Google is starting to show ads on Pixel phones. Here’s how to turn them off

One of the things people love most about a Pixel is the lack of bloatware and ads. That’s still largely true, but Google has started to give in to temptation.

After the launch of the Pixel 11 series, many users, myself included, started receiving ads for the new phone on our older Pixels. It’s the sort of thing we’ve come to expect from Samsung, but not so much Google.

Thankfully, there’s an easy way to stop it from happening.

Ads on smartphones aren’t new. I love One UI, but even I can’t excuse how often Samsung pushes ads in front of your face. Pixels have always been free of that. A Pixel doesn’t come with a plethora of Microsoft or Meta apps because someone paid to have them preloaded, and until now, there haven’t been ads in my notification shade either.

The My Pixel app has broken the formula. The app used to be called Pixel Tips, and back then it only provided quick, easy access to tutorials on how your phone worked, notifications about new Android features, and support. Those things are still there, but last year the rebrand to My Pixel also added a Store tab so you can buy more Google hardware from your Pixel.

I’m not opposed to the store tab, but I am opposed to getting notifications and ads without signing up for them. I took the above screenshot the day I factory reset my phone to exit the QPR2 beta, and I didn’t restore a backup. I’d never opened the app, and I’d never agreed to receive any notifications, let alone ads. If you go into your phone’s settings, you can disable the My Pixel app, but doing so means losing out on the good parts.

Instead of removing the app, we can use Android’s notification controls to filter out ads while keeping everything else.

Google added notification channels, now called notification categories, to Android nine years ago, and it’s one of the best Android features. You can take granular control of the types of notifications an app can show you and make sure that you don’t see anything you don’t want to. With the My Pixel app, that includes ads. As you can see in the images above, there are categories for features and tips, account and order updates, surveys and research, and basket reminders.

If you want to block ads like the one I got, you only need to turn off the products and offers category. While you’re here, it’s worth going through the rest of the list to see if there’s anything else you want to see less of.

To get to this screen, just follow these steps:

• Long-press the My Pixel app icon.
• Tap App info.
• Tap Notifications.
• Under notification categories, tap My Pixel.

There you’ll see all the categories in my screenshots above. If you want to keep all notifications on except for those pesky advertisements, tap the toggle next to New products and offers. In the end, I’ve only left the new feature and order update notifications on. I like it when my phone tells me what’s new after an update, and I want to track my 11 Pro order.

I know that getting one ad on my Pixel isn’t the end of the world. But Google releases more hardware now than ever, and if I get more for Googlebooks, A-series Pixels, Fitbits, earbuds, and more, it’ll soon become annoying.

It’s also the start of a slippery slope. How long before Gemini starts inserting ads for products during a conversation? For now, at least, there’s an easy way to turn these off, and I hope that doesn’t change.