Pixel VIPs provides a brand new widget and a few further screens.
Credit score: Google
In case you’ve acquired a Pixel cellphone, it’s best to discover Google has now pushed out each Android 16 and the June 2025 Pixel Drop to it, which brings you many vital new options to utilize. A type of new options is Pixel VIPs: It enables you to grant Very Essential Particular person standing to a choose variety of your contacts, giving them privileges that embrace having the ability to override your lively Do Not Disturb settings.
This helps clear up the primary fear with Do Not Disturb: You may miss a name or a textual content about one thing essential. There’s all the time an opportunity that some emergency may occur while you’ve blocked incoming alerts, however Pixel VIPs offers you a manner to ensure probably the most vital folks in your life can nonetheless get via.
In case you’re not acquainted, the Do Not Disturb choices on a Pixel might be discovered by opening the primary Settings app, then tapping Modes. The Do Not Disturb mode is listed alongside some other variations you have arrange—for bedtime or for driving, for instance. Faucet Do Not Disturb, and you may flip it on or off manually, set it to run on a schedule, and select which contacts, apps, and alarms are allowed to override it.
You may entry your VIPs via Contacts.
Credit score: Lifehacker
Earlier than Pixel VIPs, your selections for permitting communications with Do Not Disturb had been all of your contacts, none of your contacts, or your starred contacts: There wasn’t a lot scope for making a custom-made checklist. Pixel VIPs improves on that, enabling you to create a brand new stage of super-starred folks with some further options included.
To get began with Pixel VIPs (if certainly the replace has reached you), open the Contacts app, change to the Manage tab, then faucet on Pixel VIPs. Faucet Subsequent on the introductory blurb, and also you get to decide on as much as eight completely different contacts for the privilege: You will see some options on display screen and you may faucet on Add to see your full contacts checklist.
Faucet Subsequent to maneuver on, and you may then give the Pixel VIPs characteristic permission to entry your SMS conversations, your WhatsApp chats, and your location—all of this info is saved non-public to you, and it is value mentioning that your contacts will not know you have chosen them as Pixel VIPs both.
While you’ve labored your manner via the setup wizard, you get proven a preview of the Pixel VIPs house display screen widget. You may select Add to house display screen instantly, or add it later by lengthy urgent on a clean a part of the house display screen, then tapping Widgets. The VIPs widget is below the Contacts heading.
The widget will begin out as a 4 x 1 block, however you possibly can change the scale by tapping and holding on the widget, then utilizing the handles across the edges. You may as well faucet the pen icon (decrease proper) to get again to the Pixel VIPs display screen for managing included contacts and permissions.
What do you assume to this point?
Faucet on any contact on the widget, and also you get to a particular Pixel VIPs web page for that particular person. You may see your current messages from that particular person, their present location for those who’ve chosen to share it via Discover My Machine or Google Maps, and some other particulars, like their birthday, that you will have saved.
Every VIP will get their very own web page of particulars.
Credit score: Google
There’s additionally a Notes part right here, if it’s essential jot down a reminder or a memo about somebody: Google suggests you would put birthday present concepts in right here. There’s even a field of options for belongings you may need to do with this particular person, comparable to watch a film or go to a restaurant. You may tweak these options through the slider button on the proper.
On the subject of the Do Not Disturb settings, nothing has modified, besides that Pixel VIPs are mechanically added to your starred contacts. Google would not precisely make it clear, however so far as I can inform, you continue to want to pick out your starred contacts on the precise Do Not Disturb display screen talked about above—it is not sufficient to easily choose somebody as a Pixel VIP, but it surely does provide you with a better manner of managing this privileged checklist of individuals.
I can see Pixel VIPs being a helpful manner of managing essential contacts, and it will be good to see extra integrations with extra apps right here—although that does rely on the app builders in addition to Google. For now, it is earned a spot on my house display screen.
