5 things I’ll miss the most when I ditch my Google Pixel phone

Despite my refusal to get another Pixel phone anytime soon, there are definitely some Pixel-exclusive features I’ll miss when I switch to my next smartphone. Call Screening and other call features don’t make my list, as these capabilities aren’t available in unsupported markets. Nevertheless, here’s what I’ll be pining for when I upgrade.

This is definitely one of my favorite things about the Pixel line, as these phones were generally the first to get brand-new Android versions. For example, Google released Android 16 on June 10, and Pixel handsets got it on the same day. Samsung, Xiaomi, and other manufacturers have yet to release Android 16 to their phones.

Of course, Google has the advantage of owning the platform and the hardware, so it’s a little unreasonable to expect other manufacturers to be as quick on the draw. I’d also argue that Android version updates haven’t had many genuinely game-changing features, while many new features are released via Google Play Services instead. Nevertheless, I’ll always appreciate being ahead of the pack when it comes to stable software releases.

Google has offered Now Playing functionality on its Pixels for years now. This uses on-device machine learning to identify the music playing in your environment, and then displays the track info on your lock screen. You can even access your Now Playing history to get a log of songs that were recognized by your phone.

I still think it’s one of the best Pixel features after all this time, and I really wish more brands adopted similar on-device smarts. At least the developer community has stepped in with the Ambient Music Mod so I can technically get this on my non-Pixel phone, albeit with some tinkering.

Perhaps the biggest reason why I bought a Pixel phone in the first place was the camera quality. Compared to most of its rivals at the time, I thought the Pixel 7 Pro generally took great-looking shots that still looked quite natural. In fact, I still find myself taking some good snaps with this phone in 2025.

Don’t get me wrong, though. Rival manufacturers like Xiaomi, vivo, and OPPO arguably have better camera hardware than Pixel phones. And some of these camera phones take significantly better pictures in low-light conditions or when zooming in. But it says a lot that I’ll sometimes shoot a scene or take a selfie with my old Pixel instead of a newer flagship.

A voice recorder that automatically transcribes speech without an internet connection? It sounds pedestrian in 2025, but Google’s Recorder app blew my mind when I used the Pixel 4 back in 2019. In fact, I still use this app today when conducting interviews, and I continue to consider it one of the best Pixel features.

Rival brands have long offered voice recorder apps with transcription functionality. However, most of these apps lacked on-device transcription at the time, which is what made Google’s app truly special. Some of these apps have since gained offline smarts, but Google Recorder still stands out thanks to seamless cloud backup, web-based access (recorder.google.com), and locally generated summaries. I’ll miss the official, preloaded version on my Pixel, but I’ll definitely sideload this app on my next phone.

One Pixel feature that flew under my radar before I bought the Pixel 7 Pro was the recents/multitasking menu. This is another feature I grew to love, and I’ll really miss it when I eventually switch to another phone.

Pixel devices have offered a supercharged recents menu for generations now. Simply enter the recents menu and you’ll see the Screenshot and Select buttons below the app windows. Tap Screenshot to quickly take a screenshot of an app, while the Select button lets you highlight and select text. You can also tap and hold on text to highlight it without actually using the Select button. In any event, I found the latter button incredibly useful for copying text in images or for text that simply can’t be selected for some reason. ASUS has come close with its own multitasking menu, but it still doesn’t quite scratch the same itch.