Google Pixel 7 phone questions

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tc101
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Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by tc101 »

I recently got a new Google Pixel 7 phone. I will probably have several questions that I will post here. First question:

On my previous phone, an LG, if it was on I could tap the screen twice and it would lock and turn off screen. Is there anything
similar on the Pixel?
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dukeblue219
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by dukeblue219 »

Not to lock it, no. You can set "quick taps" on the back as short cuts for various actions but none are to lock the device. You can also tap the screen to light it up (to check notifications and such) but again not to lock it.

Edit - the power button can do this if course, I assume you meant tapping the screen specifically
Last edited by dukeblue219 on Sat Mar 18, 2023 5:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by livesoft »

On my Pixel 6a, if I click the power button, the display goes dark and my phone is locked, but the phone does not turn off. If I want to power off the phone, I have to press and hold the power button.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

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Voice dictation was working fine on my new Pixel 7. I use voice dictation a lot for texting. Earlier today I did a restart on the phone in an attempt to fix another issue. Shortly after the restart I was texting. I pushed the microphone button to start voice dictation and a screen came up that said something like "Allow voice recording by blah blah blah". I just pushed the "Do not allow" button without thinking about it. That's what I usually do when something asks for permission to do something. Now, when I push the microphone button to start voice dictation I get a message saying "No permission to enable: Voice Typing". I can't figure out how to fix this so I can start voice dictation again.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by tc101 »

You can ignore my last question. I found the answer. Rather than remove the last post I will put the solution here in case anyone has the same problem:

"Go to settings apps and notification search gboard. Go to permission enable the microphone access."


https://support.google.com/a/thread/128 ... e%20access.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by tc101 »

I just turned on the phone (is that the correct terminology, saying I turned on the phone)?
Anyway it comes up with a screen saying "Allow camera to access this device's location"
Gives 3 buttons:
While using the app
Only this time
Don't allow

My normal response is to not allow anything unless I understand exactly why it needs to be allowed, but I got in trouble doing this with microphone permissions and took me a half hour to figure out how to turn the mic back on.

What should I do?
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by llin »

Allowing camera access to location is necessary to embed the lat/long of your location in the photo's metadata. If you want to be able to see photos on a map then select "while using this app". I find Google Photos to be a great interface for the tens of thousands of photos I've accumulated over the years and the utility would be greatly reduced without the location data.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by tc101 »

Thanks for the info. Are there any situations where the phone asks you give permission for something and you think it is important not to allow the permission?
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by FedGuy »

tc101 wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:32 pm Thanks for the info. Are there any situations where the phone asks you give permission for something and you think it is important not to allow the permission?
I'm very conservative with permissions. I never (voluntarily) use my GPS and usually deny my apps permission to access location (some apps simply fail to work if you do this, so on occasion I have to grit my teeth and agree, but I think Google recently changed some of the underlying architecture to make this less common). I deny access to the camera unless I'm taking a photo or doing something else that clearly requires use of the camera, such as scanning a bar code. I deny access to the microphone for everything except the phone, and that one time I experimented with a recording app.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by llin »

Permissions are app-based so you'll see the popup when an app requests access. Better apps will explain why certain permissions are necessary. Android also will automatically revoke access to apps if you haven't launched/interacted with them for a certain amount of time (a month?).

Like the other poster I take a deny first approach. For example the Starbucks app requests location to find the closest store but I'm perfectly happy to manually locate one. On the other hand the McDonald's app won't run at all without the location privilege so if I want to order fries I have to relent.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

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On my last android phone there were symbols at the bottom of the screen that would let me go to the home page, or the previous page. Now with my pixel they are not there. I know I can do these things by swiping, but I would rather have the buttons at the bottom of the screen. Is there any way to get them back?
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by Nonchalance »

tc101 wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 4:46 pm On my last android phone there were symbols at the bottom of the screen that would let me go to the home page, or the previous page. Now with my pixel they are not there. I know I can do these things by swiping, but I would rather have the buttons at the bottom of the screen. Is there any way to get them back?
Moto:
Settings / Accessibility / System Navigation / 3-button navigation
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by tc101 »

Thanks
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by tc101 »

When I make a voice call it works just fine, but it briefly gives a message at the bottom of the screen saying "Nearby device, permissions are disabled". What does that mean?
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by livesoft »

I don't know, but I would use Google (via chrome browser) on the phone to ask them that exact question. At the bottom of your home screen you should see a place to ask questions:
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by tc101 »

I have a question about terminology.

