When you unbox your Google Pixel 9a, it will be time to dive into the settings, obtain apps, and usually benefit from AI methods that you simply’d by no means discover on another mid-range telephone.
Throughout my time reviewing the Google Pixel 9a, I began off by following my colleague Nick’s information on the first issues to do with the Pixel 8a, as a number of of his options nonetheless apply to the 9a. However I additionally discovered new settings to vary based mostly on my preferences, plus some suggestions from Google’s reviewer information on new options to check.
From primary settings to Gemini methods, these are the primary 9 issues to do along with your Google Pixel 9a after unboxing it!
Replace your show settings
One of many first issues I did with my Pixel 9a was go to Settings > Show & contact, lengthen the display timeout from the default 30 seconds to 2 minutes, and toggle the easy show choice to unlock 120Hz for sure apps. The Pixel 9a has the battery life to deal with the additional energy draw for higher visuals, and I like that I can set my telephone down for a minute after which decide proper again up with no login delay.
Lots of my colleagues dislike adaptive brightness on any telephone, preferring to regulate it themselves within the Fast Settings. In case you agree, you may untoggle Adaptive brightness on this identical Show & contact menu. Then you may swipe down twice from the house display to search out the brightness slider anytime.
Subsequent, you may select between the favored Darkish theme or the Night time Mild setting with an amber hue that stops blue gentle. In both case, if you happen to solely need to use it at evening, faucet the textual content to discover a Schedule possibility for bedtime, sundown to dawn, or a customized time. You too can alter the amber depth of Night time Mild.
One other option to stop eye pressure is with the Show dimension and textual content settings underneath Look; right here, you may make the UI font larger, make the font daring or excessive distinction, or make the whole lot larger like icons.
Lastly, open the Lock display settings and toggle “At all times present time and data” for a primary always-on show (AOD) that additionally consists of the climate, notification icons, and battery share.
Change your charging settings
By default, the Pixel 9a makes use of charging optimization, finding out your sleep and charging patterns in order that it hits 100% across the time you often get up. This prolongs your battery life however also can result in moments the place it is not absolutely charged if you happen to get up early.
Within the Settings app, faucet Battery > Charging optimization to toggle off Adaptive Charging, if you happen to favor. Then you may go into Battery Saver choices and toggle off Use Adaptive battery, which might “scale back efficiency and delay notifications” based mostly in your utilization habits to “lengthen battery life.” Your 9a might be quicker, however might have a battery alternative down the road.
Conversely, you may completely Restrict charging to 80% within the optimization menu. As a result of the Pixel 9a has sufficient battery to final a full day with lots left over, this selection ensures the absolute best battery longevity, however may result in a scarcity if you happen to spend all day taking photographs or gaming.
In case you’re attempting to increase your Pixel 9a to two-day use, one factor to contemplate is tapping Battery > Battery Saver > Schedule and growing the proportion the place it toggles on to, say, 30% or 40%.
Bedtime, focus, and limits
In case you do not have already got your Bedtime routine settings ported out of your final Pixel, go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Bedtime mode and toggle open Bedtime routine to vary which hours and days it toggles.
You too can make it so Bedtime mode auto-activates while you cost your Pixel 9a or turns off when your first alarm goes off. And underneath Customise > Display choices, you may set off particular Bedtime adjustments like turning off AOD or dimming the wallpaper at evening.
However Bedtime is not the one mode you need to take into account if in case you have an issue with infinite doomscrolling or Instagram/TikTok feeds at evening. Faucet App limits to set a tough time restrict to any particular app or activate Display time reminders for “light reminders while you’re spending a very long time in an app.”
You may additionally need to use Focus mode to restrict distracting notifications throughout work hours. First, select “distracting apps” with notifications you would like to cover, then faucet set a schedule to decide on while you’d wish to filter them out. Alternatively, a Focus mode toggle ought to seem within the Fast Settings if you wish to set off it manually.
My private favourite? Flip to Shhh, which toggles on Do Not Disturb if you happen to put your telephone face-down on a flat floor, akin to throughout a gathering; toggle it on if that sounds helpful!
