This is a review of the Google Pixel 7 Pro, and how to fix issues through changing the settings.

A family member of mine recently got a new phone. We don’t generally do brand loyalty in this house (unless that brand is making life a lot easier when other brands don’t), so we were considering the Samsung Galaxy line, the new iPhone line, or the Google Pixel 7 Pro. Eventually, we landed on the Google Pixel 7 Pro.

I’ve never had a Pixel, so I was excited to play around on it. After getting permission, I took a look around. I found some issues that weren’t listed anywhere else I looked online, so I thought I’d write a review with a few of the issues both I and my family ran into, and the settings we changed to make it easier to use. If you find yourself wondering “Should I get a Google Pixel 7 Pro?” this review will be super helpful for you, especially if you’re not super tech savvy!

The default navigation UI is a hot mess

This was the first and biggest issue you’ll encounter when you use the phone. I don’t know the official name, so I’m calling it the navigation UI. Basically, it’s how you get around. How to get to your home page, back out of an app, etc.

Like my iPad Pro, the Google Pixel 7 Pro comes with a bar you swipe and gesture with to get around your phone. There’s no back button or home button, and no button to pull up all of your running apps.

On the iPad Pro, this bar works extremely well. On the Google Pixel 7 Pro, not so much. The bar is tiny and easy to miss. The term fine motor skill comes to mind. Here’s the thing, though: on top of being a writer, I’m a paper artist who frequently works with miniature scenes. I’m also a nail art hobbyist. I’m used to dealing with tedious, tiny parts. And I still kept missing the navigation bar. My family member did, too. The words cumbersome, fickle, and tedious kept coming up in our conversations.

When multiple people are missing the navigation bar 40% of the time, there’s a issue. If my carpal tunnel pain were flaring up, it would be even worse. I can’t imagine how it would affect a person with arthritis in their hands.

It can also be hard to navigate within apps that aren’t well adjusted to this type of navigation.

Sure, there’s a learning curve to any new device, but getting to your home screen from an app shouldn’t be a part of it.

The good news, though, is that there’s a way to fix it. Because, spoiler alert, this phone is actually good. And I mean really good.

How to fix the navigation issue on the Google Pixel 7 Pro

Here’s how to fix this issue:

Swipe up from your home screen to see your entire app library. Find your settings app.

From settings, scroll down to the accessibility menu.

Once you’re in the accessibility settings, go down the list until you find the Systems Control options.

In the Systems Control options, there will be a menu called System Navigation.

The Navigation options include an option called 3-button navigation. This is what you want!

Now you have the 3-button navigation that’s the default on most Android phones, including the Samsung Galaxy lines!

Google is quick to add push its assistant off

Whether or not you use the Google Assistant is up to you. Most phones have some sort of AI assistant you can access: Apple has Siri, Samsung has Bixby, and Google has the Google Assistant. Personally, for us, the idea of your phone listening for a command all the time is somewhat discomforting. We’re no conspiracy theorists, and there’s nothing to hide (except maybe some embarrassing conversations about regularity and fiber). Realistically, there’s no way any of these companies can process everyone’s conversations. But it all just seems a little… unnecessary.

Either way, you can disable the speech functions of the assistant if you want by going to your permissions and allowing microphone permission to your phone and camera, as well as any other app you want to use with it, like TikTok or Instagram.

The good things

I started with the negative, but there’s so many positive things about the Google Pixel 7 Pro.

Customization has no limits

First is the ability to customize. I didn’t count precisely, but there’s somewhere between 40 and 50 ringtones, and nearly as many notification sounds. There’s also more wallpapers than you’ll ever need, all sorted into folders. And, thanks to Android 13, there’s a ton of color palette options to choose from that will change the color scheme of your phone.

That camera

The camera is great, too. It’s probably the most advertised thing about the phone, including its magic eraser ability. The magic eraser can remove stuff from the background of photos, like other tourists or a counter top.

The technical side

The Google Pixel 7 Pro is good for a lot of things. It doesn’t have the power of a Samsung Galaxy 22 Ultra or iPhone, but if you’re going to make calls, browse the internet, and take pictures, it’s great. If you’re a freelancer who uses their mobile device frequently for things like writing, it’s probably not a fit.

That’s my review for the Google Pixel 7 Pro, and how we fixed a few of the issues that we encountered with it.

Do you have a Google Pixel 7? What do you think about it? Do you have any advice for anyone looking to buy one? Let me know in the comments!