Android 15 is the latest flavor of Google’s smartphone operating system, and like most software, it’s constantly evolving and changing based on user feedback. The most recent feature drop brought some new features to Pixel phones and watches, one of them being Modes. Google now lets you create custom modes on a Pixel phone and access it through a dedicated menu from the quick settings screen.
The March 2025 feature drop adds a new quick toggle option called “Modes,” which groups Do Not Disturb, Bedtime, and Driving toggles under a single menu. If you have a Pixel phone, here’s how you can access it and use it. The following steps were tested on a Pixel 6a running Android 15, but it should be the same for any other Pixel too running the latest Android build.
How to access and set up Modes
1. Perform a swipe-down gesture anywhere on the home screen or from the top edge of the screen till you see the quick settings buttons. You should see Modes as the fourth option.
2. Tap it once to access the pop-out menu. Here, you’ll have the three default modes of Do Not Disturb, Bedtime, and Driving.
3. Tap any one of these modes to activate it. You can have multiple modes active at the same time.
4. In order to customize any mode, simply long press them, and you’ll be taken to the customization menu.
How to create a custom Mode
1. Follow the first step from above to get to the Modes menu via quick settings.
2. Tap Settings in the bottom left corner.
3. Tap the last option which says Create your own mode.
4. Choose Custom to create a mode from scratch. You can also enable Flip to shhh from here, which automatically puts your phone in DnD when you flip it face-down on a table. DnD is disabled the next time you pick it up.
4. If you chose Custom, you can now choose a symbol for your custom mode that best describes the activity. For this example, I’ve chosen a ticket stub since I’ve created a profile for when I’m at the cinema.
5. You can give a custom name to your profile, like Movies, in this case. Tap Done when finished.
6. Next, you’ll be taken to a customization page similar to the default profiles. You can set it to turn on automatically based on a specific date and time or based on calendar events.
Note: There’s no way to revert your choice when choosing to activate a mode automatically based on calendar events or date and time, which is a strange limitation. Your only option is to delete the profile and start over.
7. You can also choose which contacts are allowed to interrupt your mode. Starred contacts are added here by default. Other interruptions from apps, reminders, alarms, etc., can also be controlled.
8. Finally, the Display settings option lets you choose what happens to the display when the mode is active, like dimming the wallpaper, enable grayscale, and so on.
Modes organizes all your routines in one place
Pixels make up some of the best Android phones, and Google is trying to enhance the user experience with Modes. Now that you have the ability to create tens of custom Modes, having quick access through a dedicated menu makes a lot of sense.
However, in doing so, we’ve lost the ability to directly enable Do Not Disturb or Bedtime with a single tap. It’s now an extra step to toggle these modes on or off, which has irked many Pixel users, as this Reddit thread shows.
Of all the modes, I think Do Not Disturb is one that many of us use the most, and if you don’t have a dedicated button to enable it, like on OnePlus phones, this additional step can be annoying. I personally never manually toggle Bedtime mode as it automatically engages at night, and it’s the same with Driving mode, which kicks in every time Android Auto starts up.
For people who love having custom profiles set up for different activities, the new Modes shortcut menu is a blessing. We just wish Google would give us the option to keep Do Not Disturb as a standalone shortcut button, but perhaps future iterations will improve on this feature.
Best Pixel out there
If you want to get the best Android experience, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is currently the best way to get there. It has better battery life than the standard 9 Pro and a larger display. You also get a great set of cameras and a very cool design that’s instantly recognizable as a Pixel.