5 essential privacy features that are only on Google Pixel phones

Source Domain: www.howtogeek.com

Google doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to privacy, but that doesn’t mean it’s all bad. Pixel phones actually have some of the best privacy-focused features you can find in the Android world. You just have to make sure to enable them.

Before I get started with the list, I should mention that the absolute best privacy feature that Pixel phones offer is the ability to avoid Google’s software entirely. Graphene OS is a de-Googled privacy-first custom ROM, and it’s easily installable on Pixel phones—almost exclusively. If that sounds like a lot, keep reading.

Call Screen

When I get a call from an unknown number, my first instinct is to ignore the call and hang up. Part of me is curious, too, but what if they don’t leave a voicemail? Call Screen allows you to put Google’s on-device AI to work and answer the call on your behalf. You can sit back and watch the call play out with a real-time transcript of the conversation. If you want to answer the call, you can at any time, or you can simply let it go, and the caller will know nothing about you.

To make sure Call Screen is enabled, open the Phone app and tap the menu icon in the top corner, then select “Settings.” From there, select “Call Screen” under the “Call Assist” section. You can choose to automatically screen at various protection levels, get suggested AI replies, and save an audio recording of the call.

Private Space

Private Space is a little-known, but incredibly cool Pixel feature. It allows you to essentially create a separate phone on your Pixel. This can be used in a couple of ways. You can sign in with your same Google account and use the space for private apps, or you can sign in with a secondary Google account and keep your work-related apps sequestered. When the space is locked, these apps are hidden…

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