These 5 Pixel features changed how I use my phone, and I almost missed them

I love my Google Pixel 10 Pro. While the camera is my principal reason for enjoying Pixel phones so much, it’s also because of the many fun and useful extras Google includes in its phones.

It’s gone into overdrive on those in recent years, thanks to the explosion of AI tools. Magic Cue, the revamped Now Playing, and Magic Editor are just a few of the great new features Google added to the Pixel toolbox.

But the large number of these does mean some get lost in the shuffle. Tools I used to enjoy using ended up lost to the wayside, forgotten and unused, hidden in various sub-menus.

I couldn’t bear the idea that I wasn’t using my Pixel to its full potential. So I did a deep dive to discover which tricks I wasn’t using.

Here’s what I discovered in the dusty recesses of my smartphone.

Quick Tap

You’d be forgiven for forgetting the Quick Tap feature exists, given it was introduced in 2021.

We’ve all seen a lot of features come and go since then, so it makes sense you’d forget that all Pixels since the Pixel 4a could trigger actions using a simple double-tap of the back panel.

It triggers when you tap twice on the back of the phone, beneath the camera bar, and you can choose from a number of actions.

You can use it to pause or play media, take a screenshot, show recent apps or notifications, or open a specific app.

It’s a cool little feature, and worth using. It reminds me of using the double-tap with a knuckle to take screenshots on my old Honor phone, so I’ve set it up to take screenshots.

To find it for yourself, go to Settings > System > Gestures and then tap Quick Tap to start actions.

Icon shortcuts within apps

This isn’t something Google really crowed about when it released it. It’s just something Android can do now.

It allows you to create shortcuts to specific sections within apps and place them on your home page, like you would with any normal app icon.

This one is limited by what the app in question offers, but you can use it to create a YouTube icon that opens straight to your subscriptions, or an Instagram icon that creates a new post immediately.

One of the better uses is setting up a shortcut to specific channels in Discord. You can set up a series of icons to take you to specific channels, saving you time when booting up the app. Handy.

To try this, open your App drawer, and long press any app icon to see what it offers. YouTube, Facebook, and Discord are fun ones to try, though it seems most apps don’t offer this functionality.

Find a shortcut you like and tap it, and it’ll appear on your home screen. Neat!

Moving the cursor with the spacebar

This is one I forgot about, even though I knew it worked somehow.

Correcting minor typing mistakes can be a real pain. Tapping the screen to move the icon and change one letter is such a chore, and it’s always an exercise in frustration.

I knew I could move the icon somehow, but I couldn’t remember how. I tried dragging my finger across the keyboard, and it didn’t work, so I assumed I’d misremembered or that it had been removed.

It turns out I was doing it in the wrong place. Doh.

Give it a try. Drag your finger along your keyboard’s space bar in Gboard, and it’ll move your typing icon, allowing you to correct those little errors.

Notification History

This is one that I only forget to set up on every new phone, and it’s infuriating that I need to, because it’s one of the best features Android has ever had.

It’s exactly what it sounds like: A history of your notifications, and tapping one takes you to wherever the notification was meant to take you.

It’s simple, but it’s exactly what you need when you accidentally swipe away what might have been something important. Will you ever know? With Notification History, you will.

It saves your bacon. Which is exactly why I can’t understand why it’s off by default. This should always be there, doing its good work for when you need it.

So go and turn it on yourself, because it’s brilliant. You can find it in Settings > Notifications > Notification history.

The Magnifier app

This one is actually an app you need to download, but nobody ever talks about it, and it’s so helpful.

Again, no prizes for guessing what the Magnifier app does. It uses your phone’s camera to magnify objects you point it at. It’s a magnifying glass in your phone, and it does just that.

It’s a niche app with niche uses, and yeah, you could use your camera instead for a similar experience.

But Magnifier is intended for those with impaired vision, so it comes with easy-to-see icons and a collection of filters that can make seeing a little bit easier.

You can find Magnifier in the Play Store.

SoC

Google Tensor G5

RAM

16GB

Storage

128 GB / 256 GB / 512 GB with Zoned UFS / 1 TB with Zoned UFS

Battery

4870mAh

Operating System

Android 16

Front camera

42 MP Dual PD selfie camera

Google’s latest Pro Pixel packs a faster yet efficient Tensor G5 chip, an upgraded ISP, and a brighter display. Plus, an array of new AI features that make it one of the best Android phones to launch in 2025.