13 tips and tricks to make your Google Pixel 2 better

13 tips and tricks to make your Google Pixel 2 better

It doesn’t matter if you’re a die-hard Android fan, or are coming to Google for the first time: the Pixel 2 is a fantastic phone and you’re going to have a blast using it. But are you getting the best from your expensive new pocket brick? Maybe not – unless you follow our top tips and uncover all of Google’s hidden menus, features and little extras dotted throughout Android 8.0 Oreo. We’ve done all the digging, so you just have to scroll down and follow our easy instructions. You lucky thing, you.

1) UNCOVER THE HIDDEN DARK THEME

There’s no way to force the dark theme on through the Settings screen, but you can activate it by changing your wallpaper to something a bit darker. Tap and hold anywhere on the home screen, tap Wallpaper, then choose something very dark or black. Google has a few built-in to the phone, or you can download one yourself.

2) SHOW NOTIFICATIONS WITH A SWIPE

Head to Settings > System > Languages, input and Gestures, tap on Advanced, and hit “Swipe Finger for Notifications”. Flip the switch, and now any time you swipe down on the fingerprint sensor (while the phone is unlocked, duh) the notification tray will expand – no finger yoga required.

3) SWITCH IN A SPLIT WITH MULTI-TASKING

Give the Recents key in the navigation bar a double-tap and you’ll jump between the two last apps you had open. Press and hold it, though, and it’ll carve the screen in two horizontally, pushing the open app to the top and letting you pick another app (that’s already running in the background) to run underneath it. Press and hold the icon a second time to go back to full-screen. Not all apps work in split view, mind.

4) GET THERE FASTER WITH APP SHORTCUTS

Tap and hold any icon on the home screen, and if it has any shortcuts, a tiny menu will pop up in place. You can let go and tap one of these shortcuts to say, jump straight into your camera’s selfie or video modes. These shortcuts can become their own home screen icons, too – just drag ‘em out to the desktop and they’ll be instantly available.

5) GOOGLE ASSISTANT IS JUST A SQUEEZE AWAY

Both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have Active Edge, pressure-sensitive side panels along the bottom half of each phone. Grip ‘em tightly and Google Assistant will activate, no spoken trigger word required. Or rather, it will if you’ve turned the feature on. Head to Settings > Languages, Input & Gestures > Advanced > Gestures. Flip the switch, then set how much pressure you need to apply, and you’re good to go.

6) CHECK APPOINTMENTS AT A GLANCE

The Pixel 2 has something you won’t find anywhere else: the latest version of Google’s own Pixel launcher, complete with At a Glance widget. It searches your inbox and calendar to show upcoming appointments, flights and any traffic that might slow you down. If the idea of Google knowing all this information about you freaks you out, you can switch it off. Head to the home screen and long-press on any empty space, tap Home Settings, then At a Glance. Toggle on or off any of the bits you’d rather keep private.

7) GET MORE ONSCREEN WITH DISPLAY SIZE TWEAKS

Out of the box, both Pixel phones default to a standard text and icon size. If you’ve got dodgy eyesight, you can make everything bigger so you don’t have to squint to see it, but it works both ways: anyone with better peepers than a tawny owl could shrink things down to fit more onscreen at once. Head to Settings > Display > Advanced > Display size and raise or lower the slider to see a preview of what things will look like, then hit the back button to save your changes.

8) UNLOCK THE HIDDEN SYSTEMUI TUNER

Swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the Quick Notifications tray, then press and hold on the Settings cog icon. This unlocks SystemUI tuner – now scroll down to System, and tap SystemUI tuner. Read and confirm the warning message (you can’t go too wrong here, so don’t panic) and tap Status Bar, then toggle on or off any icons you like.

9) PICTURE-IN-PICTURE IS FOR MORE THAN JUST VIDEOS

Android Oreo added a much-needed picture in picture mode, letting you get on with other things while videos continue to play in a little window. Or at least it did if you live in a country with YouTube Red. Thankfully, it also works perfectly with Google Maps. Open the app and tap in a destination, then show directions. Once you start navigation, you can tap the home button and it will shrink down to a small window. Tap the window once to move it anywhere onscreen, or swipe down to remove it. Your directions will be saved, ready for when you next open the app.

10) TAKE A PEEK WITH AMBIENT DISPLAY

With an OLED screen not draining any battery when showing an all-black screen, Google has given the Pixel 2 an Ambient Display mode. This puts the time, date, any incoming notifications and the Now Playing function (see our next tip) on the lock screen, even when the phone is in standby. To turn it on, head to Settings > Display > Advanced > Ambient Display. You can’t customise it like you can with Samsung or LG’s versions, though.

11) NAME THAT TUNE WITH NOW PLAYING

Easily one of the Pixel 2’s top party tricks, Now Playing uses the phone’s microphone (and a database of over two million songs) to identify any music playing nearby. It then puts the track name and artist on view on the Ambient Display lock screen. Head to Settings > Sound > Advanced > Now Playing and flip the switch. You don’t have to worry about it using up all your mobile data – all the clever calculations are done on the phone, with nothing sent to the Cloud. It even works in flight mode!

12) SAVE YOUR EYES WITH NIGHT MODE

Instead of counting sheep, turn on the Automatic Night Mode. Head to Settings > Display > Night Light and either activate it manually, or set it to a schedule. 
We love the sunset-sunrise setting, which adjusts itself based on the time of year, but you can also designate specific hours. When active, the screen takes on a yellower, warmer hue that won’t affect your sleeping patterns.

13) TAKE SNAPS STRAIGHT AWAY WITH JUMP TO CAMERA

There’s no doubt about it: the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have the best cameras you’ll find in a smartphone from 2017. So it would be a bit of shame if you missed a precious moment, just because you couldn’t get the app open in time. That’s not an issue with the Jump to Camera gesture. Head to Settings > System > Language, Input and Gestures > Moves and flip the switch on “Jump to camera”. Now, double-tapping the power button will open the camera automatically, saving you the hassle of unlocking the phone and finding the right shortcut.