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7 Android settings I always turn off on my Google Pixel phone
My Pixel is so much better this way.
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Brady Snyder / Android Authority
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Google Pixels give you the best out-of-the-box Android experience, hands down. You’re not uninstalling a bunch of bloatware or hunting down a dozen privacy-invasive settings a manufacturer might have snuck in.
Still, there are a handful of features I always end up disabling — whether it’s because they’re useless, drain the battery, or cause more problems than they solve.
How much time do you spend tweaking settings on a new phone?
Add new apps to the home screen
Pankil Shah / Android Authority
One of the first things you’re likely to do while setting up your Pixel is install your favorite apps and games. By default, though, Pixel automatically dumps every single one of them onto your home screen — assuming you’ll want quick access to everything, which is rarely the case. This can also clutter the home screen.
The good thing is that you can stop this easily. Long-press anywhere on the home screen and choose Home settings. Then, turn off Add app icons to the home screen.
Now Playing
Joe Maring / Android Authority
Now Playing is an iconic Pixel feature that identifies songs playing around you without you having to do anything. And if it’s something you like, you can simply tap on it to open it in your go-to music app. It even keeps a running history, so you can scroll back and find that track you heard in a coffee shop last week.
All of this sounds fun, but I’ve never actually found myself using it. What bugs me even more is that this feature is always listening, even though Google says all the listening data stays private. So yes, it’s one more thing I disable by heading to Settings -> Sound and Vibration -> Now Playing.
Top Shot
Pixel’s camera has always been about software tricks rather than over-the-top hardware. Top Shot is a feature that promises the best photos every time. It captures a few frames right before and after you press the shutter button, so you can avoid closed eyes, awkward blur, and other common issues that ruin a photo.
It’s a clever idea, but there’s just one problem with this — those extra frames Top Shot captures take up storage. To be fair, your Pixel saves those extra frames at much lower resolution, but if you take a lot of photos, it adds up fast. And it’s a bigger problem if you’re backing everything to the cloud. To turn it off, tap the gear icon inside the camera app and choose Off next to Top Shot.
Keyboard sound and vibration
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
This one can be subjective, but I find those keyboard sounds and vibrations unnecessary. Even watching my wife type on her iPhone with those clicks drives me a little crazy. Sure, they give you feedback that some people swear by, but if you’re typing a lot throughout the day, it can get annoying fast.
I’ll give you one more good reason to disable it. Those keyboard sounds and vibrations use more battery than you think. In fact, Google’s own support page recommends disabling keyboard feedback to save power. To do that, head to Settings -> System -> Keyboard -> Keyboard apps -> Gboard -> Preferences and turn off the toggle next to Sound. Then, tap Keyboard vibration and disable it too.
Charging optimization
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
If there’s one thing that’ll make your Pixel feel old before its time, it’s the battery. It’s still the weakest link in every modern smartphone, which is why Google — like most manufacturers — offers charging optimization to slow down that aging process. The idea is simple. Once your battery hits 80%, charging pauses to keep cells healthier for longer.
I personally don’t like using battery protection because it reduces the battery capacity from day one. It’s like you’re starting with a smaller battery. I’d much rather replace the battery two or three years down the line than compromise from the start.
If you feel the same, head to Settings -> Battery -> Charging optimization and switch it off. You can still use adaptive charging if you tend to charge your Pixel overnight. It paces your charging so your Pixel hits 100% right before you’d normally unplug, instead of sitting at a full charge for hours while you sleep.
2G networks
Yes, 2G is still around, and in fairness, it can actually come in handy in remote areas where coverage is spotty. But there’s one solid reason to disable it, which is security. 2G is ancient tech by today’s standards, and its weak encryption makes it an easy target. Attackers use it to set up fake cell towers that trick your phone into connecting, then push phishing texts straight to you without your carrier’s spam filters ever catching them.
This is a known issue, which is why Android now includes a toggle for protecting you from such attacks. On your Pixel, head to Settings -> Network and internet -> Mobile network security and turn on 2G network protection.
Mobile data always active
Keeping the mobile data always on also drains the battery and can eat through your data allowance faster than usual. If you don’t want that, you’ll first have to unlock the Developer Options menu on your phone. Head to Settings -> About phone, tap the Build number multiple times rapidly, and enter your lockscreen passcode to unlock the menu. Then, return to the main Settings page, go to System -> Developer options, and turn off Mobile data always active.
Your Pixel will still fall back to mobile data when Wi-Fi disappears. It’ll just take a beat longer to make the switch since mobile data won’t already be active.
Pixel phones aren’t as bare-bones as they used to be. That’s a good thing, but it also means they come with a bunch of settings that may not be useful to you. Not every single item on this list might make sense to you, but most will. If there’s another Pixel feature you always disable, drop it in the comments below.
Features
AndroidGoogle PixelSmartphones
