Google has launched the Google Pixel 9 series, and it’s quite an impressive lineup. The base model Pixel 9 got a big upgrade with a 48-megapixel ultrawide lens and 12GB RAM. The Pro models now come in two sizes so that anyone who wants a smaller Pro phone can finally have it without compromising on features. The Pro phones also have a mighty 16GB RAM and a powerful triple-lens camera setup.
While you may be super excited to start using your new phone right away, there are some things you should make sure you do first. Here are a few suggestions to make the most of your Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, or Pixel 9 Pro XL.
Customize the look of your Pixel 9
I’m not sure about everyone else, but when I get a new phone, one of the first things I do is change how the home and lock screen look. With Android, you can take that customization a step further by changing the clock, the colors, and more.
Since Google uses a stock Android experience on the Pixel using the Material You design, it’s a lot of fun to customize it to your liking. With Android 14, there were some new clock styles for the lock screen to try, AI-generated wallpapers that can give you a unique image, themed icons to match with the overall color scheme you pick, change the lock screen shortcuts, app grid layout, and more. You can also browse through the collection of stock wallpapers (some that are pretty cool looking) or even use your own photos.
To change the way your Pixel 9 looks, go to Settings > Wallpaper & Style and have fun.
Redeem your free year of Gemini Advanced
AI played a big part in the Pixel 9 event, and Google is going all-in with Gemini on the Pixel 9 series, as the entire line can use Google’s Gemini Advanced and Gemini Live abilities. Google even gives eligible customers a free year of access to Gemini Advanced.
However, Google was a bit sly with exactly who is eligible for that free-year offer of Gemini Advanced. Unfortunately, it’s only available for those who get a Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, or Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Those who get a base model Pixel 9 will only be able to get a one-month trial of Gemini Advanced rather than an entire year.
After the trial period, the new Google One AI Premium plan, which includes Gemini Advanced, costs $20 a month. Other benefits of this plan include 2TB of cloud storage that can be shared with up to five people, unlimited Magic Editor and Google Photo editing use, and more features for Google Meet and Google Calendar. Gemini Advanced also has tools in Google services like Gmail, Docs, and more.
So, if you have a Google Pixel 9 Pro device and want to redeem your free year of Gemini Advanced, open the Gemini app, select your profile picture/icon, choose to upgrade to Gemini Advanced, select Start trial, and follow the on-screen instructions.
The offer for a free year of Gemini Advanced won’t last, though, as it expires on October 31.
Check out the new Pixel Weather app
Google has finally added a real standalone weather app to the Pixel 9 series, appropriately dubbed Pixel Weather. This new app is powered by AI and gives users a custom-generated weather report using Gemini Nano.
Not only does Pixel Weather look fantastic with a dynamic design and beautiful backgrounds but it’s customizable, too. Underneath the forecast tiles are smaller tiles for metrics like precipitation, wind, UV index, and more. These smaller tiles can be moved around via drag-and-drop, so you can place the ones that are more important to you higher up for better visibility.
It’s surprising that it took this long for Pixel phones to have a real weather app, but the long wait was well worth it.
Get the most out of your display
The entire Pixel 9 lineup features OLED displays with a 120Hz refresh rate. But depending on which Pixel 9 you have, Google may have turned that off by default to save battery life.
If you prefer to have buttery-smooth scrolling and animations while using your phone, you’ll want to have the 120Hz refresh rate on automatically, even if it means taking a small hit on the battery. To do this, go to Settings > Display and make sure that Smooth display is turned on.
For Pixel 9 Pro users, there’s another setting you’ll want to ensure is on. By default, the resolution for the Pixel 9 Pro is set to “High resolution,” which is 960 by 2142. If you want the full 1280 by 2856 resolution, there’s another toggle to enable. Go to Settings > Display > Screen resolution and select full resolution. This will use more battery, however, and some apps may need to restart once you change the resolution.
Turn on palm timer for easier selfies
Taking selfies is a great way to capture special memories, especially now that the Pixel 9 Pro devices have a whopping 42MP selfie camera. But depending on the situation, tapping the capture button without messing up the shot can be a chore.
Thankfully, Google has a palm timer feature that you can enable. With the palm timer, all you have to do is show a palm in the viewfinder, and once the camera detects it, a three-second countdown begins to capture the selfie. It works best in good lighting, so sometimes it may be hard to get it to work if the environment is dark. But it’s still a useful feature that makes getting those selfies much easier.
To ensure that the palm timer is enabled, open the Camera app, tap the Settings icon in the bottom-left corner, tap More settings, and check that the toggle next to Palm timer is on.
Enable 50MP resolution on the Pixel 9 Pro
If you have the Pixel 9 Pro or Pixel 9 Pro XL, you get extra “pro” settings for your photos.
By default, the resolution for photos is set to 12MP despite the primary lens being 50MP. This is done through pixel-binning, which means four smaller nano pixels making up a single pixel. But if you want the highest-quality resolution and detail, you can change that resolution to 50MP, but this will also result in larger file sizes.
To do this, open the Camera app on your Pixel 9 Pro, select the Photo Settings in the bottom-left corner, go to the Pro settings, and pick 50MP resolution. You can also choose between RAW or JPEG format and have automatic or manual lens selection.
