I've taken our new Pixel Tag and an existing Air Tag and packaged them up in a box, bought a USPS label, and will be shipping them back to my own home as of today. I'm currently traveling, so the post office I'm dropping them at will be a few states away from the final destination. I feel like this will give at least some halfway meaningful data as to how the two compare.

Edit please don't expect this test to be fantastically extensive. I'm just a regular person, busy as hell with raising a small family, work, and regular life, trying to satisfy my curiosity about these tracker tags. We've been Pixel users since the Pixel 1, but have maintained an iPad for using air tags during our semi-regular international travel for bag tracking and such. Been hoping for a proper Google product for many years to nullify having the iPad.

11-15: Dropped off at the post office. Ever since then, the pixel tag is not pinging off of anything since my phone last touched base with it. There has been activity with the air tag. Things will likely not start moving until Monday, so there will be no updates until then. I didn't expect anything meaningful from the dropoff because the package is literally sitting in a small town post office.

I recently decided to replace my Pixel 9 because I was having some issues with battery life and occasional random restarts. I found a brand-new, sealed Galaxy S25 Ultra with 512GB for an incredible price, so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to give Samsung another shot.

On paper, the S25 Ultra is clearly the more impressive phone. Better hardware, more cameras, a beautiful display, tons of features, and twice the storage I actually needed.

But after using it for a while, I realized something: better specs don't necessarily mean a better experience.

The first thing I missed was the Pixel's software. Everything just feels more intuitive, clean, and consistent. One UI isn't bad, but I found myself constantly changing settings, installing Good Lock modules, and trying to make the Samsung behave more like my Pixel.

Then there was the camera.

I know the S25 Ultra has an incredibly capable camera system, but I honestly preferred the photos from my Pixel 9. Samsung's processing often looked too artificial to me, especially when photographing people, pets, and everyday moments. Google's computational photography just seems to understand what I want from a picture.

I'm also an ophthalmologist, and I frequently take pictures through a slit lamp for clinical documentation. Surprisingly, I was getting better and more consistent results with my Pixel 9 than with the S25 Ultra.

Don't get me wrong. The Samsung is an amazing device, and I can absolutely understand why people love it. The zoom capabilities, display, and hardware are fantastic.

But after spending time with it, I realized that the only upgrade I genuinely appreciated was the 512GB of storage.

So I went back to my Pixel 9.

And despite its imperfections, I immediately felt more comfortable.

This experience reminded me that the best phone isn't necessarily the one with the most impressive specifications. It's the one you actually enjoy using every day.

Google definitely has things to improve, particularly battery life and reliability, but there's something about the Pixel experience that keeps bringing me back.

Anyone else tried switching from Pixel to Samsung and ended up returning?

​*(Yes, I received the system update and updated all my apps and services, yet Rambler, Icons, and Create My Widget still haven't appeared...)*

​I'd like to highlight Pause Point! This feature did show up for me in the Digital Wellbeing (beta) on my Pixel 10 Pro, and it has been an absolute game changer.

​Just applying it to YouTube and Instagram so far has really upped my awareness of my phone use. The 10-second pause is the real difference maker compared to standard app timers, which were always way too easy to bypass or adjust. Plus, the cycling mindfulness activities keep it fresh and actually pull you out of the monotony of mindless scrolling.

​I was super excited when I first heard about this feature, and I'm even more glad to finally be using it. I thought it'd be nice to start a discussion on it while we all wait for the rest of the latest Pixel Drop nice-to-haves to roll out.

​Cheers!

I feel like I’m morally obliged to make this post because of my previous angry rant lol…but dare I say google assistant is mostly working normally again?? I’m posting this after I just (hands free) said “k google rewind the video 3 minutes"….and it actually did…instantly. Yes I was genuinely surprised. Gemini assistant got so bad that I just got used to pulling out my phone to do everything manually instead of having to deal with it. Anyways hopefully I'm not jinxing it and it stays this way.

