It’s already a nice perk that the Pixel Launcher gives you room for five apps in the dock. But if you want even more crammed, any app can be converted to a folder. First, drag another app on top of an existing one in the dock. The same way you usually make a folder. You may never need to swipe to another screen with the correct folders. Some people prefer having all their individual apps spread out. But it’s nice to know the option is here if you want it.

I need to improve at remembering my hotel room number when I travel. Other important little factoids like a lock combination, the name of your meeting for lunch. And further details can now be kept in the Assistant. In this example, I told it a fictional bike lock combination. When I asked for it again, they told me. So use this when your brain is running low on RAM and the Assistant to step in.

Google likes you to use the I’m feeling lucky button in search results to offer you something unexpected. The implementation with photos is pretty neat. When you launch this app shortcut with a long press on the photos icon. You’ll get a search result from your photo album that’ll bring up a past adventure or group of related photos. Often it’s from a vacation or a batch of pictures from a concert.

It’s a fun way to see memories. It’s nice to do on your phone when bored instead of yet again glancing at Twitter.

News hounds will love this one. You can ask the Assistant to listen to the News or get more specific about election news. If you dare to obtain relevant broadcasts. It’s worth taking the time to customize what you want. From Assistant > Settings, you can choose from a different list of broadcasts at the ready. If you’re a fan of something like News, getting the hourly, five-minute updates. Whenever you want throughout the day is incredibly cool.
Suppose you tell the Assistant good morning or tell me about my day. You’ll get your weather, commute traffic, calendar events, and reminders in that case. Then the Assistant will play news broadcasts according to your preferences. You can adjust which of these things you want to hear by tapping the overflow menu. The three dots in the upper right of the Assistant, then choosing Settings, then My Day.

If you’re a longtime Android fan like me, you might feel nostalgic for that blinking notification light. It is a convenient way to serve as a reminder that something is waiting on your phone. Even though I wear an Android wear watch. On the Pixel, it’s off by default. You may not find it necessary since the screen uses an ambient notification to briefly preview the message. Go to Settings > Notifications, then touch the gear icon up top. You can turn on the pulse notification light setting and choose how much content appears on the lock screen. If you’d rather not have the contents of text conversations or other material appear, you can prevent that from appearing.

Pixel’s software has a one-stop shop for managing storage. Head to Settings > Storage, then select Free up space from the overflow menu at the top. This takes you to a place to remove content from three key categories: photos/videos, downloads, and apps. Photos can especially suck up space, but since you’re getting free full-resolution backup to photos. You shouldn’t hesitate to delete them from your phone.

Pixel’s phone app is even better on the Pixel. Be sure from the settings you enable Caller ID & Spam and Nearby places to put all-knowing capabilities to work. Dialing a number might tell you exactly who you’re calling by matching the number to its database. The screenshot says Comcast, even though I manually typed in the number. Incoming calls from businesses or publicly listed numbers also give you a name. And, of course, you might be warned about incoming spam calls. Also, you can use the dialer as a search tool. First, type what you’re looking for; the app will search nearby and offer places likely to match what you’re after. Information is still on tap, and your screen provides context.
I recently had a text conversation with a colleague who shared a FedEx tracking number. I launched the Assistant and swiped up on the screen to reveal what it had found. Behold, there was a link to track the package. The Assistant feature felt less helpful than promised. But the smarts in this area appear even better. So you should try the Assistant out more often to see what it uncovers. First, long-press on the home button or say OK and swipe up. If something on the screen is recognized, it will give you context. Note that voice questions will also use what is on your screen to provide context. If you’re reading an article about Guardians of the Galaxy, say, what’s the cast? It will be smart enough to know you want the Guardians of the Galaxy cast.

Block visual disturbances, like notification pop-ups. The Pixel can Chromecast and might be all you need to make a presentation. But even if you put your phone in do not disturb mode. Pop-up notifications will still silently appear on the screen. That’s not ideal if you’re chatting with a group of business partners. They don’t need to see the text from your main squeeze thanking you for dinner. To eliminate any message, go to Settings > Do not disturb > Block visual disturbances. Then you can select either Block when the screen is on or Block when the screen is off. This gives you more control over when you see an on-screen notification.