If I am not using the phone eventually the screen times out and goes dark, or I can press the button on the side and the screen goes dark. If the screen is already dark and tap it, or press the button on the side, the screen comes on again.

I think of this as turning the phone on and off, but I know the phone wasn't actually off and I am not really turning it on. What are the correct words for these actions?
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by dukeblue219 »

"locked" or "asleep" is the common lingo: "I was trying to follow a recipe but my phone kept going to sleep." "I was finished sending a message so I pressed the button to lock it."

Technically they are a little different as a phone may be configured to not actually lock until it's been asleep for a few seconds or minutes.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by livesoft »

tc101 wrote: Wed Mar 29, 2023 3:19 pm I have a question about terminology.

If I am not using the phone eventually the screen times out and goes dark, or I can press the button on the side and the screen goes dark. If the screen is already dark and tap it, or press the button on the side, the screen comes on again.

I think of this as turning the phone on and off, but I know the phone wasn't actually off and I am not really turning it on. What are the correct words for these actions?
Turn on/off display. I guess you could say Turn on/off screen.

Turn on/off phone is power on the phone and "power off"

BTW, I don't want the display to come on accidentally in my pocket and waste battery, so I have disabled the "tap to turn on display" feature. That is, I must momentarily press the button on the side to turn on the display. Also I do not want the display on when I am not looking at it, so I have the "Settings > Display > Screen timeout" set to 1 minute which works fo me. One could set it shorter or longer.

You can also "lock" or "lockdown" your phone without turning off the display and without power off.

I use my phone for lots of photos, so I when phone is on, display is off, and phone is locked, I just double click the power button on the side and the phone camera is ready to go without using my fingerprint or PIN to unlock. When doing that only the camera works and no other apps are accessible until the phone is unlocked via PIN or fingerprint.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by michaeljc70 »

tc101 wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:32 pm Thanks for the info. Are there any situations where the phone asks you give permission for something and you think it is important not to allow the permission?
I generally don't allow any app to use permissions when the app isn't in use. That uses battery and I don't want apps tracking where I am unnecessarily or using data. For example, certain apps (like FB) will download (cache) data even if you rarely use the app. There are exceptions to the permissions for things like I want my podcast app to refresh regularly and download my favorite podcasts in the background when I don't have the app open.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by tc101 »

When I send a text to several people it allows me to give the group a name. How do I send another text to that same group, using just the group name previously entered? I have tried entering the group name in the "To" box but it doesn't come up.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by realclemsongrad »

You can use search messages for that contact who is in that group and it will bring up chats with that contact 1:1 or the group you created.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

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That works. Thanks. It seems kind of clunky though. I would think they would have an option to just enter the name of the group.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by Onlineid3089 »

tc101 wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 4:46 pm On my last android phone there were symbols at the bottom of the screen that would let me go to the home page, or the previous page. Now with my pixel they are not there. I know I can do these things by swiping, but I would rather have the buttons at the bottom of the screen. Is there any way to get them back?
You don't need those buttons. Swiping from the side of the screen towards the center will take you back. Swiping up from the bottom will take you to the home screen, or if you hold when you swipe up it'll give the list of active apps for switching between them.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by Nonchalance »

Is it possible to turn off calls but leave on data?
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by tc101 »

How much battery life does adaptive charging save?

I had my pixel 7 phone set to adaptive charging and every night I would plug in the phone and it would be charged in the morning. One night I forgot to plug it in to charge, but it had enough juice left to last another day so I didn't try to charge it in the morning. That next night I did plug it in and got a message that said "Connected but not charging". I had seen that message before
but it was always charged in the morning. This morning it had only gone up to 68%. I turned off adaptive charging and it fully charged in about an hour.

I am wondering if adaptive charging is worth it?
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by sleepysurf »

Onlineid3089 wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 12:54 pm
tc101 wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 4:46 pm On my last android phone there were symbols at the bottom of the screen that would let me go to the home page, or the previous page. Now with my pixel they are not there. I know I can do these things by swiping, but I would rather have the buttons at the bottom of the screen. Is there any way to get them back?
You don't need those buttons. Swiping from the side of the screen towards the center will take you back. Swiping up from the bottom will take you to the home screen, or if you hold when you swipe up it'll give the list of active apps for switching between them.
You can turn on the "3 button navigation" option in the settings as shown here... https://youtu.be/Q7cH9Ul_ebY
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by Onlineid3089 »

tc101 wrote: Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:20 am How much battery life does adaptive charging save?

