The Pixel-only features I wish every Android phone had

I don’t own a Google Pixel, but every time I test one or try a friend’s device, I’m reminded that Google has been building the most thoughtful version of Android.

The Pixel line has become the place where Google experiments with the most polished and useful features in the Android ecosystem.

After spending enough time hopping between devices, I’ve found myself wishing these features weren’t locked to the Pixel lineup.

Some of them are powered by on-device AI, while some make everyday annoyances disappear in a way other Android phones haven’t quite cracked.

Here are the Pixel-only perks I wish every Android user could try.

Related

These unexpected Pixel 10 Pro features completely changed my opinion

The Pixel 10 Pro is packed with meaningful upgrades

Posts 4
By  Jon Gilbert
Nov 5, 2025

Hold for Me removes the pain of customer support calls

I spend an embarrassing amount of time stuck on customer service calls, listening to looping hold music and recorded messages telling me how “my call is important.”

Every time it happens, I remember that Pixel users get to skip that entire ordeal with Hold for Me, and I don’t.

Instead of wasting time glued to a speakerphone, Pixel owners can tap a button, set the phone down, and go on with their day while Google Assistant waits on the line for them.

When a human finally picks up, the phone alerts you instantly so you can jump back in.

As someone who doesn’t own a Pixel, this feels like a luxury I can’t replicate.

Call Screening makes spam calls disappear

Call Screen is the Pixel feature that makes every other Android phone feel a step behind.

When a call comes in, especially from an unknown number, Pixel owners can tap Screen call, and Google Assistant will pick up on their behalf, speak to the caller, and transcribe the conversation in real time.

Instead of declining spam calls and hoping for the best, Call Screen lets Pixel users read the transcript to know whether it’s a delivery driver, a doctor’s office, a legitimate business, or a scammer fishing for credit card details.

As someone who gets at least two spam calls every day on my OnePlus phone, I feel like I’m stuck dealing with a mix of generic carrier spam warnings or manually blocking numbers.

These tools help, but never feel quite as proactive as Call Screen.

Now Playing helps identify ambient audio

As a non-Pixel user, Now Playing is the one feature that feels almost unfairly good.

I’ve tried all the usual alternatives, such as Shazam, SoundHound, and Android’s Song Search feature. While they work most of the time, they all require me to unlock my phone, tap a widget, or launch an app.

Now Playing, by contrast, listens passively and builds a history of everything playing around you. You can also view the song title on the phone’s lock screen.

Quick Tap: The gesture I wish every phone understood

Quick Tap is one of those Pixel-exclusive features that turns out to be absurdly useful after you’ve tried it.

With Quick Tap, you double-tap the back of the phone to trigger an action. You can set that double-tap to open your favorite app, trigger Google Assistant, take a screenshot, toggle the flashlight, or control media playback.

Because the gesture happens on the back of the phone, where your fingers already rest, it doesn’t require retraining any habits.

Pixel also gives you sensitivity controls, so the gesture doesn’t trigger accidentally.

The Pixel Screenshots app

Google somehow turned something as basic as a screenshot into a mini personal assistant, and after you see what it can do, every other phone suddenly feels outdated.

If you have a Pixel 9 or newer, the Pixel Screenshots app doesn’t treat screenshots as just static images.

You can search the text inside it, jump back to the website it came from, copy information without awkward cropping, and even pull contextual details that weren’t originally selectable.

It becomes a hybrid of a screenshot, a bookmark, and a searchable database entry. Meanwhile, on my OnePlus phone, a screenshot is just a picture.

As someone who constantly screenshots articles, recipes, random Reddit threads, or product listings I want to remember, the idea of having all of that be searchable instead of lost in my folder of images feels like a productivity upgrade that shouldn’t be exclusive.

Pixel perks are great, but not enough to make me switch

The more I dig into Pixel-only features, the more obvious it becomes why people get attached to Google’s phones.

Features like Call Screen, Hold for Me, Now Playing, Quick Tap, and Pixel Screenshots remind me of what I’m missing out on.

They’re exclusives because they rely on Google’s custom silicon, on-device AI models, and tight OS integration that Google reserves for the Pixel lineup.

Even though I find these Pixel-only features tempting, I’m still not rushing out to replace my OnePlus.

Because no matter how good Google’s exclusive tricks are, they’re not always enough to justify a whole new phone. Especially when my current device still runs smoothly, takes decent photos, and handles my day without complaint.

It would be great if more Android brands borrowed the thoughtful features of the Pixel rather than merely pursuing specs.