Whenever I move on from using a Google Pixel phone, it’s always the small details I miss. In the past, that included Now Playing and Magic Editor — but these days, it also includes AI-powered features like Call Screen.
I just moved from the Pixel 10 Pro to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, and that means leaving some features behind. I expected that, and knew I’d miss some elements of my Google phone.
However, I didn’t expect to miss the screen that pops up every time I charged my phone. But I did. So I remade it on my new Galaxy Z Fold 8.
Why is the Pixel’s charging screen so good?
It’s more than just topping up your phone
No one likes charging their phone. It’s the annoying downtime we’ve all accepted we have to put up with. Despite larger batteries and much faster charging methods becoming the norm, every phone needs a bit of R&R time.
So if you can’t get rid of it, then why not make it a bit more tolerable and useful?
Charging screensavers aren’t new. The concept is simple: Plug in your phone, and it shows a specific screen while it’s charging. You can have it show pretty colors, a set of pictures, or turn it into a smart home control station.
The aim is to make your phone useful while it charges, and it can become a remote or one of those nifty digital photo frames.
I’ve had access to those for ages, and they’re not that exciting. But the Pixel one? Oh, the Pixel one is different.
For starters, it doesn’t only show photos or smart home controls I don’t need. I can have it show the weather. That’s actually useful. I need to know what the weather is, and I always do. So having that show up when I plug in my phone is useful.
But having the forecast screaming out into a dark room isn’t a good idea, which is why my Pixel includes a low light mode that changes it to a dim clock face at night.
Again, useful. I spend a lot of time in a dark room without a clock, so having an easily visible clock whenever my phone is plugged in is useful.
I used these modes a lot. Every time I charge my phone, to be exact. So much so that I forgot it wasn’t a standard mode on every Android phone. So when I went looking for the option on my new Z Fold 8, I was devastated.
I had the aforementioned version with Photos and smart home controls, but where’s my clock? Where’s my weather?
But I refused to let it get me down. I went looking for a way to replicate the mode.
I built my own mode with Android’s Routines
Fine, I’ll do it myself
Thankfully, there’s an easy way to build my own version, and all I need is the Routines feature.
Routines is a simple “if this, then that” system that responds to triggers with specific actions. For instance, I can tell it to open a specific app when it notices I leave a certain geographic area. Or, when it connects to my car’s Bluetooth, it will start playing my driving playlist. Stuff like that.
I got started by heading to Settings, and then scrolling down until I found Modes and Routine.
Then, I tapped Routines in the bottom bar, then the + icon in the upper-right corner.
For If, I chose Charging status, then Done. Make sure you selected Wired charging and Wireless charging if you want it to work regardless of how you charge.
When I was taken back to the Create routine screen, I selected the entry under Then, and chose Always-on display. I changed the setting to On, and left it on Always.
And that’s my basic Routine setup. With this on, whenever my phone is plugged in to charge, my Always-on display kicks in, and I can see the time.
If you like, you can add extra parameters to the script. For instance, I created another If trigger for nighttime that would start the Always-on display without my wallpaper on. This created a dimmer screen that’s perfect for nighttime.
It’ll do, but it’s far from perfect
I’ll have to stick my head out the window instead
I’m sure you noticed the immediate problem with my new homemade charging screensaver. There’s no weather screen.
There wasn’t much I could do about that. It didn’t have the options to recreate what I wanted, and that’s a real shame. I guess I’ll have to look out the window, instead of at my phone screen.
It’s also not the most reliable. I’ve already discovered that if your Do Not Disturb mode turns off the Always-on display by default, then it’ll overwrite your Routine. Whoops. So it hasn’t had the best start at night, but it works just fine during the day.
I might explore other options if I really want my weather screen back. StandBy Mode: Clock & Widgets emulates the Pixel screen saver mode and includes a weather function.
So why haven’t I gone all in on that? It costs $10, and I’m loath to spend money if I can get by for free.
Still, I’ll explore that option if I really end up missing my Pixel’s charging screen. But for now, this is fine.
