Which Pixel feature do you \/ would you miss the most from Pixel phones?<\/p>\n
382 votes<\/p>\n
Pixel VPN<\/p>\n
25%<\/p>\n
Phone call and message spam management<\/p>\n
34%<\/p>\n
Pixel Recorder<\/p>\n
13%<\/p>\n
Screensaver modes<\/p>\n
8%<\/p>\n
Safety features<\/p>\n
6%<\/p>\n
Something else (tell us in the comments)<\/p>\n
5%<\/p>\n
I don’t miss any Pixel features.<\/p>\n
9%<\/p>\n
Pixel VPN<\/p>\n
![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/pixel-vpn-hero-pixel-10-pro-1-scaled.jpg\"\/ "\\"pixel")
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Joe Maring \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
Of all the Pixel-exclusive features, the one I keep coming back to the most these days is the free Pixel VPN<\/a>. I used to avoid connecting to public Wi-Fi networks and rely on my SIM card, which offers free roaming across Europe, or a prepaid eSIM outside of the continent. But I\u2019ve recently found myself in several situations where I needed to connect to public networks.<\/p>\n From uploading photos at hotels to having a terrible reception signal on trains, I\u2019ve had to accept the perils of connecting to public Wi-Fi, and the one mitigating factor that has kept me feeling safe and at ease is my Pixel 10 Pro\u2019s VPN. It\u2019s free, it works everywhere I need it, and it\u2019s very easy to turn on from the Quick Settings toggles.<\/p>\n Plus, thanks to a bunch of more granular settings, I can choose exactly when the VPN works and where it gets automatically disabled. For example, I can set my home Wi-Fi to be safe so the VPN doesn\u2019t trigger there, and exclude the apps that misbehave on VPNs. Of course, there are more powerful VPN services out there, but for something free and built into the phone, Pixel VPN is enough for my needs.<\/p>\n Spam management<\/p>\n Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Pixel 8a<\/p>\n There\u2019s rarely a day that goes by without some random number calling me to talk to me about energy deals in France. I don\u2019t know what this spam\/scam is about, but it\u2019s immensely annoying, especially on days when I\u2019m expecting a delivery or a call back from a company. My Pixel 10 Pro XL\u2019s Call Screening has been saving me from all of these, and for that reason alone, my SIM card can\u2019t leave this phone.<\/p>\n Call Screening has become indispensible to me to avoid wasting my time with scam callers.<\/p>\n It took me a while to adopt Call Screening, but now I immediately tap the button when I see an unknown number, even if I\u2019m not expecting any deliveries or other calls. It usually takes five seconds tops before the scammers hang up. They never call back, never send a message, never try to reach me again. And that tells me everything I need to know about that number, so I report it to Google and move on.<\/p>\n I also appreciate that the Pixel has robust message spam management, too, with auto-flagging and archiving of spam messages. In the US, Pixel users get even more call and message features, and while I\u2019m a bit jealous of them, I find that these two are already huge quality-of-life improvements for my phone use.<\/p>\n Pixel Recorder<\/p>\n Sanuj Bhatia \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Several Android brands now include voice recording apps in their software, with many highly-marketed AI features, but I keep coming back to the simple efficiency of Pixel Recorder<\/a>. For several years now, my Pixel\u2019s built-in recorder has been my go-to tool for recording voice notes during work meetings or for my own personal recollection. It works offline, on the device, and now recognizes different speaker voices and tags them. But my favorite Pixel Recorder features go beyond that.<\/p>\n It\u2019s indispensable for me that all my recordings sync across devices with my Google account. I also love the web link it provides for each recording, so anyone can listen to the voice note live and see the text transcription at the same time. The options to export the text file or the voice recording separately are also fantastic.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t need more than this, to be honest, and the more AI features and bling other apps add, the less likely I am to use or trust them. The only feature I wish Pixel Recorder would add is the ability to manually edit some words to help me export a cleaner version in case of misinterpretation.<\/p>\n Screensaver modes<\/p>\n Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n My Pixel phone tends to sit on a charger for a couple of hours every day. Sometimes, that\u2019s at night; other times, it\u2019s midday. And although they\u2019re not as advanced as the iPhone\u2019s Standby Mode \u2014 which I\u2019m a bit envious of \u2014 the screen saver options on my Pixel do the job.<\/p>\n Depending on my mood or the current circumstances, I might have it rotate between my favorite Google Photos, let it display the weather on particularly variable days, or even show my smart home controls. There\u2019s a basic clock screen saver, too, that comes in handy at night. But if I had to pick a favorite, it would always be Google Photos. I love seeing my best moments or my favorite people when my phone is on the charger, and it\u2019s an integration I always miss when I use non-Pixel phones.<\/p>\n All the safety features<\/p>\n Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Google-Pixel-8a-call-screening.jpg\"\/ "\\"Google")
<\/p>\n![\"Pixel](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/pixel-recorder-app-2-e1781110591756.jpg\"\/ "\\"pixel")
<\/p>\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/google-pixel-10-pro-xl-on-pixelsnap-charger-with-stand-screen-saver-3.jpg\"\/ "\\"google")
<\/p>\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/google-pixel-safety-features-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"google")
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