I tweaked this key space of my Pixel to make it extra helpful

Android has lengthy been considered a extra customizable working system than Apple’s iOS. Google makes it simple to change the launcher in your Android telephone and radically alter the way it works, and even on the corporate’s personal Pixel phones, the previous few years of software program updates have supplied a number of official methods to vary the visible look of your smartphone. The iPhone took rather a lot longer to develop into as equally versatile, however as Apple has made the iPhone simpler to personalize, the corporate has pulled forward of the Pixel in a single key means: Lockscreen customization.

As of iOS 16, iPhone lockscreens can are available quite a lot of totally different types, function customized animations, and widgets that show data from different apps. In distinction, the Pixel lockscreen in Android 16 is surprisingly restrained. That does not imply you’ll be able to’t change it to make it extra helpful to you, nevertheless. Google nonetheless provides some useful choices you’ll be able to tweak, and I’ve discovered they make a giant distinction in how helpful my Pixel is, whether or not I am working or not.

The lockscreen is the touchdown web page to your telephone

You may as properly make it a helpful one

Apart from your telephone case, your lockscreen is the primary place you are in a position to specific your self in your telephone. That chance for self-expression is one in every of many causes telephone corporations embracing customization options is so thrilling. However your lockscreen can be a key supply of knowledge, whether or not you are checking the time or present climate circumstances, or notifications you have obtained from different apps.

If I consider my lockscreen as a type of touchdown web page for the remainder of my telephone, then its capacity to each show data and rapidly let me entry apps or options on my telephone are its two most vital options. Fortunately, Google provides just a few methods to tweak my lockscreen to fulfill these wants. As of proper now, I maintain the Flashlight shortcut within the left shortcut area on my Pixel 9‘s lockscreen and Android’s Do Not Disturb mode in the appropriate shortcut slot. Each are telephone features I attain for occasionally, and having the shortcuts on the lockscreen means I can instantly entry them with out wading by means of different distractions on my telephone.

To make my Pixel extra helpful as a technique to obtain glanceable data, I additionally make notifications viewable on my lockscreen, so I need not unlock my telephone to learn them or act on them. This may not be possible or secure for everybody, however since I spend nearly all of the time working from house, it has been nice for me. As a closing cherry on high, I additionally prefer to have Google’s Now Playing feature enabled on my Pixel so I can establish the songs taking part in round me. Once I do work in a espresso store, Now Enjoying has been a enjoyable technique to establish songs I would wish to save for later.

Within the grand scheme of issues, these are small adjustments to make to the lockscreen of my Pixel 9, however they’ve labored properly for me, and within the absence of larger customizations, I am glad that I’ve them.

The lockscreen options Android is lacking

There’s nonetheless solely a lot you’ll be able to see or do

If the Pixel lockscreen expertise appears easy now, there’s hope: Google has been slowly adopting extra of Apple’s lockscreen options. New additions like Live Updates, that are included as a part of Android 16 and supply reside data from an app or service, go a good distance in direction of making the lockscreen a spot for up-to-date data. However Google might positively go additional.

iPhones now assist what are basically locksreen widgets — perhaps a extra applicable comparability can be smartwatch “complications” — for a fair wider number of reside data or shortcuts into apps. Google discovering a technique to adapt Android’s widget system (which is admittedly way more useful than Apple’s) into one thing that works on the lockscreen might go a good distance in direction of making its Pixels extra private and helpful.

Even doing one thing so simple as providing the area “Now Enjoying” takes up on the backside of your lockscreen for an additional shortcut or one other supply of passive data might make a giant distinction for individuals making an attempt to get essentially the most out of their smartphone.

Work with what you have acquired

On Android, that is nonetheless greater than most

It is ironic that iPhones supply extra customization choices than Google’s personal smartphone with regards to the lockscreen, however for many individuals the opposite advantages of Android are value what are probably short-term trade-offs. Pocket-lint has lined home screen customization options and other ways you’ll be able to tweak your Android telephone to make it yours. Within the meantime, although, I am proud of what is feasible on my Pixel 9, and I hope extra choices come quickly.