Smartphone

When calling someone and/or receiving a call, your Google Pixel 6a may end up randomly dropping the session for no apparent reason. To see how you can potentially fix this call dropping issue, you can take a look at this troubleshooting article from Seeking Tech.

1. The first potential fix you can try is to restart your phone as doing so may help fix any temporary software bugs that could be causing your calls to cut off.

To find out how you can properly restart the Pixel 6a, you can take a look at this tutorial.

After restarting your phone, make sure that you don’t have any other apps opened during a call as these applications may end up causing potential conflicts.

2. You can also try updating your Google phone as a new firmware may help fix the dropped call problems. In order to perform a manual update this device, you can do the following:

• First off, you should open the Settings App of your phone.
• With the Settings App opened, you should head to Settings.
• Now that you are inside of Settings, you need to scroll down and then select System.
• From the System menu, you then need to go to System Update.
• In the System Update, you should select the Check for Update option.
• If there is a new firmware available, then follow the on-screen instructions in order to download and install it.

3. You can also try switching the Wi-Fi calling feature on and off to see if doing so will improve the connection.

You can check out this guide to see how you can do so.

4. You may also want to turn off the Adaptive Connectivity setting. For the uninformed, this featured will automatically manage your network connections in order to improve battery life and performance.

To disable this setting, you need to do the following:

• Go to the Settings App of your Google Pixel 6a smartphone.
• In the Settings menu, you then need to select Network & Internet.
• From the Network & Internet menu, you then need to go to Adaptive Connectivity.
• Inside the Adaptive Connectivity menu, make sure you turn off this setting.

5. You might want to consider turning on the data roaming feature as well. With that said, you may be charged extra by using it.

If you are still interested, then you can turn this feature on by doing the following:

• Head into the Settings App.
• From Settings, you need to go to Network & Internet.
• In the Network & Internet menu, you should then head to SIMs.
• You then need to make sure that the Roaming setting is enabled.

6. If you are using Google Fi, then you can try enabling the W+ Connections setting by taking the following steps:

• Start by going to the Settings App.
• You then need to head over to Network & Internet.
• Afterwards, select SIMs.
• From the Google Fi menu, make sure that the W+ Connections setting is turned on.

7. If you are using 5G, then you might want to consider switching over to another mobile connection type.

If you are interested in doing so, then you can follow the steps laid out in this tutorial.

8. You can also try moving around to get a better connection in order to get a smoother call experience.

9. Furthermore, you should avoid areas that have a lot of wireless devices as these may interfere with the call connection as well.

10. If you are still getting dropped calls on your Pixel 6a even trying all of the aforementioned potential solutions, then we recommend contacting Google in order to get additional help on your issue.

In order to quickly access apps on your Google Pixel 6a, we recommend that you add their icons to the home screen. To find out how you can properly set up these shortcuts, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

How to add an app shortcut to the Pixel 6a home screen

If you want to add a shortcut for an app on the home screen of your Google Pixel 6a, then you need to do the following:

1. To start off, make sure you turn on your Pixel 6a and then unlock its screen if you haven’t done these actions already.

2. Next, you need to open the list of installed applications. In order to do so, you can swipe upwards from an empty area of the home screen.

3. In the Installed Apps menu, tap, hold and then drag the application icon that you want added to the home screen.

4. You should now be in the home screen template. Here, you need to drag the app icon into an area where you want to appear in the home screen.

If you changed your mind in the template screen, then you can drag the icon to the Cancel option located at the top.

5. After you added the shortcut to the home screen, you will be able to move it around again by tapping, holding and dragging its icon.

How to add app folders to the Pixel 6a home screen

In order add app folder to the home screen of your Google Pixel 6a home screen, the you need to take the following steps:

1. Tap, hold and drag the app icon into the same area as the other app that you want to put in the same folder.

2. Make sure that the app icon you are dragging is overlapping with the other app in order to put these applications in the same folder.

