Written by 
While it’s a bit more “basic” compared to its siblings the Pixel 9 Pro and Pro XL, Google’s vanilla Pixel 9 is still a pretty solid Android phone, packing a ton of useful features in addition to a terrific camera. With that in mind, you might be thinking of picking up a Pixel 9, or maybe you even have it with you right now.
READ: Google Pixel 9 vs Apple iPhone 16: Flagship Phone Face-off!
If you’re a first-time Pixel owner or a newcomer to Android, then we’ve put together this list of handy tips and tricks that will hopefully let you know your phone better, and use it a lot more efficiently. Let’s get started!
Adjust your Screen’s Refresh Rate
The Pixel 9’s display comes with a 120Hz refresh rate, which makes it appear a lot smoother when scrolling about and navigating through your phone’s different apps and such. With that said, you can switch between 120Hz and a standard (but slower) 60Hz refresh rate to save battery.
- Open Settings
- Head to Display
- Toggle Smooth Display to switch between refresh rates
Switch Between Gestures and Navigation Buttons
While most new Android phones come with gesture navigation, you might prefer the classic three-button navigation approach as on earlier Android phones – fortunately it’s still available on the Pixel 9.
- Open Settings
- Head to Display
- Tap on Navigation Mode to select between gestures and buttons
- You can also adjust gesture sensitivity here
Activate Screen Protector Mode
There might be times when your screen might respond differently after installing a screen protector, but you can adjust the sensitivity of your Pixel 9 display easily to compensate for this.
- Open Settings
- Head to Display
- Tap on Touch Sensitivity
- Toggle Screen Protector Mode
- You can also activate Adaptive Touch to see which works better for you
Take a Screenshot
In most cases, can save your current screen by taking a screenshot on your phone, which will be saved to your Google Photos app. To take screenshots on the Pixel 9, there are two easy ways.
- Simultaneously press and hold on the volume down + power buttons
- For navigation buttons, access the app switcher/multitask menu by tapping on the square button and then pressing on screenshot
- For gesture navigation, swipe up halfway to bring up the app switcher/multitask menu and then press on screenshot
Use the Quick Tap Shortcut
You can set your phone to instantly perform an action by using the Quick Tap feature (this also includes screenshots), which lets you double tap on your phone to activate a certain task.
- Open Settings
- Go to System
- Tap on Gestures
- Go to Quick Tap to start actions
- Select your desired action or app
Use Circle to Search
Circle to Search is a handy feature that lets you perform an instant Google image search by literally drawing a circle on any image that’s currently displayed on your phone’s screen. It’s built into the system and is quite easy to use.
- For gesture navigation, hold on the navigation bar until a quick animation appears onscreen
- Draw a circle around the image or text that you’d like to search on Google
- For navigation buttons, you’ll need to hold down the home button
Switch between Ring Modes
A basic feature since the dawn of mobile phones, the Pixel 9 can easily switch between different ringing modes, including the default mode, vibrate-only, or a full silent mode.
- Press on your volume button
- Tap on the icon above the volume rocker to switch between silent, vibrate, and ring
Activate Assistant Voice Typing
While most phones come with voice-to-text typing, the Pixel 9 takes things one step further and offers “Assistant Voice Typing” which is much more accurate when it comes to transcription.
- Summon your keyboard
- Tap on the Gear icon to the right
- Head on to voice typing
- Toggle the Assistant Voice Typing switch
Add an eSIM
The Pixel 9 supports eSims, so users can add a secondary (or primary eSim) in addition to a physical sim card on their device. It’s a very straightforward process as well.
- Open Settings
- Tap on Network & Internet
- Tap on SIMs
- Tap on Add SIM
- Your phone will then prompt you to scan the QR code for the eSIM
Turn on the “Dark Theme”
By default, your Pixel phone will have a light-colored theme enabled. If you want something a bit milder on the eyes (especially in dark environments), then you might want to consider enabling the Dark theme.
- Open Settings
- Go to Display
- Tap on Dark Theme
- You can also swipe down for the quick settings panel and tap on Dark theme from there
We hope that these quick tips were able to help you get to know your phone and access some of its useful features. If you want to read more about the Pixel 9, then we’d recommend checking out the following articles as well.
Note: this article may contain affiliate links that help support our authors and keep the Phandroid servers running.