Google makes it easier for Pixel owners to change Assistant's settings

You used to have to dig through your Google Account settings to get access to the settings for Assistant. But that's about to change. The latest beta version of the Google app (version 10.53.3) will make it easier to access Assistant's settings. Open Settings in the app and go to Apps & notifications. There are toggles for pulling up Google Assistant (either by a Hey Google call-out or through squeezing the sides of the phone). Below that is a one-tap link to all Assistant options in the Google Account settings. If you're a Pixel user, expect this to head your way soon.

Source: Android Police

Android 10 is tipped to land on Pixels on September 3rd

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It looks like the final version of Android is coming real soon—tomorrow, to be exact. Canadian carriers Rogers and Telus leaked on their support forums information that the Pixel phones will be getting the latest version of Android on September 3rd. Both have since taken out this info, but the release of Android 10 is imminent. The final beta for Android 10 was released a month ago. Google said at that time that the public rollout was "just a few weeks away." Plus, Google's Pixel phones usually get first dibs on the latest version of Android. This newest version of Android might be hitting more smartphones in a timely fashion as over two dozen phone manufacturers were rolling out beta versions of the operating system.

Source: 9to5Google

Pixel July update comes with fixes for various problems

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The official July OTA update is finally rolling out to Pixel owners, and this time it addresses issues that were addressed in an accidentally dropped July 5 update. That said update made its way to Google Pixel 3a users in June when it was just supposed to be used internally for feedback but got released to the public. Now, the latest update comes just in time and address so bugs that weren’t touched on previously.

This includes a fix for the detection of the “OK Google” hotword and music playing in the background for the Pixel 2 and 3 lines. Another fixes a bootloop issue that’s happening to some Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL units after installing the Android Q beta 4 update. Users had to do a factory reset or put the phone in recovery mode and reboot the device before they were able to escape the bootloop. The update also includes fixes for Japanese language support for emojis on all Pixel handsets. And it also improves the Titan-M security chip on the Pixel 3 and 3a. If you want to check if the update has made its way to your device, head to Settings > System > Advanced > System Update.

Source: PhoneArena

Google’s Digital Wellbeing feature might be causing the slowdown in Pixel phones

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The intention behind Google’s Digital Wellbeing feature was to get people off their phones more and curb potential smartphone addiction. It lets you track how much time you spend on your phone and what apps you use frequently. But it seems an unwanted side effect is it seems to be slowing down Pixel phones. One Pixel 3 user posted on Reddit that when they turned off Digital Wellbeing, the difference was like “night and day.” The user went as far to recommend to other Pixel 3 users to turn the feature off even if you don’t have any performance issues. 

Now, if you want to see if Digital Wellbeing affects your Pixel device, you can turn off the feature by heading into the Settings of your Pixel phone. Choose Digital Wellbeing and then tap on the three-dot icon at the top right corner and select “Turn off usage access.” You can confirm this decision on the next “Usage access” screen. Choose Digital Wellbeing and toggle the “permit usage access” option to off. Google hasn’t responded yet to this The Verge report.