If you’re a Pixel user drowning in notifications, Google’s latest Pixel feature drop will provide much-needed relief. Google has added a new feature to help you get a hold of notifications, and if you’re not using it, you’re missing out.
What Are Modes on Your Pixel?
The Modes feature arrived with the March 2025 Pixel feature drop and offers control over how your phone handles notifications according to different scenarios. The idea is to free you from constant notifications, minimize distractions, and take control of your attention with various modes for different activities, like sleeping, working, driving, or anything else.
There are hacks you’re able to use todeclutter your Android’s notifications, but this feature finally addresses the problem fully more akin tohow iPhone’s Focus modes help you manage notificationsbased on what you’re doing.
By default, the feature offers the following modes:
Each mode offers several settings, including adding contacts, apps, and specific notifications that can come through when a particular mode is active. You also get several display settings, such as partially hidden notifications, changing display colors to grayscale, disabling the always-on display, dimming the wallpaper, and enabling the dark theme while the mode is enabled.
Finally, you can also create your mode with a custom name and icon. All the customization options available in the default modes are available for custom modes too.
Once you’ve installed the update, you should also see aModesbutton in your quick access menu in the notification shade by default. This is the easiest way of toggling between the Do Not Disturb, Bedtime, and Driving modes. You can press and hold the shortcut to go directly to the Modes menu and enable any other modes you want.
Almost all the modes offered out of the box have automatic triggers that your phone can use to enable or disable them. This makes sticking the Bedtime and Driving modes in the quick access menu a little redundant. That said, any custom modes you make will also show up here for quick toggling.
Aside from the quick access menu, you’ll also see a dedicatedModessetting in your Pixel’sSettingsmenu.
Using Modes the Right Way
The default modes work well, but you have some setting up to do before you can make the most out of the feature. I highly recommend making a custom mode that aligns with your work schedule or for anything else you’d want to minimize distractions for.
Notification filters are also optional, so if you just want the display settings that come with each mode without missing any notifications, it’s possible. Apart from selecting individual contacts that can reach you via calls or SMS, you can set whether you want notifications from specific apps or none, and other interruptions like alarms, media sounds, touch sounds, reminders, and calendar events.
Your favorite contacts from the Pixel’s default dialer app are automatically included as exceptions to each mode.
Once you’re done setting everything up, you can also set an automatic schedule for the mode to kick on. Considering just how many taps it’ll take to activate a custom mode, the automatic scheduling option works out great.
You should also take the time to set up theDrivingandFlip to shhhmodes. The driving mode offers the same customizations as the other modes, but I’ve set my always-on display to be disabled when driving so my phone doesn’t automatically grab my eyes when driving at night.
Flip to shhhis by far the most convenient way to silence your phone, something you can subtly do in case you forgot to silence your phone and need to do it quietly.
How to Disable Notifications From Any App in Android
Here’s how to turn off notifications in Android, plus how to fine-tune the notifications you do want.
I don’t often use the bedtime tracking on my Pixel, but I tried it out with the bedtime mode. Not being blown up by notifications the second I woke up was rather refreshing.
It’s best if you use this mode with some wearable so you may accurately track your sleep as well, but it also works if you set a specific schedule or tie it to the Pixel’s Bedtime routine setting. Keep in mind that disabling theBedtime routineslider in the mode will disable the entire mode.
Modesis a handy feature that can finally tame the mess Android notifications can become. The feature covers every major situation out of the box, but a few custom modes and well-tuned settings can make life more peaceful. It’s one of those quiet updates that make a ton of difference in the long term.