I will say I’ve also learned to speak with extremely specific phrases it's more likely to understand, and I usually say “hey google ok google” for every prompt since it often doesn’t recognize my voice the first time and asks to unlock. I updated my voice match recently too. Also, I pasted custom instructions into gemini that I found somewhere online which supposedly make it work better (it was something along the lines of explaining it how to work like the original google assistant). So these could also be factors.

Anyways, I can’t believe I’m saying this but it’s back to working like 90% of the time. Reallly hope it stays this way. Hands free is a big part of my lifestyle between alarms, notes, tasks, texts and calls, etc. It really impacted my productivity during the transition to gemini when I had to go back to doing all of those manually.

Has anyone found a fix or workaround? I'm set for Adaptive brightness.

You can download it from apkmirror and on the November Pixel Drop and QPR3 beta it'll give you the AI create my widget option and the new custom icons in Wallpaper and themes

https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/create-my-widget/create-my-widget-1-78-1020267475-7-release-release/create-my-widget-1-78-1020267475-7-release-android-apk-download/

And it's sussing me out. Is it kinda bad or something compared to previous pixels? I've got the 6 pro and it's served me well, but why am I getting bombarded with weekly offers to cover $1300 with no trade in? Does the 11 steal my soul or something? I cannot fathom that it's not got some sort of catch for this sort of behavior.

I want to set up separate work and personal phone numbers, without buying a 2nd phone.

I want to be able to set the work number to do not disturb when off the clock. Is this possible?

Also, I would like to be able to set up an automated text response on the second line stating I'm not available and to contact the person who is on the clock.

I would prefer not to use a third party app, unless there's a guarantee it can differentiate between the numbers and only autoreply to the work line.

I've never used the Second Number system and the time I tried to set up an autoreply on my current line I couldn't figure out a way get it to only reply to specific numbers as opposed to everyone. Any insight on these topics would be greatly appreciated.

Why can I turn off mobile internet completely with one click, but I can't turn off Wi-Fi in the same way?

Hi!

Is anyone else having the same issue after the latest update? When I try to pay with any card, the NFC doesn't activate at all, so I can't pay with my phone. I have a Pixel 9 Pro XL. This has never happened to me before.

Thanks for any info.

Patrik

I’m looking for advice from anyone who has successfully resolved an empty-box delivery from Google Store.

TL;DR: Paid $864.92 for a Pixel 11 Pro from Google Store and received an empty carton. FedEx told me only Google could initiate the claim, but Google denied a refund or replacement and says its decision is final. Has anyone successfully resolved a similar situation?

I ordered a Pixel 11 Pro 256GB on November 4 for $864.92, paid through PayPal Pay in 4. Here’s what happened:

• November 6: FedEx attempted delivery with a damaged carton. The driver showed me that it was empty and took it back.

• November 7: The carton was delivered again, torn/resealed, with no phone inside.

• I reported the missing phone to Google and FedEx and sent Google photos.

• FedEx’s written response directed me to the shipper for remediation and said it would cooperate with the shipper. By phone, FedEx told me the shipment was restricted and only Google could initiate the claim. I’ve requested written confirmation of that restriction.

• Google denied a refund or replacement. After escalation, it acknowledged my report of an empty package but called its decision final.

• I filed a PayPal dispute and a BBB complaint. Google’s BBB response directed me back to support and requested my existing case IDs. I provided those IDs, explained that support had already denied the claim, and submitted supporting evidence.

• November 14: Google emailed again saying my case had reached its highest support level and the specialist team’s decision was final.

I also asked Google to explain the specific policy exclusion and evidence behind its denial, and whether it had opened an investigation with FedEx. Its latest response linked general sales and return policies but didn’t answer those questions.

Has anyone gotten an empty box case resolved after Google issued a “final” denial? Which escalation route ?

Long story short - had a problem with recently purchased Pixel 10 Pro Fold, was advised by Google support that it could be repaired under warranty.

First hiccup was that RMA label wouldn't generate for days. Called back to sort this out, took ages to resolve, and was again reassured that the repair would be under warranty.

