Have you recently purchased a Pixel device and want to customize the looks of the home screen or lock screen? If so, this guide is dedicated to you, as here we will tell you the best Pixel customization tips and tricks that give your phone a next-level look.
While phones are easy to use, you might not know all the settings if you are a new user. You can do a lot, like whether you want to allow home screen rotation, make suggestions, access the Google app from the home screen, etc. Read on to change these settings at your convenience.
Best Pixel Customization Tips and Tricks
Changing your phone’s look can be a refreshing experience, as it gives off the vibe of a new phone. Whether you are a new user or just want to refresh the feel of your phone, read on in the later part of the article.
Enable Themed Icons
With the Android 12 launch, Android has a Material You feature on Pixel devices, still in its beta stage. Material You have elements that will change color based on the accents of your wallpaper. You can turn on themed icons to make your icons match the wallpaper you are using on your Pixel phone.
To enable it, long-press on the home screen and select Wallpaper & Style. Enable the toggle for the Themed icon. As you do, the app icons on the home screen should match the wallpaper and system colors you are using.
Change System Colors & Wallpaper
Now, if turning on themed icons blows your mind, you can take it to the next level by applying a beautiful wallpaper and changing the wallpaper color (or what Google refers to as the system color for icons, text, and more).
To change the wallpaper, just tap on More Wallpaper under Wallpaper & style and select the one that you like. You can also choose Live Wallpapers if they are available.
To change wallpaper colors, tap on the three-dot icon next to the different color icon under the Wallpaper & style page, then try different colors and choose one that suits you best.
Suggestions on Home Screen
No matter which Google Pixel phone you use, if it’s running on Android 11 or later, you can enable suggestions on the home screen. With this feature, you can easily access your most-used apps right on the bottom row of your home screen.
To enable it, long-press on the home screen and choose Home Settings. Select Suggestions and enable the toggle for Suggestions on Home screen.
Similar to that, you can also enable suggestions in the app list. Once done, you can access the most-used apps from the top row of the search screen.
Notification Dots
Google has had a notification dots feature since the launch of Android 8, which lets users see a small dot on the app if it has a notification. You can enable or disable it at your convenience by navigating to Home Settings > Notifications dots, and enabling the toggle for Notification dot on the app icon.
Widgets
You can also add useful widgets to enhance your home screen. An app widget is a small app view or at-a-glance view of an app’s functionality that can be embedded in the home screen.
Long-press on the home screen and select Widgets. Now, you will see the widgets for the available apps. Hold down the one you want to add and move across your home screen panels. For example, if you want to add the clock widget, hold it down for a few seconds, then move across the home screen to set it to your preferred location.
Enable At a Glance
Google Pixel phones have an “At a Glance” feature that not only displays the time, weather, and upcoming calendar events but also shows more information like earthquake alerts, package delivery, ridesharing, bedtime, connected devices, flashlight, commute, time to leave, weather, air quality, cross-device timer, and even more, which can also be disabled individually if you don’t want that information at glance.
To enable the feature, just navigate to Home Settings, tap on At a Glance then enable the toggle for it.
Smooth Display
If your Google Pixel device has a higher refresh rate, like 90 Hz or 120 Hz, you need to enable it on your own since the phone sets to a 60 Hz refresh rate by default. Once enabled, you will get a more pleasing visual experience.
Access Google app
If you use the Google app to search for things on the internet too frequently, you can enable swipe to access Google app gestures to easily launch the Google app right from the home screen just by swiping left to right on the home screen.
To enable, long-press on the home screen and select Home settings. Finally, enable the toggle for Swipe to access the Google app.
Opt for a Higher Display Resolution
If your Pixel phone has a high-resolution display like 1440 QHD+, you can opt for it to increase the quality of the display. To enable it, go to Settings > Display > Screen Resolution and select the highest available resolution.
Customize Lock Screen
While Android 15 is expected to roll out for everyone later this year, you can customize your Pixel phone’s lock screen with Android 14’s lock screen customizations to redesign your phone by changing clock styles, always-on-display styles, color and size, etc.
Wrapping Up
So, that brings us to the end of the 10 best Pixel customization tips and tricks for next-level looks. Do let us know if we forgot something that can enhance the look of the Pixel phone or if you have any questions related to the article.
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