How to add a disabled app shortcut to the Pixel 6a home screen

To add an app that you previously disabled to the home screen, then you need to do the following:

1. Start by opening the Settings App of your Google Pixel 6a smartphone.

2. You then need to select Apps from inside the Settings menu.

3. In the Apps sub-menu, you then need to select the “See all apps” option.

4. From the All Apps sub-menu, tap the drop-down menu located at the top.

5. In the drop-down menu, select the “Disabled apps” option.

6. Next, you need to select the application that you previously disabled.

7. In the App Info screen, you need to select the Enable option.

8. Go back to the home screen and then swipe upwards from an empty space to open a list of installed apps.

9. You should be able to find the app that you enabled here.

10. Tap, hold and drag the app icon in order to add the shortcut to your home screen.

Restarting your Pixel 6a can be somewhat confusing if you aren’t familiar with using the smartphone. To see how you can properly reset this Google device, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

Why you should restart your Pixel 6a

Restarting your Google Pixel 6a should provide the following benefits:

• Close all opened apps.
• Clear out any lingering processes.
• Free up other hardware resources.
• Refresh your wireless connections.

Google recommends that you restart your Pixel 6a occasionally so that your smartphone will be able to run efficiently.

How to restart your Pixel 6a

In order to restart your Google Pixel 6a, we recommend that you take the following steps:

1. To start off, you first need to get to the power menu.

The fastest way to do so is to press and hold both the power and volume up buttons at the same time.

If you have a hard time trying to open the power menu by using the power and volume up buttons, then you can change to a setting where you only need to hold the power button. If you are interested in doing so, then you need to do the following:

• Go to the Settings App.
• Inside of Settings, scroll down the list and then select System.
• From the System menu, you then need to select Gestures.
• After getting to the Gestures menu, you then need to tap the “Press and hold power button” option.
• Now that you are in the “Press and hold power button” menu, you need to make sure that the “Hold for Assistant” option is disabled.

For more information about the “Press and hold power button” setting, you can check out this post.

2. With the power menu opened, you can then tap the Reset option.

3. The smartphone will then show a Restarting screen before it reboots.

4. Once the phone has rebooted, you should be able to start using normally again.

How to restart your Pixel 6a into safe mode

You can also restart your Google Pixel 6a in safe mode. In order to do so, press and hold the Power Off option or the Restart option in the power menu.

To exit out of the safe mode, you can tap the Restart option to reboot your Google Pixel 6a back to its normal mode.

To learn more about the safe mode for this phone, you can take a look at this article.

Finding a list of all the applications you have downloaded and installed on your Google Pixel 6a can be somewhat tricky if you aren’t familiar with the user interface of the smartphone. To see how you can view the apps on your phone, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

How to find installed applications on Pixel 6a

In order to find installed applications on your Google Pixel 6a, you need to take the following steps:

1. If you haven’t done so yet, turn on your phone and then unlock its screen.

2. Next, you need to be in the home screen.

If you aren’t, then you can swipe upwards from the bottom of the screen if you are using gestures-based navigation. If you are using buttons-based navigation, then you need to tap the circle button located at the bottom of the screen.

To see how you can switch between these two navigation types, you can check out this article.

3. From the home screen, look for an empty space.

4. Touch the empty space and then swipe upwards.

5. You should now see a list of applications you have installed on your Pixel 6a.

6. In this screen, you can also use the search bar located at the top.

Afterwards, you can input the name of the app on the virtual keyboard and then tap the icon that has the arrow pointing to the right in order to search for an app.

How to find all applications on Pixel 6a

The aforementioned method will show the installed applications on your Google Pixel 6a but not any of the disabled apps. In order to view both the disabled and installed apps, you need to do the following:

1. Start by opening the Settings App.

If you can’t find it, then you can pull down the Quick Settings menu from the top of the screen and then pull it down further in order to expanded it. From there, you should be able to find and select the gear icon in order to open the Settings App.

2. Inside of Settings, make sure you select Apps.

3. After getting to the Apps menu, you then need to select the See All Apps options.

4. In the All Apps menu, you will find all the disabled and installed apps you have on your Google Pixel 6a.

5. You can tap the drop-menu located at the top of the All Apps menu to filter your list based on the following categories:

• All apps
• Installed apps
• Disabled apps

6. In the All Apps menu, you can also tap the magnifying glass icon located at the top left side of the screen in order to search for an application.

Afterwards, input the app’s name by using the virtual keyboard and then tap the magnifying glass icon located at the bottom right side to go to the search results page.

