10 Life Hacks Every Google Pixel 11 User Should Know
One of the joys of upgrading a phone is exploring all the new features and capabilities it offers, and Google’s recently unveiled Pixel 11 series is no exception. While these phones feature hardware improvements, many of the most notable benefits are software-related, including a host of updates related to artificial intelligence and Android 17.
If you’ve purchased a Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, or Pixel 11 Pro Fold, here are the best ways to get started. All of these tricks are only available for the 2026 flagship models, though some may eventually appear on older models (Google hasn’t commented on this yet).
Install this app to get full control over your HiLight.
HiLight is a new feature for the Pixel 11. It uses the rear LED indicator to alert you to incoming calls from the most important people in your life—the idea is to help you cut through the noise that comes with owning a smartphone in 2026.
You can customize HiLight in Settings by going to System > HiLight , but there aren’t really many settings there. It only works for chats and calls from contacts marked as favorites in Gemini, with a simple toggle for both. You can choose different colors for different contacts, but that’s about it.
To expand HiLight’s capabilities, you can install HiLight Studio . This third-party tool opens up HiLight for use with a wider range of apps on your phone and provides complete control over the displayed colors, making HiLight much more useful.
Use Camera Looks filters to add imperfections to your photos.
One of the exclusive features of the Camera app on the Pixel 11 is what Google calls “Shooting Samples.” These work like subtle filters, similar to “Photography Styles” in iOS, with subtle contrast and color adjustments that give your images a different look (and can eliminate the overly clean, overprocessed look of Pixel photos in general).
Open the Camera app and tap the control button (in the lower-right corner), then select “Appearance .” This will give you access to four different settings that can be applied by default when taking images: “Original” (standard pixel processing), “Natural” (for “softer details”), “Shadows” (for “deeper contrast”), and “Vanilla” (for a “warm golden glow”).
Limit zooming to avoid AI-generated images.
Here’s a tip for how not to use Pixel 11 features. If you have a Pixel 11 or Pixel 11 Pro Fold, you can use Super Zoom up to 30x, and on the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL, Pro Zoom reaches an incredible 120x.
Pro Zoom levels certainly bring you closer to the action, but they also use generative AI to enhance the image . This isn’t just sharpening and enhancing; it’s actually creating new details based on existing pixels (which is why you need to load the generative AI model the first time you use Pro Zoom).
The 30x superzoom feature also uses AI, but a different kind: instead of generating details, it combines photo frames and analyzes colors to sharpen the image, similar to a traditional filter in a photo editor. According to Google , this works up to 30x zoom, so you know where to stop if you don’t want any AI elements added.
When you use Pro Zoom in Google Photos, both the AI-enhanced version and the digitally zoomed version are saved in their original state—you can switch between them in the app and choose the one you like best.
Use Magic Capture to automatically take photos while recording video.
It’s a perennial problem of modern times: how to preserve photos as a memento of an event while remaining in the present moment? Sure, you’d love to see those pictures from your child’s birthday party, but you don’t want to spend the entire time glued to your phone.
This is where Magic Capture comes in handy: you can enable it in the Camera app by tapping the icon to the left of the photo icon, just below the main shutter button. Then tap the shutter button to start recording and wait for it to finish. This allows you to focus on the action, not on fiddling with the Camera app and taking individual photos.
When you stop recording, the AI goes to work highlighting static images that look like highlights from the video—presumably someone blowing out candles, making a toast, or reaching the crest of a wave, depending on the situation.
Use Pause Point to block distractions on your Pixel.
Every phone maker has come up with a variety of ways to keep us from becoming overly dependent on their devices, and Google’s latest digital wellbeing idea is the “Pause Point” feature for the Pixel 11 phones.
It’s quite simple, which means it might actually work: every time you open the apps you specified, you’ll receive a reminder to focus. Those few seconds of reflection and introspection will help you realize that, no, you really don’t need to open Instagram or any other app again today.
To set this up, go to Settings, tap Digital Wellbeing , and then tap Pause Point to select the apps you want to apply this feature to. However, despite Google announcing this feature and including it in the official support documentation, it’s not yet available. Stay tuned for updates in the next few weeks.
Set up custom vibration patterns to identify specific contacts.
Another way to reduce screen time is to create unique alerts for each contact, letting you know who’s contacting you simply by the way your phone beeps or vibrates. Pixel 11 phones help with this by allowing you to customize vibrations in several convenient ways.
First, you can set specific vibrations for specific contacts, as well as specific ringtones (this option has been available for a while now). In the Contacts app, tap their name, then “Contact Ringtone,” and you’ll be able to select a vibration pattern and sound.
You can also change the default vibration patterns for calls and notifications, which wasn’t possible before—though not for each app or contact individually. In Settings, select “Sound & Vibration,” then “Ringtone” or “Notifications.”
Use the built-in teleprompter to create content directly on your Pixel.
Attention, content creators! If you use your Pixel 11 to record videos for public viewing, you can use the built-in teleprompter to read your script—no third-party apps required.
In the Camera app, tap the video icon (to the right of the photo icon, under the shutter button), then tap the settings button in the upper left corner. If you go to the Creator tab, you’ll see a toggle for Teleprompter that you can turn on.
Once enabled, click the teleprompter icon in the recording window to enter your text (you can paste it from elsewhere if you prefer). When recording starts, the recording will automatically advance to the next section as you speak according to the script.
Use the Pixel search bar to find what you need faster.
This is one of the best-hidden new features of the Pixel 11 phones. Pixel Search is designed to make it easier to find information on your phone (like messages and files) with a single search bar—but it’s not the same search bar as the one on the home screen.
Instead, it’s a button above the app grid. Swipe up on the home screen to open the app grid, then tap the search field at the top. When you first use this feature on your Pixel 11, you’ll see an introduction to it and a link to ” Go to Settings.”
Go to this link, then select “Apps” in the search results , and you’ll be able to choose the content Pixel Search will analyze—for example, in Google Calendar, Google Drive, Gmail, Google Photos, and Settings.
Ask the Rambler user to edit the dictated text.
Pixel 11 devices have an exclusive Gboard add-on called Rambler, which Google bills as a cutting-edge enhancement to voice input. Phones have long been able to convert speech to text, but Rambler is better at handling natural speech rhythms, fillers, and pauses.
It also handles editing better. If you say “meeting at 2:00 PM… or more likely 3:00 PM” in your chat, the “3:00 PM” will be included in the final transcript. If you’re viewing a transcribed text generated by Rambler, you can launch Rambler again to make edits using natural prompts—for example, “change the day from Friday to Saturday.”
Launch Gboard on your Pixel 11 (any text input field will work), tap the microphone button, then read the introduction to Rambler and tap Get Started . Once set up, you can launch it at any time using the microphone button.
If you want, you can switch back to standard voice input at any time: in Gboard, tap the menu button (the four squares on the left), then select Settings > Voice input .
Use this screensaver to turn your Pixel 11 into a bedside clock.
When in standby mode, your iPhone can be turned into a bedside clock, and the Pixel 11 smartphones have something similar—sort of. In Settings, select “Display” and tap “Screen Saver,” where you’ll see a new option called “Charging.”
The screen displays a charging progress indicator and a clock. Enable this feature, and if you connect your Pixel to a magnetic wireless charger overnight, you’ll have a nice, minimalist display for your nightstand, working in both portrait and landscape orientation.