The Pixel 9 series comes with many new features and needless to say, most of them are in the AI department. But that’s not all there is to the Pixel 9 series. There are plenty of hidden settings and options tucked away in the corners that are disabled by default. You need to enable them to get the most out of our brand-new Pixel 9 phone.
Table of Contents
1. Get Gemini Advanced and Gemini Live for 2 Months Free
Google Gemini is available as a standalone app in the Play Store for free for everyone. You can install it on any smartphone. However, Google is running an offer via Google One where you can get Gemini Advanced and Gemini Live features free for the first 2 months. You also get 2TB of storage, Gemini AI inside other Google apps like Gmail, Drive, Docs, etc., and other Google One plan benefits.
This will allow you to test-drive Google Gemini Advanced and Live before going for the subscription plan. Note that the Gemini Advanced and Live is only available on Google One’s premium plan which costs $19.99 per month. Also, it is only available for Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and Pixel 9 Pro Fold buyers. The vanilla Pixel 9 model is omitted.
Those who are already subscribed to Google One can upgrade by paying the difference amount.
2. Change These Camera Settings Pronto
Pixel smartphones have always been known for their camera. They come with some of the best camera setups in the smartphone industry. However, some camera settings will make it even better. They are disabled by default but takes only a few seconds to turn them on.
Switch to 50MP Resolution
The Pixel 9 has a 50MP main camera but creates 12.5MP images using pixel binning (combining data from four pixels into one). In situations like outdoor landscapes or sceneries where you may want to capture more details, you can manually switch to 50-megapixel photos. Here’s how:
- Open Camera app.
- Select Photo and then tap on Settings in the bottom-left corner.
- Select Pro tab.
- Switch to 50MP here.
Enable Palm Timer
Palm detection is not new but it is new on Pixel smartphones and comes disabled by default. For those who don’t know, enabling it will allow you to take selfies without using the shutter button. Once enabled, show your palm and it will activate a default timer after which a photo will be taken.
- Open Camera app.
- Select Photo option.
- Go to Settings > More settings > Camera settings.
- Enable Palm timer option.
Change Video Resolution to 4K
Same as in the case of the Photos app, the video resolution is also set to 1080p, but the Pixel camera can shoot in 4K and turn that 4K shot into 8K with some AI magic.
- Open Camera app.
- Select Video option and then tap on Settings at the bottom.
- Select 4K in the Resolution menu.
3. Test Drive Pixel Weather, Screenshots, and Studio Apps
Google has overhauled the resident weather app with a new Material You design, widgets that show important info and can be moved around, and a new AI-generated weather summary feature. The AI-generated weather report is useful for those who can’t read all the graphs and numbers on the screen or have little time on hand.
Screenshots app will collect all the screenshots that you take on your Pixel smartphone and store them in a separate app. Google Photos app won’t get cluttered anymore. And now you can use AI to search for these screenshots and what’s inside them (text and objects), and organize them using Collections. I used the Screenshots app for a day and shared my experience here.
Google has released Studio which uses generative AI features to generate unique images that you can later edit to your liking. Not only that, you can generate multiple images and overlay them to create something that speaks to you. You can use them to create wallpapers for your phone, create gift cards, invitations, and more.
While Pixel Weather and Screenshots app (guide linked) are available on Pixel phones only, we found a way to install them on any Android phone.
4. See More on Your Phone’s Display
The display is where you view everything from apps to videos on your smartphone. The Pixel 9 series’ screen resolution is set to High resolution which is just 1008×2244 but you can change that to Full resolution which is 1344×2992.
- Open Settings app on your phone.
- Go to Display > Screen resolution.
- Select Full resolution.
Screen attention
Most of us use a timer to lock the screen when we are not using it actively. However, sometimes the screen locks when we are just lost in thought but want to use it. Enabling screen attention will keep the phone from locking if you are looking at the phone.
- Go to Settings > Display and tap on Screen timeout.
- Enable Screen attention.
Protect Your Screen
Are you using a screen protector to protect your Pixel phone from scratches for example? While useful, it can reduce touch sensitivity making it difficult to interact with your smartphone. But there is a way to improve touch sensitivity.
- Go back to Settings > Display and select Screen protector mode.
- Enable Screen protector mode option.
5. Lock in on Lock Screen
The lock screen is more customizable than ever before. But most of you already know how to set up shortcuts, change wallpaper, and add widgets. So I will focus on some new features and options instead.
Keep Notifications Private
People have a habit of glancing at others’ smartphone screens when no one is looking. For example, your phone is lying on the desk and a notification pops up. A privacy breach that can lead to awkward conversations and embarrassing moments. Enable the below setting to keep notifications private on the lock screen and the contents will be visible only when the lock screen is unlocked.
- Open Settings > Display > Lock screen and select Privacy.
- Select Show sensitive content only when unlocked.
Identify Music/Songs Automatically
There are plenty of music recognition services like SoundHound and Shazam that will help you identify music playing nearby. But they require manual intervention. Now Playing feature will run in the background at all times and identify music playing in your surroundings like mall, car, etc.
- Open Settings > Display > Lock screen > Now playing.
- Enable Identify songs playing nearby.
- View all saved songs in Now Playing history.
6. View Notifications After Dismissing Them
We receive tons of notifications on our smartphone. More often than not, we end up clearing them away without even looking at them. To combat that, Pixel phones have a notification history feature where you can view all your past notifications even after you have dismissed them.
- Open Settings and search for Notifications. Select Notification history from the search results and then tap on Notification history again.
- Enable Use Notification history option.
And that’s it, folks. There are many other ways to set up and personalize your Pixel experience. I only covered the ones that are new and disabled by default. Which ones did you find? Let us know on Twitter (X).