If you have forgotten your phone number, then there are several ways you can locate it from your Google Pixel 6a. You can find out what these methods are in this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

How to find your phone number in the Pixel 6a Settings App

In order to find your phone number from the Settings App of your Google Pixel 6a, you need to take the following steps:

1. To start off, make sure you turn on your smartphone and then unlock the screen if you haven’t done so already.

2. Next, you need to go to the Settings menu of your device.

In order to do so, you can either open the Settings App or tap the gear icon from the Quick Settings menu that you can pull down from the top of the screen.

3. Once you get to the Settings menu, scroll down and then tap the About Phone option.

4. After getting to the About Phone menu, you should be able to find your phone number.

How to find your phone number in the Messages App

To find your phone number from the Messages App of your Google Pixel 6a, then you need to do the following:

1. Start by opening the Messages App on your phone.

2. After you opened the Messages App, you need to tap the More option, which is represented with the three vertical dots icon that you can find on the top right side of the screen.

3. In the pop-up menu, you then need to select Settings.

4. Once you arrived at the Settings menu of the Messages App, you then need to select Advanced.

5. From the Advanced menu, you should be able to find your phone number located at the bottom.

How to search for your phone number on Pixel 6a

You can also use the search function in order to look up your phone number on your Google Pixel 6a by taking the following steps:

1. To begin, you need to open the Settings App.

2. Once you get to Settings, you then need to tap the Search Settings bar located at the top.

3. On the virtual keyboard, input the term “phone number” and then tap the magnifying glass icon.

4. In the search results page, you can either select Phone Number from the About Phone section or the Messages section.

Viewing a list of applications you have opened can be somewhat tricky if you aren’t familiar with the user interface of the Google Pixel 6a. To find out how you can properly do so with this smartphone, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

How to find open apps on your Pixel 6a by using a gesture

By default, you need to use gestures if you want to navigate the system menus of your Google Pixel 6a.

In order to use your open apps by using a gesture, you need to do swipe upwards from the bottom of the screen and then keep your finger on the screen. If done correctly, you should arrive in a menu where you can view the applications you have currently opened. At that point, you can lift your finger from the phone’s screen.

If you are having problem getting this gesture to work properly, then make sure you are swiping upwards from the bottom of the screen slowly. The display area should slowly shrink. Keep in mind that you don’t have to swipe up too far to make the open apps menu appear.

How to view open apps Pixel 6a by tapping a button

If you are still having issues trying to view open apps by swiping upwards from the bottom of the screen, then we recommend that you switch over to buttons-based navigation. In order to do so, you need to do the following:

1. Head to the Settings App of the Pixel 6a phone.

2. In Settings, the first thing you need to do is to head over to System.

3. After getting to the System menu, you then need to select Gestures.

4. Once you are in the Gestures menu, you then need to go to System Navigation.

5. Finally, you need to select the “3-button navigation” setting.

After switching over to buttons-based navigation, you can simply tap the square button located at the bottom of the screen to open the App Overview menu.

What you can do in the open apps menu of the Pixel 6a

Once you get to the open apps menu of your Google Pixel 6a, you will be able to do the following:

1. If you tap the Screenshot option at the bottom of the screen, then you will be able to take a screen capture of the content that is currently being shown on your phone.

2. If you tap the Select option located at the bottom of the screen, then you will be able to select text from the app you are currently viewing in the menu.

3. You can swipe to the left and right in order to navigate between the different apps you have currently opened.

4. To go to the app you currently have opened, scroll over to it in the open apps menu and then tap it.

5. To close an opened app, navigate over to it from the open apps menu and then drag it upwards.

6. If you want to close all apps in the open apps menu, navigate all the way to the left and the select the Clear App option.

You can use your Google Pixel 6a smartphone to provide live translations. To find out how you can turn on, customize and turn off this translate feature, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

How to turn on live translate for Pixel 6a

In order to turn on the live translate feature for your Google Pixel 6a, you need to take the following steps:

1. Start by turning on the screen of your smartphone and then unlock it if you haven’t done so already.

2. Next, you need to open the Settings App.

3. From the front page of Settings, scroll down and then select System.

4. After getting to the System menu, you then need to select Live Translate.

5. Inside the Live Translate menu, make sure that the Use Live Translate setting is turned on.

6. In order to use Live Translate, open the Google Translate App.

7. After opening the Google Translate App, you can choose to translate a text, conversation, photograph or use the microphone of your Pixel 6a to input the language that you want translated.