Sent off to repair centre in Poland, they said repair not covered by warranty! When I got this update, I called Google support and asked for clarification and asked for my phone NOT to be sent back until a resolution is agreed. Few hours later, I get an email saying phone being sent back unrepaired. I wasn't even given a repair quote considering they deemed it to be an out-of-warranty repair, despite Google's repair website suggesting this is the procedure.

Called back support and asked to speak to a senior. He apologised and promised a resolution in 24-72hrs. 5 days later, no response. Called back AGAIN, explained everythinggggg AGAIN, and asked for another escalation.

This time got through to another supervisor (who happened to work in the same team as the first), she again promised an update/resolution in 24-72hrs. At least she followed up the call with an email so I could liaise with her directly.

However, another 5 days later still no update or resolution. When I emailed her a couple of days ago, she said the same thing that the case is being reviewed by the "specialist team". It's now been 10 days since I've received my phone back and it's all just going round in circles.

HOW ON EARTH DO I GET AN ACTUAL RESOLUTION OR SPEAK TO A MORE SENIOR MANAGER OR COMPLAINTS DEPARTMENT?!

I've been using the Pixel 10a, and honestly, I'm quite disappointed with its performance.

The phone randomly lags, gets stuck and doesn't feel as smooth as I expected. I've tried different troubleshooting methods, changed settings and even tried using it with lower graphics settings in games, but the experience hasn't improved much.

I didn't expect this kind of performance issue from a relatively new phone.

Is anyone else facing similar issues with their Pixel 10a? Or is it just my device? Would like to know if others have found a solution.

When I open a picture on WhatsApp and zoom in, my phone will occasionally freeze and then either restart or need a forced restart. Is anyone else experiencing this?

I tried everything I can without rooting. I'm on the latest November 2026 update, but I don't see it in settings

I designed a Google Pixel Tag keyring holder and thought others might like to download and print for free.
I hope some of you find it useful

Description

A small lightweight Google Pixel tag holder with loop for attaching to keychains or anything else.

It is designed to protect the easily scratchable metal side whilst still showing G logo and speaker.

It also always easy access to battery cove and button.

https://makerworld.com/en/models/3618366-google-pixel-tag-protective-key-ring-holder-bumper#profileId-4147657

Ordered two Pixel phones ($750 each). UPS delivered only one.

I provided Google with UPS tracking, Ring camera footage, and photos proving only one phone arrived.

Google dismissed all my evidence as invalid and refuses to refund or replace the missing $750 phone.

Absolutely unacceptable. I'm beyond frustrated with Google's customer service. Has anyone dealt with this?

Any numbers I can call because I don’t think they realize 2 phones were ordered and only 1 showed up.

I have two good Black Friday options: Samsung Galaxy S26 for 375€ + 38.7€ monthly unlimited data plan 1000Mbit, with 6 months binding (maximum legal binding period in Denmark).

Or Google Pixel 11 for 268€ + 13.3€ monthly unlimited data plan 100Mbit, with 6 months binding

Which option would you pick? I have a couple of Galaxy SmartTag2 devices and a Galaxy Fit3 watch. Without these accessories, the Pixel would be a no brainer, but with them I am not sure. Can they be used with other Android phones? What about the battery performance between these two phones? And is the 100Mbit internet enough?

I used a Google Pixel 8a and bought a new 8a because the charger port was wonky on the old one. The new phone will read the SIM card, but won't let me use mobile data. When I tried putting the SIM back into my older phone, it now has the same problem. Any idea what might have caused this? Thanks.

If you're under duress and someone has your phone, they could easily tell if a private space is installed by just typing private space in the app drawer. You should have the ability to create multiple private spaces that are unlocked with different codes. That way you have a dummy private space you can open under duress and keep the true one secret.

A few weeks back the wifi and Bluetooth on my pixel 8 pro stopped working and then randomly came back online for a few days and now stopped working like before

This is incredibly irritating because I use Bluetooth literally almost every hour of the day

My question is why the sudden Bluetooth malfunction for basically everyone I know who has the phone and why would it randomly start working again out of nowhere just to fail again

If this continues I'm going to have to stop recommending these phones because this is ridiculous