TechPhonesAndroid Phones4 exclusive Google Pixel features that I can’t live withoutGoogle keeps some treats as exclusives – and here’s what you need to know about themWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechPhonesAndroid Phones4 exclusive Google Pixel features that I can’t live withoutGoogle keeps some treats as exclusives – and here’s what you need to know about themWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Google keeps some treats as exclusives – and here’s what you need to know about them
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Google)
(Image credit: Google)
When you invest in a Pixel phone like theGoogle Pixel 7or theGoogle Pixel 7 Pro, you getGoogle’s own custom twist onAndroid– and that twist comes with some exclusive features that Google has kept back for its own handsets. And with theGoogle I/O2023 conference around the corner, and theGoogle Pixel Fold officially teased, now’s a good time to be interested inGoogle’s Pixel products.
Even thebest Android phonesdon’t have these features if they’re not Pixel phones. They cover a range of different uses, so there’s something here for everyone. What’s more, Google makes sure that the latest Android updates reach Pixel phones first, so you’re never going to be behind when it comes to software updates.
Without any further ado I’m going to introduce you to the Pixel exclusives that I’ve come to rely on regularly. If you own a Pixel, you know all about them – if not, they might just convince you to make the switch to uncle Google.
1. Identifying songs with the Now Playing widget
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
If the widget doesn’t kick in automatically, you can run it manually. Even better, it keeps a history of everything it’s heard: if you need to remember the party playlist from last week’s wedding or what was on the pub jukebox last night, Now Playing has you covered. You can also favourite tracks to easily get back to them later.
With Now Playing, if there’s a song you like that comes on the radio, you don’t have to do anything while everyone else is scrabbling to launch Shazam or Siri – you know that your Pixel phone has already recognised and logged it in the background.
2. Record and transcribe speech with Recorder
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Recorder is one of the best apps Google makes, but it’s only available to you if you’re on a Pixel phone. At first it seems like a simple audio recorder, for voice memos or interviews or whatever you need to record, but the magic is in the way it automatically transcribes words and turns them into text in real time.
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Through the power of Google’s underlying AI, you can see the words come up on screen as they’re being spoken. You can then search through your recordings for those words, which can be very handy if you’re trying to make sense of an interview or a lecture you’ve recorded. You can even export the text straight to Google Docs.
There’s the option to turn recordings into videos (with the text on screen alongside the audio), and to quickly trim them if you only need one particular snippet. There’s also aweb interfacefor Recorder, making the tool even more useful. For some people, it’s not hard to see this becoming one of their most-used apps.
3. Take better photos with Night Sight
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Open up the Camera app on your Pixel phone and one of the modes you have access to is Night Sight. It’s another example of how Google injects AI into its products: in this case, the AI is used to intelligently fill in extra detail for photos taken in low light.
Whether you’re shooting a garden in the moonlight or trying to get a photo of your friends in a darkened room, Night Sight works superbly well most of the time. You can end up with fantastic photos where you otherwise would get shadows and noise.
4. Use Call Screen to avoid spam calls
(Image credit: Future)
(Image credit: Future)
Pixel phones also have a Call Screen feature that you can enable if you don’t recognise a caller: whoever it is will be met with a scripted Google Assistant response, asking them to explain who they are and why they’re calling you.
The response will be turned into text that you can read, or you can check out the voice recording of the response, whenever you’ve got time. It means you don’t get interrupted when you don’t want to be, and you don’t have to sit through another spam call routine trying to get you to buy whatever it might be.
Most of us get our fair share of spam calls, and Call Screen has helped me to deal with mine in a simple, stress-free way. It’s another clever bit of software from Google, and it’s another reason to think about picking up a Pixel phone.
Today’s best Google Pixel 7A, Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro dealsGoogle Pixel 7a$233ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 7$469ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 7 Pro$26.12ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Google Pixel 7A, Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro dealsGoogle Pixel 7a$233ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 7$469ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 7 Pro$26.12ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Google Pixel 7A, Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro dealsGoogle Pixel 7a$233ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 7$469ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 7 Pro$26.12ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Google Pixel 7A, Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 7 Pro deals
Google Pixel 7a$233ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 7$469ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 7 Pro$26.12ViewSee all prices
Google Pixel 7a$233ViewSee all prices
Google Pixel 7a$233ViewSee all prices
Google Pixel 7a
Google Pixel 7a
$233View
$233
$233
See all prices
Google Pixel 7$469ViewSee all prices
Google Pixel 7$469ViewSee all prices
Google Pixel 7
Google Pixel 7
$469View
$469
$469
See all prices
Google Pixel 7 Pro$26.12ViewSee all prices
Google Pixel 7 Pro$26.12ViewSee all prices
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Google Pixel 7 Pro
$26.12View
$26.12
$26.12
See all prices
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
TOPICSGoogleAndroidGoogle Pixelios
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