I enabled a single hidden setting on my Pixel; now I recommend it to everyone

Published Jul 30, 2026, 12:45 PM EDT Dhruv Bhutani has covered the Android ecosystem since 2010, with a focus on smartphones, connected devices, and home networking. His reporting is informed by hands-on experience reviewing hundreds of smartphones and testing a wide range of smart home and audio products over more than a decade. He has attended Mobile World Congress eight times since 2011 and IFA Berlin five times, alongside regular coverage of launch events and industry briefings from companies including Google, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Qualcomm. This on-ground access and long-term exposure to product cycles inform how he evaluates hardware, software direction, and ecosystem shifts. First-Hand Experience Reviewed and tested hundreds of smartphones since 2009 Tested smart home, audio, and connected devices across multiple categories Attended Mobile World Congress (8 times, first in 2011) Attended IFA Berlin (5 times) Covered industry events including Qualcomm Summit and launch events from Google, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo Career History CNET — Freelance Editor May 2024 – Present Android Police — Freelance Editor July 2023 – Present Android Authority — Contributor November 2022 – Present Android Authority — Editor January 2019 – October 2022 FoneArena — Editor February 2010 – January 2018 PhoneReport.info — International Correspondent February 2010 – May 2011 Nokia Mobile Talk — Writer June 2009 – October 2009 My smartphone use is pretty regimented. To the point that I know there are specific actions I take and do as I go through my day. For example, I silence my phone before a meeting. That part makes sense. What doesn't is that I'll invariably forget to toggle it off to silence or DND mode and miss a call. When I get around to changing the setting, I'll usually set the phone too loud. These little annoyances tend to continue through the day. It's what convinced me to try looking for a solution and figure out a feature on my Google Pixel that I'd been ignoring for a while. Rules and Modes on the Pixel 10, to be specific. I didn't go around looking for a full automation system; that would be overkill. I just wanted a system for my phone to stop getting in the way of things I was already doing. Turns out, when set up, the difference in how my phone works is night and day. My phone now adjusts itself multiple times a day based on where I am and what I'm doing, without any input from me. It doesn't add anything extraordinarily new to the experience. It just removes the need to manage things constantly. And there's enough value in that. The Pixel's Rules handle the basics with zero intervention Simple triggers with predictable actions Rules are the simplest and most useful part of the setup. It's a straightforward idea. When your phone detects a specific condition that you've defined, it changes a setting that you've defined. In my case, I started with the basics. When my phone connects to my home Wi-Fi, it switches the ringer on. When I'm out of Wi-Fi coverage, it switches off the ringer and goes back to vibrate. This simple rule means I don't need to touch the volume controls anymore, because I don't need to. The phone handles things on its own. Put together, it fixes something I didn't even realize was a huge daily annoyance. At home, I want my phone to be conveniently accessible. Out and about, I need it to be discreet. No more constant adjustments. It just follows my needs automatically. That's just step one. It's easy to start building out rules-based layers. For example, I have a rule tied to a specific work location where my phone switches to silent. And another kicks in when I connect to my gym's Wi-Fi network. These are small changes, but they line up with what I'd do manually anyway, and being able to pull it off automatically improves my experience. You're not building out a complicated chain of events, just a straightforward system that solves simple issues in everyday utility. Modes make your phone behave more intentionally Less noise, even fewer visual interruptions While Rules are responsible for changing the status of the phone depending on where I am, there's one more feature that I find intrinsic to my automated Pixel experience. Modes are how I handle how I want to use my phone, and it's where things get a lot more intentional. Modes let you define what or who is able to reach you, and what isn't, depending on the situation. For example, I use a Work mode during the day that cuts out almost all distractions. I don't need to be distracted by Instagram or LinkedIn notifications during work hours, and using a Work mode setting lets me cut those out. Only a small select group of apps like Gmail can send out notifications, a curated list of contacts can reach me, and everything else gets filtered out. It's not just about filtering, though. Having more curated control over my phone also means that there's a visual shift. For example, you don't see as many notifications. Even if you don't unlock your phone and reply to those notifications, you will still see pop-ups on your screen. That, for me, is distracting enough. You can enable this manually too. But the key here is that it runs on a schedule. I don't have to remember to switch on DnD mode. The phone knows my schedule during the week and toggles between the settings, activating and deactivating the mode on its own. I've also set up variations of the modes for different parts of the day. So, if I'm at the gym, certain functions or contacts might be blocked off. It's extremely flexible. It just fixes the way your phone behaves The changes to your workflow aren't extremely obvious, and since you're swapping out everyday functions for automations, it's also why a lot of people don't use it, or even know about it. But when set up, Rules and Modes completely change how the phone fits into your everyday routine. You're not constantly making changes to your settings or reacting to notifications. Things work the way that they should. It's quickly become my favorite tip when talking to friends using Pixel phones. While using Rules and Modes won't enable new features on your Pixel, it goes a long way towards removing everyday frictions from your smartphone experience. Google Pixel 10 Pro 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.