How to Fix the Most Annoying Google Pixel Quirks, According to Reddit
If you’re looking for an Android smartphone, you could do a lot worse than the Google Pixel . The company’s mobile phones promise the latest hardware and instant updates to all the latest software, but that doesn’t mean they’re perfect.
The Pixel team is currently soliciting feedback on Reddit , specifically on how they can improve phone settings and device configuration. Unsurprisingly, there was no shortage of complaints and criticism, but several Pixel owners have also come up with their own solutions for common problems.
Here are a few of the most frustrating aspects of using a Pixel phone and how to fix them on your own.
How to fix pixel auto-rotate
One of the common problems with the Pixel is that its auto-rotate doesn’t work very well. It lags and is too inconvenient to use on a regular basis. Hopefully Google will take note and release a fix, but until then, another Pixel owner recommends using Tasker to fix the issue.
Tasker is a third-party application that allows you to automate actions (sort of like If This Then That). In this case, the trick is to set specific auto-rotate settings for different applications. Thus, YouTube also launches horizontally, but your internet browser remains vertical. Here’s a guide on how to set it up.
Best Wi-Fi settings
Another complaint is that the Pixel doesn’t offer much control over Wi-Fi settings. In particular, you can set your phone to automatically connect to the network or forget about it entirely, but there is no obvious way to save this login information without instantly reconnecting every time a signal is within range.
In this case, Google already has a solution. It might just be too hidden. Another Reddit user points out that on the quick connect screen, you can click on the circled X next to the Wi-Fi network to disconnect without completely deleting it. This way, when you do want to connect, you don’t need to re-enter your password.
Setting the display sleep timer
In most cases, setting a sleep timer on your smartphone is a good thing. Turning off the screen after 30 seconds (or whatever length of time you choose) of inactivity saves battery power, and if you’re watching a video, the display stays on automatically.
But as one Pixel owner points out, it’s not a perfect system. If you need to repeatedly reference the same still image on your phone (like a recipe or a shopping list), the display off timer can get pretty annoying, and Google doesn’t make it easy to change a setting without delving into your phone’s settings.
The obvious solution is to quickly switch settings, but until that happens, there is a third party app that will do the trick. Caffeinate adds a sleep timer toggle to the quick settings menu, so you can instantly extend the timer to 5 minutes (or any other set time) with a simple swipe.
Custom wake words and more
Of course, there are many pixel problems that don’t have easy solutions. One frequent complaint on the thread is that Google does a poor job of deciding whether your phone or your smart speaker should handle a voice command if both are within earshot. It seems that the closest thing to a solution is “Use IFTTT”, but it is unclear exactly how this will work – I left a comment asking for more details, so if I get an answer I’ll add an update.
Custom wake words are also a popular request and it looks like Google is already working on this feature for a future update. Until then, you’ll just have to settle for what’s already available, or hope that someone else will find a way to fix the problem.