TheGoogle Pixel 8 Prowasour favorite phone of 2023, and like all the Pixel phones before it, the latest model has a handful of hardware and software features which make it our favorite. At a Glance is one such feature which enriches Pixel phones with time-sensitive information like doorbell alerts, weather info, and other warnings on your home screen, lock screen, or Always-On Display (AOD). Now, Pixel users worldwide can adjust their At a Glance settings from a single Settings page.
Although At a Glance is a widget-like entity, it offers several conveniences not found in other widgets, including those from third-party apps. For example, it is visible even on the AOD, can display live video feeds, or display contextual information as your location changes. As a result, there are several settings and toggles to customize At a Glance behavior. Historically, they have always been split across two Settings pages — one accessible through Android System Intelligence and another through theAssistant settingssection in the Google app.
Old At a Glance settings were split
In October last year, some people using Pixel phones started noticing a consolidation of options from both sections in the Assistant settings section, which is also accessible using theCustomizebutton in the At a Glance long-press menu. Now, this consolidated menu is rolling out widely to Pixel devices around the world (via9to5Google).
Now, the settings are available in one consolidated list
The changes are noticeable right at the top of the list with a singular toggle to disable At a Glance entirely. This is followed by theManage Preferencessection, where you may determine the extent of Google account data usage in At a Glance, link to other services, and enable location-based content. Then comes a list of toggles for individual features such as earthquake alerts, timers, package delivery alerts, weather data, etc.
I prefer leaving all the toggles switched on because At a Glance only shows time-sensitive, pertinent information and my tasks seldom overlap. However, if you find Google’s implementation lacking customization, you can check out apps likeSmartspacer, which supercharge At a Glance with options we wish Google developed. That said, Google was recently spotted working on alocation-based shortcutto show your loyalty card and shopping list in At a Glance when you’re at a store you frequent.
