Google Pixel 8: The 8 best tips to try on your new phone (2024)

While the Google Pixel 8 might not offer the dramatic editing features of the Pixel 8 Pro, it's still an exciting new device from Google. When you have Google's latest device in your hands, you'll want to take advantage of all that new hardware, but it can be challenging to know where to start.

We identified the essential tips and tricks to help you get the most out of the Google Pixel 8. If you picked up the Pixel 8 Pro, these tips are just as applicable. Google Pixel phones go hand in hand with new Android releases, and both new phones come with Android 14's new features and design tweaks out of the box, so we included some tips for the latest version of the OS.

1 Customize your lock screen

Lock-screen customization is here at last, thanks to Android 14, allowing Android users to switch out the clock's style and color and choose which quick action buttons appear at the bottom of the screen. While there's a variety of fun and quirky options, the interface that adds a stylish weather and temperature graphic is probably the most useful. This feature is available on all devices running Android 14.

Activating this feature is simple. Tap and hold the home screen, then tap the Customize lock screen button at the bottom of your screen.

2 Make NFC payments using Face Unlock

The Pixel 7's Face Unlock feature was limited as it didn't pass the biometric threshold to unlock secure apps or authenticate mobile payments. Instead, all it could do was unlock your lock screen. However, thanks to the machine learning and AI improvements made as part of the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro's brand-new Tensor G3 chip, you can make NFC payments using Face Unlock.

This feature is turned on by default when you activate Face Unlock and add a card to your Google Wallet.

3 Activate predictive back gestures

Predictive back gestures show you where the back gesture will take you next, helping you avoid accidentally returning to the home screen when you want to go back to a page in an app. This feature isn't perfect, so you'll need to activate it in the developer options if you want to try it. This feature is available on all devices running Android 14.

1. Open your phone's Settings.
2. Scroll down and select About phone.

   

   

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3. Scroll down to the bottom of this screen and tap Build number seven times.
4. Go back to the Settings menu, scroll down, and tap System.

   

   

5. Scroll down and tap Developer options.
6. Scroll down (or search) for Predictive back animations.
7. Toggle the switch on.

   

   

4 Use Magic Editor to change your photos

Magic Eraser has been a vital tool in Google Photos since its launch, allowing you to remove unwanted items from photos. Magic Editor is a generative AI tool that takes this a step further by allowing you to reposition and resize objects. You can also use it to change the time of day, lighting, and background. Magic Editor is powered by the Pixel 8's Tensor G3 chip, so it's exclusive to these phones for now.

5 Drag and drop items between apps

A small but powerful feature, Android 14 lets you hold a text or image while you navigate between apps. This allows you to copy and paste content without interacting with any buttons. This feature is turned on by default. Just tap and hold some content with one finger and navigate to a different app with another.

6 Use Best Take to get the perfect group photos

Best Take is an advanced version of Top Shot, allowing you to manually select which faces you want to include in a group photo. When you take a picture of a group, your Pixel 8 takes extra photos of your subject's face. You can then replace each face with one from these extra photos and avoid those annoying situations where one person blinks or forgets to smile.

Source: Google

7 Auto-confirm your lock screen PIN

If you have a lock screen PIN with six digits or more, you can unlock your phone instantly after entering the final digit rather than confirming the PIN. This setting is not available for a PIN shorter than six digits but is available on all devices running Android 14.

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap Security & privacy.
3. Tap Device unlock.

   

   

4. Tap the Cog button next to Screen lock.
5. Toggle the Auto-confirm unlock switch on.

   

   

After turning on this feature, enter your PIN, and your phone automatically unlocks.

8 Remove background noise using Audio Magic Eraser

Alongside Magic Editor and Best Take for photos comes Audio Magic Eraser for videos. This tool identifies background sounds and sorts them into layers. You can then remove these layers, helping the listener focus on the video's subject. This is another feature powered by the Tensor G3 chip, so it's only available on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

The Google Pixel 7 offers powerful and convenient tools for your day-to-day life

From improved lock screens as part of Android 14 to the impressive suite of editing features enabled by the Tensor G3 chip, the Google Pixel 7 has the potential to affect every part of how you use your phone. However, its bigger brother offers some impressive features, so which one should you pick?