2025 has been all about Synthetic Intelligence, and that momentum is clearly carrying into 2026. Smartphone manufacturers are racing to construct AI options that promise to show arduous work into sensible work. I genuinely get pleasure from this shift, however solely when these options are sensible and truly enhance day-to-day cellphone utilization, fairly than simply current to sound spectacular.

That’s the place Samsung and Google actually get it proper. Actually, Google’s quality-of-life AI features, specifically, really feel considerate and purposeful, quietly working behind the scenes. You won’t discover them at first, however over time, they start to subtly change how you utilize your cellphone day by day.

One such function on my Google Pixel 10 Professional utterly modified how I deal with my notifications. There’s nothing flashy the second you flip it on, and it doesn’t draw consideration to itself. However as the times go by, the impression turns into clear. It feels extra manageable, notifications don’t distract you anymore, and when you get used to it, going again to the best way it was will now not linger. It’s a small setting, however one which makes a surprisingly huge distinction.

What does this function do?

Letting the vital stuff minimize by means of the muddle

Enhanced notifications pop-up opened on Google Pixel 10 Pro Credit score: Shimul Sood / MakeUseOf

On Google Pixel telephones, this function is named Enhanced Notifications, and it changed Adaptive Notifications in Android 12. At its core, it’s designed to make notifications much less chaotic and extra useful, as a substitute of regularly asking you to test your cellphone.

In on a regular basis use, this implies your cellphone begins displaying smarter, context-aware options proper inside notifications. As an example, in case your boss messages you asking, “Are you in your means?” you would possibly see fast reply choices like “On My Manner” or “Operating late” with out even opening the app. If a supply app updates your order standing, the notification will floor helpful actions like monitoring the bundle or contacting help, proper whenever you want it.

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Enhanced Notifications additionally works behind the scenes to prepare alerts, so the vital ones stand out whereas the much less vital fade into the background. Over time, this additionally reduces the behavior of unlocking your cellphone each time you obtain a notification. And when you truly obtain an vital one, enabling this setting can even provide help to with a wise reply.

To do all this, the function wants entry to notification content material, which may additionally embody your private data, corresponding to contact names, message textual content, or name particulars.

Utilizing this context, it will probably take easy actions in your behalf, like dismissing irrelevant notifications, suggesting replies, answering or declining cellphone calls, and even managing interruptions by adjusting Do Not Disturb when acceptable.

Methods to allow this function

A one-minute tweak that pays off day by day

To allow these options, simply comply with these easy steps. It’s going to solely take a minute:

  1. Open the Settings app in your smartphone.
  2. Head to Notifications.
  3. Scroll all the best way all the way down to the underside of the web page.
  4. Below the Common part, activate Enhanced Notifications.
  5. A pop-up will seem explaining what this function can do. Take a second to learn by means of it, then faucet OK to verify.

And that is it. Enhanced Notifications is now enabled in your cellphone. It’ll make your notification alerts really feel a lot much less overwhelming and rather more helpful.

The place does this function come into play?

The quiet second the place it begins to assist

Silent Notifications at bottom in the notification centre Credit score: Shimul Sood / MakeUseOf

Now that you’ve got enabled Enhanced Notifications, it is utterly regular to marvel the place you will truly see it in motion and which apps help it. This is the way it exhibits up in on a regular basis use:

  • Fast replies that simply make sense: It suggests fast replies so you do not have to open the app each time. As an example, in case your mum messages asking, “The place are you?” Proper beneath it, your cellphone will recommend answering, “On my means!” These replies are what we naturally use, and so they save time, particularly whenever you’re busy. You may discover this in most apps like Google Messages and WhatsApp.
  • A cleaner, extra organized notification middle: Your notifications are routinely grouped into sections primarily based on significance. Pressing and private messages keep on the high, whereas much less vital alerts, corresponding to Silent, Promotional, or Social notifications, are pushed decrease. This makes it simpler to identify what truly wants your consideration at a look.
  • Well being and safety alerts get high precedence: Notifications associated to your well being, security, or safety are at all times surfaced on the high of the stack. Whether or not it is an emergency alert, a safety warning, or one thing that wants your immediate consideration, Enhanced Notifications ensures these aren’t buried beneath much less vital updates.

It is a very modest system, however as soon as it kicks in, your notification shade feels calmer and much much less overwhelming.

A quieter cellphone is a greater cellphone

Pixel telephones come full of a variety of AI options, lots of which rely on cloud connectivity to operate at their finest. Enhanced Notifications is one such function that always goes unnoticed, even amongst Pixel customers. A part of the reason being that it’s not designed to impress immediately. It’s a small tweak, and its actual worth reveals itself regularly, by means of on a regular basis use fairly than a right away, apparent change.

As soon as enabled, it quietly steps in to cut back the noise, permitting vital notifications to achieve you with out continually pulling you out of the second. Over time, you end up responding extra intentionally and feeling higher management over what wants your consideration.

In a world the place each model is making an attempt its finest to point out off its AI options, it is a uncommon instance of doing the other. It stays out of the best way, helps when wanted, and fades into the background when it isn’t. And truthfully, that’s precisely how effectively AI on a smartphone ought to work.


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