Pixel 9

I’m still on Pixel 5.  Been put off newer pixels due to screen fingerprint sensor issues on wife’s 6a (it barely ever works, always has to try 3 times and then put her PIN in)  and stories of it not really being much better on any newer Pixels.

What have you lot found on yours?

I find it reliable* on my 7, and that’s with a screen protector on too.

*you have to make a concious effort to place your finger on properly and wait a little bit longer than you’d want and it works every time.. if you just briefly tap it or don’t get fully ‘square contact’ i.e. your fingertip is on its side a bit too much, it dosn’t work.

On the 8a the finger print sensor works a treat for opening the phone to accessing banking apps

Never had a fingerprint issue outside of my hands being manky with something.

Also, double-tapping the back of the phone (or pressing vol down + power together) will take a screenshot. I discovered that by accident, it’s pretty handy.

Depends, mine turns on the torch.

The 3a had automatic rules which meant it knew when I wanted it on silent, and back on ring without me faffing with it. Why the 8a hasn’t got that I do not know.

Keep looking, my 8 has it and I can’t imagine why the 8a doesn’t.

Settings > Sound and Vibration > Do Not Disturb

There was a problem with the under-screen fingerprint sensor on some of the 6’s but then Google published a list of approved screen protectors. I used one of those and it worked fine. I now have the 8 and it works fine with the “generic” screen protector fitted to that.

Registering more fingerprints in settings also helps

Keep looking, my 8 has it and I can’t imagine why the 8a doesn’t.

Settings > Sound and Vibration > Do Not Disturb

It wasn’t that… I used to manually put my phone on silent when I arrived in the office. Then one day it said, “do you want to enable this as a rule?” I said yes. And from then on it went on silent whenever I was in that location. All I had to do was say Yep, do that!

Settings… System… Rules

Yeah! Cheers, I just found that after my last post… must’ve been enabled by default on the 3a 🙂

Putting it face down should work as well via the menu I posted, good for ad-hoc downtime.

That location one is handy but really rough, I can only narrow it to a 100m radius of the general location of my office unless I connect to the WiFi (which I won’t be).

Been put off newer pixels due to screen fingerprint sensor issues on wife’s 6a (it barely ever works,

I’d have to check to be certain but it’s in the other room and I can’t be arsed to move but, I think there’s an “I have a screen protector” option in settings which increases the sensitivity.

I really want the emergency satellite SOS feature – but do our operators in the UK support it? Can any of you Pixel 9 owners confirm that it works? If so I’ll upgrade right now because I really want this feature.

Check previous pages, I think someone confirmed that is in us only at present.

I’d have to check to be certain but it’s in the other room and I can’t be arsed to move but, I think there’s an “I have a screen protector” option in settings which increases the sensitivity.

There is… At least there is on the pixel 7… Dunno if that’s all pixels or if it’s just on certain models.

Finger print sensor is 99%on my 7 and I’ve never used the setting option.

I really want the emergency satellite SOS feature – but do our operators in the UK support it?

I believe Garmin are handling the satellite SOS calls, for the USA at least. I suppose they could also handle other regions as the service is rolled out. This will be the same way that SPOT has done it for years. A central call handling team will route it to the regional emergency authorities.

And on 8

Settings > Display and Touch > Touch Sensitivity

something that struck me as interesting, there’s been a bunch of android changes that I basically hate over recent years, every update seemed to introduce some change on my 7a like “suddenly without any explanation the power button doesn’t take you to the power menu and you have to do a secret keypress to do that, now the power button activates speech activation or some such bullshit”. But setting up my new 8 highlighted a load of these instant changes and told me straight away how to change them back to the legacy settings and so my new phone has a power button that works.

The actual setup process gets easier every time but that earns google a massive ****-you, clearly they know this is hassle enough to draw it to the attention of a possible returning yser with a new phone but they don’t deign to do it for people who’re already using it. I’m sure if I had bothered I could have trawled through menus and found the setting but the new phone took me right to it the very first time I pressed power.

The power button is an interesting case. I mean, I know why there has to be one, but of all the things I’d like a button for, powering off my phone is way down the list of priorities.