I had my pixel 7 phone set to adaptive charging and every night I would plug in the phone and it would be charged in the morning. One night I forgot to plug it in to charge, but it had enough juice left to last another day so I didn't try to charge it in the morning. That next night I did plug it in and got a message that said "Connected but not charging". I had seen that message before
but it was always charged in the morning. This morning it had only gone up to 68%. I turned off adaptive charging and it fully charged in about an hour.

I am wondering if adaptive charging is worth it?
I find the adaptive charging to be annoying as I don't charge my phone over night. I have it shut off. No idea what the long term effects will be of having my phone quick charge for 20 or so minutes per day will be. Had it since November and no issues so far. I don't intend to keep it for more than maybe two years so I don't care about that as much as someone who does plan to keep it a long time. I am a light phone user so most days it stays in the 50-90% range.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by Gadget »

tc101 wrote: Thu Jul 06, 2023 10:20 am I am wondering if adaptive charging is worth it?
My guess after reading lots of articles on it and battery life reddit threads from users: It's likely worth it if you're the type to keep your phone for 2+ years. It should in theory help the longevity of the battery.

If you replace your phone every year, it's probably just an annoyance. I don't think anyone knows exactly where that duration cutoff is.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

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I can't remember what I paid last time I got a new battery for a phone but it wasn't much, so I think - what is the big deal even if I keep the phone for 5 years and change the battery several times.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

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For the last few weeks I was having problems with bluetooth connectivity, and then last night it stopped working completely. I went online and as usual, the solution was there. I just had to turn bluetooth off and then on again. I didn't even know that there was an option to turn it off and on. I just assumed it was always on when being used and when you turned the phone off and on it reset bluetooth. Not so, but now I know more about how it works.

That problem is solved, but it raised other questions.

Under: settings/connected devices/connection preferences the first option is "bluetooth" which I turned off and then on to solve my problem. The nest option is "NFC". On my phone it is turned on. What is it and should it be on or off?

The on/off buttons on the Pixel 7 are not clear to me. On my previous phone when the switch was on it had a bright blue, and off was greyed out and it was vary obvious what was on or off. On the I have now memorized that right is on and left is off, but I would like to get a switch that is clearer. Can I do that, and if so how?

On my phone I can only have one bluetooth connection active. Is there a way to have two active connections. I might want to do this to connect two bluetooth speakers in different rooms to the phone.
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Re: Google Pixel 7 phone questions

Post by FreemanB »

tc101 wrote: Sun Sep 03, 2023 9:01 amUnder: settings/connected devices/connection preferences the first option is "bluetooth" which I turned off and then on to solve my problem. The nest option is "NFC". On my phone it is turned on. What is it and should it be on or off?
That is for Near Field Communincation, and that is what lets you use the phone to communicate with credit card readers and similar devices.(I have credit cards, subway passes, and Disney World annual passes at least) I believe it is only active when you have an app open and are actively trying to communicate with a card reader of some kind. I have a Pixel 6, and to use it, I usually open Google Wallet and select which card/pass I want to activate it. If you use any cards/passes with your phone, you need to leave it on. If you don't, I don't think it matters one way or the other.(I'd still leave it on, so you don't have to worry about it if you ever do want to use it)
tc101 wrote: Sun Sep 03, 2023 9:01 amThe on/off buttons on the Pixel 7 are not clear to me. On my previous phone when the switch was on it had a bright blue, and off was greyed out and it was vary obvious what was on or off. On the I have now memorized that right is on and left is off, but I would like to get a switch that is clearer. Can I do that, and if so how?
Hmm, no idea on this one. I'll have to look at my phone later and see if I can figure this out.
tc101 wrote: Sun Sep 03, 2023 9:01 amOn my phone I can only have one bluetooth connection active. Is there a way to have two active connections. I might want to do this to connect two bluetooth speakers in different rooms to the phone.
It is possible to have multiple active Bluetooth connections, but the Pixel doesn't support it for audio connections. However, I have multiple Google Home devices I use as speakers, and I can cast to those individually or as a group.
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