Activate VPN and Fitbit Premium
Your Pixel 9a comes with just a few free Google goodies. You solely get three months of YouTube Premium if you have not gotten a free trial earlier than, however even returning clients will get six months of Fitbit Premium as long as you are not at present subscribed; merely open the Fitbit app to just accept the provide, and set a reminder to cancel in six months if you happen to do not find yourself liking it.
Sadly, solely the Pixel 9 and 9 Professional get free trials of Google One or Google One AI Premium, respectively. However at the very least the Pixel 9a will get free entry to the VPN by Google, a former Google One perk that is now Pixel-exclusive. This allows you to have safe cellular searching on each private and non-private networks, even when it is not as strong as our favourite (paid) VPNs.
To activate the VPN, go to Settings > Community & Web > VPN by Google and faucet the Permit possibility on the backside. You may then select to Pause VPN on chosen networks (akin to your private community) since it might use extra knowledge than regular searching. You too can toggle the VPN on and off within the Fast Settings menu by swiping down from the House display.
Rip-off detection & screening
The Google Telephone app has a ton of AI-backed smarts that you will need to activate right away. Open the app, faucet the top-right ellipsis, then Settings. Caller ID & spam needs to be on by default — although verify it to make sure — whereas different helpful methods should be toggled on.
Spam calls are recognized, however if you wish to absolutely display them, faucet Name Display and toggle Mechanically display calls to filter first-time callers, Spam numbers, and presumably faked numbers. A pop-up like “Screening unknown quantity” will seem, which you’ll be able to faucet to see a real-time transcript of Assistant talking to the (alleged) individual. If Assistant thinks the individual is actual, they will ship the decision over to you.
Actual-time rip-off detection is an on-device monitoring device that mechanically analyzes calls with non-contact numbers for potential scams. If the AI determines one thing is suspicious, it will warn you of the hazard. Choose this device within the Settings and your telephone will obtain the device earlier than you toggle it on.
Lastly, you might need to activate Maintain for Me or Direct My Name if you happen to’re often on the road with customer support reps and need to be notified when the wait is over or navigated extra shortly by means of menus.
Arrange emergency options
In case you’re like me, you will procrastinate on establishing emergency Pixel 9a options till you “have time” after which by no means do it. Rip off the band-aid and spend the following 5 minutes ensuring these options are all arrange!
In Settings > Security & emergency, activate Emergency SOS in order that both urgent the Energy button 5 occasions pulls up the emergency menu, so it will auto-call 911 and (if you happen to toggle these options) share data with emergency contacts and report emergency video of no matter’s occurring.
Subsequent, add your Medical data like your blood kind, allergic reactions, treatment, medical notes, and whether or not you are an organ donor to be shared with emergency responders. Then go forward and add emergency contacts like household or roommates that you simply’d like notified in these moments.
Automobile crash detection could also be enabled by default, however faucet it to toggle on Emergency Sharing of your location and standing to your contacts. And whilst you’re on this menu, you may toggle Silence notifications whereas driving, which makes use of your machine’s “movement and Bluetooth connections to determine while you’re in a transferring car” — although this may not work if you happen to repeatedly take a bus or subway.
Attempt new and well-liked Pictures AI methods
If you have not used Magic Editor but, you are lacking out. On any photograph, faucet Edit, then the rainbow icon within the bottom-left. You may faucet an object or individual to resize it or transfer it across the body; personally, I wish to faucet the bottom-middle magic wand icon that pulls up choices like Auto reframing, reimagined backgrounds, stylized filters, different water layers, shifted Portrait blurring, and different contextually related adjustments.
After all, Magic Editor is outdated information for Pixel 8a customers, as is Magic Eraser, Audio Magic Eraser, Finest Take, Photograph Unblur, and different AI instruments; these linked guides will assist if you happen to’re new to Pixels.