How to customize the live translate feature for Pixel 6a

In order to customize the live translation feature of your Google Pixel 6a, you need to do the following:

1. Start by going to the Settings App.

2. From the front page of Settings, you then need to head over to System.

3. In the System menu, you should go to Live Translate.

4. Inside the Live Translate menu, you can choose whether or not to turn on the “Only download languages on Wi-Fi” setting. If you turn it on, then any language file will only be downloaded when you connect your phone to Wi-Fi. If you disable this setting, then the files can be downloaded while your Pixel 6a is connected either to a mobile network or to Wi-Fi.

5. In the same Live Translate menu, you can also select the “Translate to” option. After getting to the “Translate to This Language” menu, you will be able to pick the translated language for the Google Translate App.

6. You can also select the Add a Language option in the Live Translate menu. After getting to the Add a Language menu, you should be able to download additional language files onto your Google Pixel 6a.

How to turn off live translate on Pixel 6a

If you want to disable the live translate feature of your Google Pixel 6a, then you need to do the following:

1. To start off, make sure you head over to the Settings App of your phone.

2. Once you get to the Settings menu, you then need to find and tap System.

3. After arriving in the System menu, you need to tap the Live Translate option.

4. Finally, make sure that the Use Live Translate setting is turned off in the Live Translate menu.

The Google Pixel 6a features a screen recording feature where you can capture a video of your on-screen interactions when using your smartphone.

To see how you can use this feature, as well as how you can share your recorded videos, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

How to record your Pixel 6a screen

In order to record your activities when using your Google Pixel 6a, you need to take the following steps:

1. To start off, you need to open the expanded Quick Settings menu.

One of the ways to do so is to swipe downwards from the top of the screen twice with one finger.

Alternatively, you can swipe downwards from the top with two fingers once.

2. In the expanded Quick Settings, you will see a list of settings that you can quickly toggle on and off.

If you don’t see the Screen Record option, then you need to swipe to the right in order to view the next page. Keep swiping to the right until you can find and select Screen Record.

Note: If you want to take less steps in activating the Screen Record feature in the future, then we recommend selecting the Edit option, which is represented with the pencil icon, in the Quick Settings menu. Afterwards, drag the Screen Record option to the top so that it will immediately appear when you open Quick Settings.

3. After selecting the Screen Record option, you will get a pop-up message saying that you could end up recording sensitive information such as passwords, payment methods, photos and other content that you may not want to be captured.

Here, you can select Record Audio option if you are planning to add audio to the video. In the drop-down menu, you can then choose to use the following audio sources:

• Device Audio
• Microphone
• Device Audio and Microphone.

4. Once you are ready, select the Start option in the Start Recording message.

5. Your phone will then start a short countdown before it begins recording. You should see a red recording icon, as well as hear an audio cue and get force feedback, when it starts.

6. In order to stop a recording, swipe down from the top of the screen. In the Quick Settings menu, you then need to select the Stop option in the Screen Recorder section.

How to share a recorded video on your Pixel 6a

In order to share a recorded video on your Google Pixel 6a, you can swipe down from the top of the screen to open the Quick Settings menu. In the Screen Recorded section, tap the Share option.

If you don’t see your recorded video in the Quick Settings menu, then you can do the following instead:

• Start by opening the Photos App on your Pixel 6a.
• In the Photos App, you then need to go to Library.
• From the Library section, you need to head to Movies.
• After getting to the Movies section, press and hold the video that you want to share.
• You then need to select the Share icon located at the top of the screen.

In the Share menu, you can share the captured video with someone on your contact list or with another app.

With your Google Pixel 6a, you can capture, edit and share screenshots. To find out how to do so, you can follow the steps laid out in this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

How to take a screenshot with the Google Pixel 6a

In order to take a screenshot with the Pixel 6a, you need to press the power and volume down buttons at the same time.

Keep in mind that your operating system, as well as apps, may black out any captured screenshots if there are any copyrighted and/or sensitive content being shown.

