Google’s Pixel 8 series is here with somegreat new features and upgrades. Google’s event on Aug 16, 2025, showed off the brand series of phones alongside the newGoogle Pixel Watch 2. Tons of new software tricks and features, alongside some modest hardware improvements, make these the best Pixel phones ever. They also compete well with Samsung’s Galaxy S series to be the best Android phones on the market today. When you get your new Pixel 8 phone and turn it on, here are the first settings you should change to get the best Pixel experience possible.
Use Google One’s free VPN
One perk of buying a Pixel 8 series phone is that Google provides you with a free VPN with your device through the Google One app. This VPN may not be as versatile as some of themost recommended VPNs, but it still helps keep you safe while you’re browsing. To use it:
When the VPN connects, you’ll be browsing safely. There are alsoother VPN features, such as adding a toggle to quick settings that the Google One VPN provides.
Activate Google’s amazing Call Assist suite of features
Perhaps one of the biggest draws to Google’s Pixel line of phones is the incredible suite of assistive call features called Pixel Call Assist. Included in Call Assist are features like call screening, which answers the phone on your behalf, determines if the call is spam, and hangs up if so. Some features wait on hold for you and help you navigate call menus. These features are activated through thePhoneapp.
In the settings menu, you’ll see a section titledAssistive. This is where the Call Assist settings live. To activate each of these settings, tap them and toggle them on. To hear more about these features, read ourPixel Call Assistexplainer.
Always know what song is playing around you
Do you ever hear a song playing around you and wonder what it is? Apps like Shazam help you determine what song is playing, but you have to open the app before the song is over. Google has this issue solved with its Now Playing feature.
Now Playing listens to what’s playing around you and automatically identifies the song. Then, it stores that information in a list of songs you may refer to later. To activate this feature:
Your phone now identifies the songs being played around you. Other settings are available, such as a persistent notification and a lock screen search button. You can alsoaccess your Now Playing historythrough the settings app, so you never miss a song to add to your playlist.
Save battery with Adaptive settings
Battery life is perhaps the most important feature of a phone, and Google has a few ways to help improve it. The Adaptive Battery setting optimizes app usage based on your usage habits to conserve battery usage. It takes a few days for the feature to learn your habits, but when it’s in the swing of things, it can help extend your battery. To turn it on, go toSettings>Battery>Battery Saver, tap theAdaptive Batterydrop-down menu, and turn on theadaptive batterytoggle.
There’s another feature called Adaptive Charging that preserves the lifetime of your battery. This feature learns your charging habits and makes sure your phone is charged when you need it while charging your phone slowly when possible. For example, if you’re one of those people who charge your phone overnight, your phone makes sure it’s fully charged by the time your alarm goes off. Instead of charging at a set rate until it reaches 100%, it charges at a slower rate over the time it has to reach 100% when your alarm goes off. This means your battery gets less hot and will last longer. To turn on this setting, go toSettings>Battery>Adaptive Chargingand toggle on the feature.
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Never miss a notification using Notification History
We get so many notifications that it’s sometimes hard to track them all. If you’re looking through your notifications and accidentally swipe one away that you needed, you’re out of luck. That is unless you use Google’sNotification History feature. This feature stores the notifications you received for the past 24 hours, so you’re able to check them if you need to. It’s best to turn on this feature immediately because it cannot retroactively track notifications. To turn it on:
After you do so, you’ll see your previous notifications and track down that elusive notification.
Make a gesture and save some time
There are several tasks we use our phones for every day. Some of these tasks require us to unlock our phones or open an app. To make completing these tasks easier, Google added useful gestures to help you get things done quicker. To access these gestures, go toSettings>System>Gestures, and you’re presented with a list of available gestures.
Some useful features includeQuick Tap to start actions, which allows you to program a quick double tap on the back of your phone to trigger an action, such as launching an app or turning on your phone’s flashlight. Another one isFlip to Shhh, which automatically turns on Do Not Disturb when your phone is flipped screen down on a surface. Check out the list and see what is helpful to you.
Create your own look by customizing your theme and lock screen
Android has constantly increased its customizability since the release of Android 12 and Material You. Android 14, which comes on the Pixel 8 series out of the box, expands the customization to your lock screen. To access these features, go toSettings>Wallpaper & styleand customize your home screen and lock screen. On the home screen page, you can change your wallpaper and theme, which can be based on your wallpaper. You can also change the size of your app grid and add themed icons to your home screen.
The lock screen page lets you change your clock style, color, size, and wallpaper. The most important thing is the ability to change your shortcuts on the bottom of your lock screen. You can choose from a list of apps for the shortcuts, such as Google Wallet, the flashlight, your camera, and more. You can even choose which side of the lock screen each app is mapped to. Take a look at all the options and make your phone your own.
The Pixel 8 is great
Google’s Pixel 8 series phones are the best Pixels yet and are packed to the brim with great features. After you’ve modified these features, look at some newAndroid 14 features worth changing.
