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A collection of tutorials, tips, and tricks from the 9to5Google team helping you fix and get the most out of Android, Google Assistant, Chromebooks, Android TV, and more.

Having issues with Google Pixel’s adaptive brightness? Here’s how to fix it

In case you hadn’t noticed, the Pixel line of phones – while great devices – are absolutely not without issues. Among those issues tends to be adaptive screen brightness problems, wherein the Google Pixel on Android adjusts brightness under the wrong circumstances. Follow along with this guide to learn how to reset and fix that issue.

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How to ‘appear offline’ while playing Google Stadia

Google Stadia appear offline

Google Stadia recently enjoyed a public launch, and if you’re anything like us on the 9to5Google team, you’ve probably added your coworkers as friends for the occasional after-work game session. But what if you maybe want to jump into Destiny 2 for a few minutes without showing everyone what you’re playing? It’s actually very easy to more or less appear offline on Google Stadia to hide your mid-day gaming sessions from your friends and/or co-workers.


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How to use DarQ to force dark mode for specific Android 10 apps without root [Video]

Arguably, the best feature of Android 10 is its dark mode toggle, allowing you to swap your phone and its apps over to a newer, darker theme. While not every app has a dark mode, Android 10 has a way to force apps to be dark. With a little help from a third-party app, DarQ, you can now change specific apps to use dark mode — and even schedule dark mode to be enabled — without needing root.


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How to install updates onto your Google Pixel phone with the Pixel Repair Tool [Video]

Pixel Sideload OTA Recovery Rescue

Every month, Google releases a new Android security patch, resolving any and all security issues that have been uncovered in Android and their own Pixel phones. These updates — sometimes called an “OTA” as they’re supposed to arrive “over the air” — typically arrive on your phone automatically over time, but you can also manually install or “sideload” the update which has now become easier than ever, thanks to the Google Pixel Repair Tool.


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How to use the new Digital Wellbeing features in Android 10, Focus Mode, and site timers

Digital Wellbeing Focus Mode

Today’s the big day of the Android 10 launch on Google Pixel phones, and one of Google’s continued focuses has been on their Digital Wellbeing initiative. With Android 10, Digital Wellbeing is picking up two new capabilities, Focus Mode, which keeps you from using distracting apps, and Site Timers, which allow you to control how long you use certain sites, just like you can with apps. Here’s how you can use these features to better balance your life.


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How to switch to Chrome OS Canary

Chrome OS

Almost every day here at 9to5Google, we try to uncover the latest developments happening in Google Chrome and Chrome OS. The frustrating thing is that it’s often weeks or months before the things we report on make it to our devices. If you’re brave enough to use less-than-stable software to try out these latest features, then Chrome OS’s Canary update channel is for you—here’s how to make the switch.


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How to enable screen recording in Android Q Beta 3

Android Q Beta 1: Top new features

Now that Android Q is in the hands of far more users, thanks to Google bringing Beta 3 to over a dozen non-Pixel devices, a lot of folks are just getting acquainted with the new features we’ve covered in the first two betas. Unfortunately, Google also made some of the experimental features, hidden behind “feature flags,” like native screen recording support, harder to access. So here’s how to enable screen recording in Android Q Beta 3.


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How to download, add, rearrange, and remove widgets on Google Pixel

Widgets have long been a hallmark feature for Android. When comparing the two major mobile platforms at face value, it has always been — at least until the most recent updates to iOS — easy to say that customizable widgets are one of the reasons you might want an Android phone over an iPhone. Well, widgets haven’t gone anywhere. They’re still around on Google’s new Pixel phone, and here’s how to manage them…


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How to: Change how you receive app notifications on Honor 8

In designing the Honor 8, the company wanted to make sure that users would have control over as much of the functionality on the phone as possible. One such example of this is the device’s notifications. Honor 8 has a Settings section that allows the user to change which types of notifications they want to receive on an app-by-app basis, and this quick little guide will help you learn how to use it…


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How to: Update Nexus devices to Android 7.0 Nougat manually using OTA downloads

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Google announced several days ago that Android 7.0 Nougat is coming over-the-air to several Nexus devices in the coming days and weeks, but if you’re a die-hard that likes to always have the latest from Google, you know that could mean a pretty decent wait depending on your device. Thankfully, you can install the over-the-air (OTA) update manually now by following our quick guide…


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