However by way of what’s new to the Pixel A-series, Add Me is a helpful trick that lets everybody into a bunch photograph, together with the one taking it. “Add Me” is discovered subsequent to “Portrait” within the regular Digicam carousel, and the 9a will information you thru the steps.
Macro Focus is even simpler to make use of! In case you get your 9a shut sufficient (inside 5cm or 2 inches), a flower icon will seem within the top-right nook and the viewfinder ought to auto-adjust to place all the topic into clear focus. There is no further settings required.
The third new characteristic is the Astrophotography mode, with which you set your Pixel 9a up someplace steady — ideally with a tripod — and take a drawn-out shot of the evening sky. To make use of it, swipe to the Night time Sight possibility subsequent to Photograph, faucet the moon icon within the bottom-right, after which push the slider that seems from Auto to Astro. As soon as your telephone is steady, faucet the 5-second countdown button and the 9a will take a four-minute shot of your topic!
New AI wallpapers and widgets
I have a tendency to make use of the default wallpaper on my telephones for years, one thing that my accomplice often mocks me for. If you wish to let your persona fly, faucet and maintain any empty house on the house display, then faucet Wallpaper & model > Extra wallpapers.
Google has a whole lot of curated wallpapers out there in classes like Motif, Dwelling Universe, Landscapes, and a few European soccer groups for some cause. To get extra private, faucet My photographs and select a favourite household pic or some cool artwork you downloaded from on-line. Or, you may strive your luck with the AI wallpaper immediate, select a theme like “Portray” or “Imaginary,” after which change the immediate phrases till you discover one thing much less creepy than the teddy bear watercolor Google got here up with.
As a aspect be aware, if you happen to’re a fan of AI artwork prompts for inspiration, make sure you set up the Pixel Studio app that creates general-purpose artwork, not simply wallpapers.
As soon as you’ve got completed sprucing up your house and lock display wallpaper, I extremely suggest including widgets by (once more) tapping and holding the house display and tapping that menu possibility.
I largely use the vertical app drawer to search out apps I would like, so the secondary house screens filled with apps are wasted house for me! So I as a substitute fill that house with widgets that allow me preview the data I am probably to wish, like my upcoming Google Calendar reminder, as we speak’s climate, music playback controls, or most up-to-date Gmail emails.
Widgets may also be sources of enjoyable, just like the “Your recollections” field from Google Pictures, the Chrome Dino sport, or a Strava widget displaying my weekly mileage. So as to add them, merely faucet and maintain any widget after which drag them onto your house display!
Hearth up Gemini
Gemini has develop into the default assistant for Android. If you need Gemini to at all times hear out for “Hey Google” and did not toggle this throughout setup, open the Gemini app, faucet your account icon, then Settings > Google Assistant options in Gemini > “Hey Google” and Voice Match and toggle Hey Google on.
Alternatively, you may change the hold-down energy button shortcut to set off Gemini underneath System > Gestures > Press & maintain, if you happen to favor that to the facility menu. Both means, this allows you to ask Gemini about what’s in your display, like summarizing a YouTube video or…this text, if you happen to needed!
In any other case, you will get the perfect Gemini responses by opening the Gemini app. There, you may kind out questions or faucet the Gemini Stay icon within the bottom-right for an in-depth dialog that remembers previous questions for context. You may even add photographs and ask Gemini about them, or use your Pixel 9a digital camera to ask for details about the world round you.
Hopefully, this Google Pixel 9a newbie’s information has given you the information and methods essential to take full benefit of your new telephone!
My final bit of recommendation is one thing that applies to most new telephone purchases, however particularly the Pixel 9a: Be sure to purchase a brand new Pixel 9a case and/ or Pixel 9a display protector! The 9a is not as vast as some flagship telephones, and its thick sides aren’t laborious to grip, however all it takes is one drop to smash that digital camera sensor or crack by means of the outdated Gorilla Glass 3 show safety.
In any other case, if you happen to’re curious how else the Pixel 9a compares to its predecessor, try our Pixel 9a vs. 8a vs. 7a digital camera overview or our Pixel 9a vs. 8a characteristic information!