Oh I’m absolutely sure that if I got my first ever phone today I’d not expect it to have a power button. But it’s a fixture, if you’re going to take it away you have to do it right. Which they have done for the “new user experience” but not for the “existing customer who is used to the phone and how it works”

My power button fires up the camera, obviously. At least it also puts it to sleep which is kinda like powering it down‽

I’ve got an 8, it’s good. Had the pink line of doom issue, but Google repaired no questions asked. Previously had a 7, which I lost in a woodland (hence the purchase of an 8). It was outside from December to July and once repatriated it has worked perfectly. So, I’d say the IP rating on it is OK.

Just upgraded to a 9 pro from a 7 pro, slightly smaller but I’m loving it. I switched to Pixel from Samsung Galaxys when I got the Pixel 5 and don’t think I’d go back now.

A non-functional power button together with a non-removable battery sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

“My phone’s crashed!” – have you tried turning it off and back on again? – “I can’t!”

@molgrips

Just Satellite SOS in the US presently

“My phone’s crashed!” – have you tried turning it off and back on again? – “I can’t!”

Back in the day some brands like Sony had a clever emergency off button in beside the sim tray

Also just got an 8 which is dissappointingly almost identical to the 4a which it replaced, although the camera is much better. I think the battery life might be a bit worse. Screen is the same, it’s roughly the same size, and for the stuff I use it for, the performance is pretty much the same. Meh.

I do now have £35 Google Store credit to use up or try to sell on, if anyone would like to help me turn it into actual money?!

A non-functional power button together with a non-removable battery sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

“My phone’s crashed!” – have you tried turning it off and back on again? – “I can’t!”

Power button and volume+ and the restart menu appears

13thfloormonkFull Member
Is that 4a thing for real?

I replaced my 4a at full price a month or two ago ?

Trying to figure out if it’s worth fixing as it stopped reading the SIM card (and no, it wasn’t the SIM at fault…).

Interesting to hear you had that problem with the SIM card – mine intermittently decided it couldn’t read the SIM. Eventually solved by slipping a small piece of paper in the SIM tray behind the SIM card – haven’t had the issue since.

As for the software update, that’s surprising, if only because I understood Google had stopped pushing out software (or security) updates to the 4a about 18 months ago?

I also saw the price of the Pixel 8a had bounced back up last week, but it is still available cheaper through some retailers

Strange this, my pixel 9 pro uses the power button as intended and a double tap of it starts the camera. All these can be changed int he settings.

Power button actions on mine are tap = sleep and press and hold = power/restart menu.

In Gestures you configure the power button press and hold to access the power menu. Mine has been set at that on Pixels for ever so cannot remember if that was the default.

Satellite SOS setting does not work in UK (?yet)

Power button and volume+ and the restart menu appears

I know, I posted the same thing on the previous page.

Mine has been set at that on Pixels for ever so cannot remember if that was the default.

Holding the power button on my 7a launches Gemini, the AI artist formerly known as “OK Google.” That’s not something I would have consciously configured so I’d assume is the default. I think the only gesture UI setting I changed was putting the three buttons back on the bottom of the screen.

A non-functional power button together with a non-removable battery sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.

And yet a certain fruity flavoured fhone has worked quite happily in this manner for a decade. Just because it’s different doesn’t make it bad, in my view.

Holding the power button on my 7a launches Gemini, the AI artist formerly known as “OK Google.” That’s not something I would have consciously configured so I’d assume is the default.

As Northwind said it may have been changed. Mine (8) certainly goes to power options if I hold. That said Gemini is going nowhere near my phone so that may have something to do with it.

As Northwind said it may have been changed. Mine (8) certainly goes to power options if I hold. That said Gemini is going nowhere near my phone so that may have something to do with it.

Until yesterday my 6a launched Gemini if I held down the power button. Prompted by this thread, I changed it and it now gives power options.

Holding the power button on my 7a launches Gemini

Same. I say “Shutdown the phone” to it. 🙂

Last night I had the “update your Android 13” message on my Pixel 4a. Based on what a couple of folks said on here I looked around and see what you mean about the “software update that kills the battery of the 4a”.

Coincidentally Google has raised the prices of Pixel phones on its own store, thus negating the benefit of the store credit they’re handing out…

Coincidentally Google has raised the prices of Pixel phones on its own store, thus negating the benefit of the store credit they’re handing out…

That store credit for the battery issue?

On the flip side it’s easy to find a 25% off Google store code on work perks the are straightforward for anyone to sign up to (perks at work, healthcarediscounts).

And using your 4a as a trade in (£262) gets you a pixel 9 for £337.25. pretty good!