Google Pixel 6a: 7 tips and tricks to try now - Android Police

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro marked a major milestone in Google's smartphone journey. Bolstered by a new and refreshed design alongside an in-house Tensor chip, they brought users the best of Google's software capabilities.

Less than a year down the line, Google has introduced its budget-oriented Pixel 6a, packing all the best features of the Pixel 6 in a smaller, more affordable form. That means many cool new features are coming to Google's A-series lineup.

This post highlights some of those new features alongside previous but hidden ones, with tips and tricks on using them to the fullest.

1. Quick Tap to take a screenshot

Despite gestures like swiping down on the screen with three fingers, the default way to take a screenshot on Android has always been to press two buttons together. However, depending on the layout of the buttons, it can be a little finicky. Thankfully, on the Pixel 6, Google introduced the ability to take a screenshot by tapping the back of your phone. That gesture has also carried over to the Pixel 6a.

To use it, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Settings > System.
2. Tap Gestures.

3. Select Quick Tap to start actions.
4. On the next screen, turn on Use Quick Tap. The first action of taking a screenshot will be chosen by default.

5. Once set, tapping twice on the back of your phone takes a screenshot.

If you'd prefer a different function, such as playing/pausing media or launching Google Assistant, choose the appropriate option. If you inadvertently activate the double-tap feature, you can also toggle on the option to require stronger taps for your chosen feature to work.

2. Multilingual keyboard

If you're a language juggernaut with mastery of multiple dialects, set up a bilingual or multilingual keyboard. This will remove the need to switch between languages when typing constantly. Here's how:

1. Navigate to Settings > System.
2. Tap Languages & input.
3. Tap On-screen keyboard.

4. Select Gboard.
5. Tap Languages.

6. Tap Add keyboard.
7. Choose a language from the list.

8. Ensure Multilingual typing is turned on and finish the setup.

Now, when you type, the keyboard automatically detects the input language and predicts and corrects spellings for them without you having to switch manually.

3. Allow homescreen rotation

The tall, slender display of a typical smartphone means we use them in portrait orientation by default, only ever switching to landscape when gaming or using the camera app. But that doesn't have to be the case. If you're one to tablet-ify your phone by using it in landscape orientation, Pixel 6a has the option to rotate the homescreen.

Long press on the homescreen wallpaper and tap Home settings. Then, toggle the switch next to Allow Home screen rotation.

The little rotating icon appears when you rotate your phone to landscape while on the homescreen, letting you do your thing. But if you want it to happen automatically, enable Auto-rotate in the quick settings shade.

4. Turn off At a Glance

Google's At a Glance widget is a handy tool that automatically displays weather conditions, important calendar events, travel plans, and more from your Gmail account. It's available by default on Pixel phones, but you can turn it off if you find it a bit intrusive.

Here's how to turn off At a Glance:

1. Long press the widget and tap Customize.
2. Select At a Glance in the list.

3. Tap Turn off.

If you only want specific items to not appear in the widget, tap the gear icon beside the feature and customize the results.

Note that disabling At a Glance won't free up space to be used for other widgets or app icons. Plus, it disappears from both your home and lock screens.

5. Turn off the Google Discover page

On a Pixel phone, swiping to the left while on the homescreen brings up the Google Discover page, whose feed is populated by trending news and videos on subjects you follow. But it doesn't always work as expected. If you find the algorithm shows outdated and repetitive content, or it's just not your cup of tea, you can turn it off entirely.

Long press on the homescreen wallpaper and select Home settings. Next, toggle off the switch beside Swipe to access Google app.

6. Enable Live Caption

Whether you need it for accessibility reasons or are in a noisy environment, Live Caption is handy for enjoying media when you can't hear the audio. The tool uses Google's AI chops and years of study data to easily generate text for any media, including videos, podcasts, audio messages, and even phone calls.

On the Pixel 6a, you can access Live Caption via the volume rocker. Tap the physical button to raise or lower the volume, and a small bubble appears to toggle the feature. From here, you can easily enable or disable it when needed.

If you don't see it when pressing the volume buttons or want to customize the feature, head to Settings > Accessibility, tap Live Caption, and turn on Use Live Caption.

7. Quickly switch off mic or camera access

Privacy has been a huge aspect of Google's latest Android releases. Android 11 introduced temporary access to location, microphone, and camera features using one-time permissions. Android 12 took things a step further, with icons showing when apps are using the camera or microphone.

But Google also added quick toggles to cut all access to the mic or camera with a single tap. If you need to use this, drop the quick settings shade and tap the respective tiles.

If they do not appear, tap the pencil icon and add them to the existing quick setting toggles.

Take full advantage of the Pixel 6a right out of the box

Whether you've already ordered a Pixel 6a or are looking to get one later, implement the above tips as soon as you get the device to up your software game. Speaking of tips, here are our recommendations for Pixel 6a settings to change immediately. You'll want to pick up a sturdy case to protect your new Pixel..

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