on Dark theme, and reduces visual effects—perfect when you want to maintain functionality while extending life. Meanwhile, Extreme Battery Saver pauses most apps and notifications to extend your battery for days if needed, ideal for emergencies when you need maximum longevity.

PRO TIP: You can set Battery Saver modes to turn on automatically at a percentage of your choosing, so you never have to worry about manually enabling them when your battery gets low. Set Standard Battery Saver to kick in at 20% and Extreme at 10% for a safety net that works seamlessly with your optimized display settings.

Transform your lock screen into a smart hub

Your lock screen doesn't have to be boring—especially when it can complement the gesture shortcuts and AI features we'll set up next. The Pixel's lock screen can become a mini command center if you turn on its smarter widgets. Start with the At a Glance widget: tap and hold any open space on the home screen and select Home settings, then tap the settings icon for At a Glance.

This creates a centralized information hub that shows weather, calendar events, flight information, package deliveries, and more—all without you having to unlock your phone or open specific apps. It's genuinely helpful when you're rushing out the door and need to check if it's going to rain or when your next meeting starts, and it pairs perfectly with the gesture controls we'll configure shortly.

Music lovers will appreciate the Now Playing feature. Most Pixel phones can find ambient music using the Now Playing feature, which displays song info on the lock screen. To enable it, head to Settings > Display > Lock Screen > Now Playing and activate Identify songs playing nearby. For even better results, choose Enhance Now Playing for expanded detection.

Don't forget about customization options that work with your notification preferences. Customize your lock screen in Settings > Display & touch > Lock screen by adjusting notifications, sensitive content, shortcuts, and dynamic clock. For privacy—particularly important before we enable advanced notification management—consider setting Sensitive notifications to Off in Settings > Notifications so others can't see your private messages when your phone is locked.

Supercharge your gestures and shortcuts

Now let's add some gesture magic that works beautifully with your optimized display and smart lock screen. Features like Quick Tap enable users to double-tap the back of their phone to trigger various customizable actions. Go to Settings > System > Gestures > Quick Tap, then turn it on and choose your preferred shortcut. You can set Quick Tap to launch the camera, take a screenshot, pause music, or open your favorite app.

This gesture becomes second nature once you start using it, and it's even more responsive with those faster animations we set up earlier. I've set mine to launch the camera, which means I can go from pocket to photo-ready in about two seconds—perfect for capturing spontaneous moments that would otherwise be missed.

Activate Flip to Shhh in Settings > System > Gestures > Flip to Shhh to automatically turn on Do Not Disturb mode when the phone is flipped down. This works brilliantly with your lock screen customizations—just flip your phone face-down on the table during meetings or meals and it automatically silences notifications while keeping your At a Glance information ready when you need it.

Don't forget about your power button behavior, especially since we'll be setting up AI calling features that might conflict with accidental Assistant triggers. Change the behavior of the power button in Settings > System > Gestures > Press & hold power button to choose whether it activates Google Assistant or the power menu. If you find yourself accidentally triggering the Assistant when you meant to turn off your phone, switching this back to the power menu will save frustration.

Unlock AI-powered calling features

Your Pixel comes with some of the smartest calling features available on any smartphone, and they integrate seamlessly with the gesture shortcuts you just configured. The Pixel 8a comes with AI-powered Pixel Call Assist features, including Call Screen, Direct My Call, Hold for Me, and Clear Calling. These aren't just gimmicks—they're genuinely useful tools that can save you time and frustration while working alongside your optimized interface.

Enable Google's AI Call Features by opening the Phone app, tapping the hamburger menu, then Settings > Call Screen and toggling on Automatically screen calls. Call Screen is available on Pixels in the US as well as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the UK.

Here's where it gets really clever. Hold for Me system will automatically recognize when you're placed on hold on a call and offer to shoulder the burden for you. The system will actually monitor the call on your behalf and then audibly alert you when a real human comes back on the line. You can use this time to check those At a Glance notifications we set up or manage other tasks using your Quick Tap shortcuts.

Then there's Direct My Call, which leverages your smooth display optimizations beautifully. Direct My Call senses when you've entered the hellscape of a company phone maze and shows you all the available options as tap-ready buttons on your screen. With your 120Hz display and faster animations, these buttons feel incredibly responsive—no more listening to "Press 1 for billing, press 2 for technical support."

For better call quality that takes advantage of your phone's processing power, enable features like Clear Calling in Settings > Sound & vibration to reduce background noise during calls. This AI-powered feature uses your phone's enhanced performance to filter out background noise in real-time.

Fine-tune notifications and Quick Settings

Your notification system can work much smarter when integrated with all the optimizations we've made. Enable Notification history in Settings > Notifications > Notification history to view past notifications you might have accidentally dismissed. This is particularly useful now that you have faster animations—sometimes notifications disappear so quickly with the improved responsiveness that you need a backup way to review them.

You can modify your list of toggles by tapping on the pencil icon when you expand the list of Quick Settings. Take a moment to customize these based on what complements your new workflow. Since you've optimized your display, consider adding the refresh rate toggle or screen timeout controls for quick access when switching between performance and battery modes.

Turn on Adaptive vibration via Settings > Sound & vibration > Vibration & haptics > Adaptive vibration to make your phone's haptic feedback adjust to your environment. This works particularly well with your gesture controls—your Quick Tap will vibrate more strongly when it's in your pocket and more gently when it's on a table.

If you have multiple Pixel devices, navigate to Settings > Notifications > Dismiss notifications across Pixel devices to sync notification dismissals across multiple Pixel devices. This creates a seamless experience where your At a Glance widgets and notification management work consistently across all your devices.

For a cleaner interface that shows precise information, enable battery percentage in Settings > Battery > Battery percentage to see exact remaining charge instead of just the battery icon. This is especially valuable now that you're balancing performance optimizations with intelligent battery management.

Getting the most from your optimized Pixel

Bottom line: The default configurations of the Pixel can be revisited to enable settings that optimize display responsiveness, extend battery lifetime, and unlock advanced AI functionalities. These synergistic tweaks create a compound effect that transforms your phone from good to exceptional, and most take less than a minute to implement. Regular OS and security updates are crucial to keep the device operating at its best by improving system performance and security, so don't forget to update your Pixel by heading to Settings > System > Software updates > System update.

What's remarkable is how these changes create integrated workflows. Your smoother display makes gesture controls more responsive, which pairs perfectly with AI calling features that benefit from faster animations. Meanwhile, intelligent battery management ensures you can enjoy all these performance enhancements without constantly hunting for a charger, while your smart lock screen keeps essential information accessible without compromising the streamlined experience.

The beauty lies in how each optimization amplifies the others. Your Quick Tap gesture works more reliably with adaptive vibration, your AI calling features feel more responsive with faster animations, and your lock screen widgets load more smoothly with the 120Hz display. Your Pixel was already capable of all this—it was just waiting for you to unlock its potential through strategic, interconnected improvements.

Take the time to explore these settings—your future self will thank you every time you pick up your phone. And here's a pro tip: after making these changes, spend a few days using your phone normally. You'll start noticing the improvements in unexpected moments, like when you quickly double-tap to launch the camera during a sunset, or when your phone automatically goes silent during a meeting because you flipped it over, all while maintaining the smooth, responsive feel that makes every interaction a pleasure.