How to take a scrolling screenshot with the Pixel 6a

If the page you are trying to capture is bigger than the display area, then you should see a “Capture More” option appear at the bottom of the screen after you press the power and volume down buttons simultaneously.

Tap the “Capture More” option before it disappears in order to open a menu where you expand the capture area of the screenshot. Once you are done, tap the Save option located at the top of the menu.

How to edit a screenshot with the Pixel 6a

Immediately after you have taken a screenshot with your Google Pixel 6a, tap the pencil icon located at the bottom in order to go to the quick edit screenshot menu where you can add texts and markups.

If you aren’t fast enough, then the icon will disappear. In this case, you need to take the following steps:

• Open the Photos App of your Google Pixel 6a.
• Inside the Photos App, select Library at the bottom.
• Next, you need to select Screenshots.
• In the Screenshots menu, you should be able to find the screens you have previously captured.
• Select the screenshot that you want to edit.
• Finally, select the Edit option located at the bottom.

By using the Photos App, you will have more edit options when compared to using the aforementioned quick edit menu. The extra features include cropping, adding filters and more.

How to share a captured screenshot with the Pixel 6a

If you want to share a screenshot that you have captured on your Google Pixel 6a, then make sure you tap the Share icon located at the bottom right away after you press the power and volume down buttons at the same time.

If the Share icon has disappeared, then you can do the following:

• Go to the Photos App on your Pixel 6a.
• In the applications, select the Library option located at the bottom.
• You then need to tap the Screenshots option in the next section.
• On the next page, select the screenshot that you want to share.
• When viewing the screenshot, tap the Share icon.

In the Share menu, you will be able to share the screenshot with an individual in your contact list or with another application you have installed on your smartphone.

Your Google Pixel 6a comes with an emergency alert feature that will notify your phone when there is some potential hazards happening near your area. To see how you can enable, customize and/or disable these notifications, you can take a look at this tutorial from Seeking Tech.

How to turn on emergency alerts for Google Pixel 6a

In order to enable emergency alerts for Google Pixel 6a, you need to take the following steps:

1. To start off, turn on and then unlock the screen of your phone.

2. Next, you need to go to the Settings App.

3. From opening the Settings App, you need to scroll down and then select Safety & Emergency.

4. In the Safety & Emergency menu, you need to tap Wireless Emergency Alerts.

5. After getting to the Wireless Emergency Alerts menu, make sure that the “Allow alerts” setting is enabled.

How to customize emergency alerts for the Pixel 6a

To customize the settings for emergency alerts on your Google Pixel 6a, you need to do the following:

1. Head to the Settings App on your Pixel device.

2. Inside of Settings, you need to go to Safety & Emergency.

3. From the Safety & Emergency menu, select Earthquake Alerts.

4. In the Earthquake Alerts menu, you can choose whether or not to enable alerts to get notify if there are earthquakes nearby that are at least 4.5 in magnitude.

5. You can then go back to the Safety & Emergency menu and then head over to Wireless Emergency Alerts.

6. In the Wireless Emergency Alerts menu, you can choose to allow or disallow the following alert types:

• Extreme threats
• Severe threats
• Amber alerts
• Public safety messages
• State and local tests

7. In the same Wireless Emergency Alerts menu, you can choose whether or not to set your Pixel phone to vibrate when an alert is received.

8. Furthermore, you can also set the alert reminder in the same menu to any of the following duration periods:

• Once
• Every 2 minutes
• Every 15 minutes
• Never

How to turn off emergency alerts for Google Pixel 6a

If you want to disable emergency alerts for your Google Pixel 6a, then you need to take the following steps:

1. To start off, you need to open the Settings App on your phone.

2. With the Settings App opened, you need to tap Safety & Emergency.

3. If you want to disable emergency alerts for earthquakes, then you need to tap Earthquake Alerts and then make sure that the “Earthquake Alerts” setting is turned off.

4. If you want to remove other alerts, you need to go back to the Safety & Emergency menu and then select Wireless Emergency Alerts.

5. In the Wireless Emergency Alerts menu, you can disable specific emergency types found listed under the Alerts section. If you want to turn off all emergency notifications, then simply need to make sure that the “Allow alerts” setting located at the top of this menu is disabled.