The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro marked a major milestone in Google’s smartphone journey. Backed by a fresh design and an in-house Tensor chip, they bring the best of Google’s software features to users.
In less than a year, Google launched the budget-oriented Pixel 6a, packing all the best features of the Pixel 6 in a smaller, more affordable form factor. That means a lot of cool new features are coming to Google’s A-series lineup. Below, we’ll highlight some of these new features as well as previous but hidden ones, with tips and tricks for making the most of them. Let’s have a look!
1、Quickly tap the screenshot
Despite gestures like swiping down on the screen with three fingers, the default way to take a screenshot on Android has always been to press two buttons at the same time. Thankfully, on the Pixel 6, Google introduced the ability to take screenshots by tapping the back of the phone. The gesture also carries over to the Pixel 6a, here’s how:
1.Navigate to Settings > System.
- Tap gesture.
- Select Quick Tap to get started.
- On the next screen, turn on Use Quick Tap. The first screenshot action is selected by default.
- Once set up, tap twice on the back of your phone to take a screenshot.
You can also turn on the option to require a stronger click for the feature you choose if you accidentally activate the double-tap feature.
2、Multilingual keyboard
If you are a language expert with multiple dialects, set up a bilingual or multilingual keyboard. This will eliminate the need to switch between languages while typing constantly. Methods as below:
- Navigate to Settings > System.
- Tap Language & input.
- Tap on-screen keyboard.
- Select Gboard.
- Tap Language.
- Click Add Keyboard.
- Select a language from the list.
- Make sure multilingual input is turned on and complete the setup.
Now, as you type, the keyboard automatically detects input languages and predicts and corrects spelling for them without you having to switch manually.
3、Allow home screen rotation
The tall, slender displays of typical smartphones mean we use them in portrait by default, only switching to landscape when playing games or using camera apps. but it is not the truth. If you want to tablet your phone by using it in landscape orientation, the Pixel 6a has the option to rotate the home screen.
Press and hold the home screen wallpaper, then tap Home settings. Then, toggle the switch next to Allow Home Screen Rotation.
When you rotate your phone to landscape on the home screen, a small rotation icon will appear, allowing you to do your own thing. However, if you want it to happen automatically, enable auto-rotate in the quick settings shadow.
4、Close at a glance
Google‘s Overview widget is a handy tool that automatically displays weather conditions, important calendar events, travel plans, and more from your Gmail account. It’s available on Pixel phones by default, but if you find it a little intrusive, you can turn it off here:
- Long press the widget and tap Customize.
- Select Overview in the list.
- Click Close.
5、Close the Google Discover page
On a Pixel phone, swiping left on the home screen opens the Google Discover page, which has a feed of top news and videos on topics you care about. If you find that the algorithm is showing outdated and repetitive content, you can turn it off completely.
Long press the home screen wallpaper and select Home settings. Next, turn off the switch next to Swipe to access Google app.
Note that disabling the overview does not free up space for other widgets or app icons. Also, it disappears from your home screen and lock screen.
6、Enable Live Captions
Whether you need it for accessibility reasons or are in a noisy environment, Live Caption is a convenient way to enjoy media when you can’t hear the audio.
On Pixel 6a, you can access Live Caption with the volume rocker. Tap the physical button to raise or lower the volume, and a small bubble will appear to toggle the function. From here, you can easily enable or disable it when needed. If you don’t see it when you press the volume buttons or want to customize the feature, go to Settings > Accessibility, tap Live Caption, and turn on Use Live Caption.
7、Quickly turn off microphone or camera access
Privacy has always been an important aspect of Google‘s latest Android releases. Android 11 introduced the ability to temporarily access location, microphone, and camera features with one-time permissions. Android 12 goes a step further, with icons that show up when an app is using the camera or microphone.
But Google also added a quick toggle that cuts off all access to the microphone or camera with a single tap. If you need to use it, drop the quick settings shadow and tap the corresponding tile. If they don’t appear, tap the pencil icon and add them to the existing quick settings toggle.
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