How to customize your Pixel 9a’s home screen and settings

Google’s latest budget-oriented phone is here in the form of the Pixel 9a. As with previous a-series Pixel phones, the Pixel 9a includes most of what makes the flagship Pixel 9 devices great, but in a reasonably priced package. The Pixel 9a is one of the best budget phones since it has many great features at an easy-to-afford price.

After getting your Pixel 9a, customize it to your liking. We discuss how to customize your home screen and change your phone’s settings so it looks and functions the way you like.

Customize the home screen on your Pixel 9a

Google’s Android skin allows for a good amount of customization for your home screen, so take advantage of all the options. These options are easily found from the home screen in an extensive menu.

1. Tap and hold an empty area of the home screen.
2. In the menu that pops up, select Wallpaper & Style.

   

Here, you’ll see a menu with all the available customization options. Below are the options that you can customize and change.

Choose a different wallpaper

Here you can change the wallpaper for your home screen and lock screen. They can be the same image for both, or you can have a different one for each screen. To edit your wallpaper from the Wallpaper & style screen, follow these steps:

1. Select the More wallpapers option.

   

2. Choose an image for your wallpaper. You can choose from the following:
   • Photos library: Choose a photo from your photos library to set as your wallpaper.
   • Collections: Choose images from premade collections created by Google for your wallpaper. You can also change the image daily to an image from the same collection.
   • Generate wallpaper: Use Gemini to generate a unique wallpaper or one made from emojis.

     

3. After selecting a wallpaper, you’ll see a preview of it on your home screen and lock screen.
4. If you like what you see, tap the Set wallpaper button.
5. Select whether to use this image for your home screen, lock screen, or both.

   

   

Style your home screen with Material You theming

Another prominent item on the home screen customization page is Material You color theming. Material You is Google’s color theming for UI elements of Android to make it feel more cohesive.

1. Look below the home screen preview in the Wallpaper & style menu to see the color swatch options. These options are based on your wallpaper and the colors in it.
2. Choose one of these options or tap the circle with three dots in it to see more options. After expanding the options, tap Other colors to see single colors if you prefer a single color over a color palette.

   

   

3. After finding one you like, select it to make it the active coloring.

Match your apps icons to the Material You theming

You can make your app icons match the Material You theming from above. Go to the Wallpaper & style menu and flip the Themed icons toggle to activate this option.

Make the app grid smaller or larger

You can change the size of the grid of apps shown on the home screen.

1. In the Wallpaper & style menu, scroll down to the App grid option.
2. Select the option and choose your desired grid size.

   

Add widgets and find stuff fast

Widgets are a great way to access information quickly without diving into an app. You can add these widgets easily from the home screen.

1. Tap and hold an empty space on your home screen.
2. In the pop-up menu, select Widgets to see the list of available widgets.

   

   

3. When you find a widget you like, tap and hold it.
4. The widget appears on your home screen. You can drag it around to place it in the spot you like.
5. After finding a spot for the widget, release it to place it on your home screen.
6. Tap and hold and pull the dots around the widget to resize it to your desired size.

   

   

Other customizations you can do

There are additional ways to customize the apps and app icons on your home screen to make your phone useful to you. You can rearrange your apps on your home screen, create account groups, and more.

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Customize your Pixel 9a’s settings

In addition to customizing your home screen, some great settings can improve the experience on your phone.

Use modes to limit screen time

Modes allows you to customize what notifications you see and apps you can access during certain time periods. There are pre-built modes, but you can create your own.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Select the Modes option.
3. You’ll see a list of pre-built modes. Tap one to look at it or modify it.

   

   

4. To create your own mode, scroll down, tap Create your own mode, and select the parameters you want.

   

   

Make your phone easier to use with accessibility features

In addition to the mainstream features that get all the headlines, Google includes numerous accessibility features for users of all abilities. Here’s how to access them.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and select the Accessibility option.
3. You’ll see a list of all accessibility options available, grouped by category. Categories include items for the display, interaction with the device, captioning, audio, and more. Select an item to learn more about it and enable it.

   

Related

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Extend your phone’s battery life

A crucial piece of a smartphone is its battery life. While the Pixel 9a has a great battery size, you can enable a few features to improve its battery life.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and select the Battery option.
3. You’ll see your battery percentage and associated battery settings. Select Battery Saver.
4. This section allows you to customize the Battery Saver options, which conserve battery when your phone reaches a certain percentage. Customize this to the settings that will help you the most, including the settings in Schedule and reminders.

   

5. Tap the down arrow next to Adaptive Battery and turn on the feature to help your battery work better.

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Access your phone with biometric unlock

Passcodes or patterns are a great way to get into your phone, but can take a little time to get into your device. The Pixel 9a includes Fingerprint unlock and Face unlock, allowing you to use your finger or face to unlock your device.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and select Security & privacy.
3. Select the Device unlock option.
4. Select Face & Fingerprint Unlock.
5. Enter your PIN or pattern.
6. Enable face and fingerprint unlock and the associated settings for each feature.

   

   

Maximize your Pixel experience

Getting a new phone is an exciting experience, and Google’s software makes customizing the Pixel 9a even more exciting. You can make many visual and settings tweaks to make the device feel like yours. Consider changing some additional settings to make your experience the best that it can be.

Google Pixel 9a

SoC

Google Tensor G4

Display type

pOLED, 120Hz

Display dimensions

6.3 inches

Display resolution

1080 x 2424

RAM

8GB

Storage

128GB, 256GB

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