I almost missed the Pixel 11's best camera feature because Google hid it in the settings

Google’s entire philosophy around the Pixel lineup has been one of simplicity, and that extends to how the Pixel’s camera operates. The idea has always been to create a point-and-shoot experience where you point the phone at something, press the shutter button, and let Google’s software handle the rest. That approach largely works well, but it can also leave you wanting more control when you actually care about how a photo looks. More so, today, when people are looking for a bit more individuality and flavor in photographs.

I’m aware of the Pixel camera’s built-in Pro mode, which gives you granular control over shots, but most days I’m not looking to scroll through a long list of manual controls. A few essentials that help me tweak my image without having to get into full manual control territory are what I need.

The Pixel 11 Pro (and the regular Pixel 11) attempt to solve that problem by introducing a redesigned Quick Access system that makes some of the camera’s most useful controls much easier to reach. I’ve been using the new controls over the past few days, and they are exactly what I’ve been looking for to elevate my mobile photography.

A better way to control your shots

Quick Access controls aren’t new to the Pixel, of course. Google introduced them in 2024 to give users faster access to things like exposure and shadows. The problem, in my opinion, was twofold. On one hand, the interface wasn’t particularly user-friendly, plus it was fairly limited in functionality. As far as the interface goes, the old slider bars were large, took up a fair amount of screen space, and were finicky to adjust while actually taking a photograph. This was especially true on the smaller Pixel Pro phones.

The new UI introduced on the Pixel 11 series takes a different approach. Those large bars have been replaced with smaller slider dials positioned along the edges of the display. You get two on each side, leaving the middle of the screen mostly clear.

I vastly prefer this setup. When I’m taking a photo, I want to see the subject rather than a collection of controls covering the viewfinder. The new layout keeps the controls within reach without getting in the way.

Using them is very simple, too. Just slide your thumb up or down along the edge of the screen to change the selected setting. The interface doesn’t constantly show labels or numbers. Instead, the value only appears when you start making an adjustment and then disappears, which helps keep the interface neat and clean.

There is also a small but useful undo button. If I push a setting too far and don’t like the result, I can tap it to undo the adjustment rather than manually moving the slider back. It’s also a really handy addition for those learning the basics of photography, as it lets you see the results of your adjustments in real time while offering an easy fallback if you’re feeling less-than-confident about them. Those are precisely the kind of upgrades I like to see.

You can make the controls your own

The best part of the new system is that Google doesn’t force you to use a fixed set of controls. Instead, you can now choose what appears in the Quick Access dials. You’re still limited to choosing up to four such settings from a curated list of Quick Access controls, but it’s another step in the right direction, and I’m very happy about it.

This flexibility matters a lot because everyone uses a phone camera differently. I might care more about exposure and shadows, while someone else might regularly adjust another setting.

Google also lets you put its new Camera Looks feature in the Quick Access controls. That means you can change the processing style of your photos without digging through the camera settings. It’s great. But more importantly, it’s perfectly placed for how I — and, I suspect, most people — would want to use Camera Looks. It’s a feature built for immediacy, and when you’re trying to find a specific vibe or mood for your photograph, you don’t want to dive into another settings menu.

Placing Camera Looks as a Quick Access control dramatically removes that friction.

Where Google still falls short

While my experience with the new Quick Access controls has been largely positive, there’s still room for improvement. For one, getting everything set up isn’t very straightforward. You have to open the camera settings and find the customization options. I had to spend a little time looking around before I found them, and Google can do a much better job of explaining the feature to users. In fact, it’s quite easy to dismiss it if you’re not already aware of what it does.

To enable Quick Access controls, you have to do the following:

1. Open the Camera app.
2. Tap the settings icon in the bottom-left corner.
3. Tap the three dots on the pop-up menu.
4. Scroll down the page until you see the “Fast access” section.
5. Tap Quick access controls.
6. Tap Turn on quick access controls.

That said, once you’ve set up the controls to your liking, you can mostly forget about the settings menu and just stick to the dials.

It also doesn’t help that the new Quick Access controls are disabled by default. Unless you dive into the camera settings, you probably won’t even know that the phone includes this feature.

This brings me to my other problem, which you might say stands at odds with what I said earlier – the controls aren’t always visible on the screen. Instead, you tap the screen to display the controls and make adjustments. I understand why Google doesn’t want them permanently sitting over the viewfinder. Keeping the screen free of distractions is one of its strengths. But there isn’t an obvious indication that the controls are available.

Even I kept forgetting about them when I first started using the Pixel 11 Pro. As an enthusiast, I can work my way around this, but giving the option to keep them accessible on-screen could go a long way toward improving accessibility for less technically inclined users. All that is to say that the underlying idea is good, but the way you discover and access it needs some work.

The Pixel camera is getting a lot more flexible, and I like it

I’m a big fan of the new Quick Access controls because they show that Google doesn’t need to turn the Pixel camera into a manual-first experience to give enthusiasts more control. Moreover, it strikes the right balance between the simplicity of the basic point-and-shoot Pixel experience and the ability to tweak settings on the fly. It’s got a few hiccups, but most of them are around how you get to the controls in the first place. And let’s be real, that’s a one-time issue that can be easily resolved with a software update.

I’ve found myself using the controls a lot more than I would have expected. Usually, it’s to reduce exposure a bit or to play around with Camera Looks. Overall, it’s a great addition to the Pixel camera experience and, when combined with Camera Looks, is a great example of Google being willing to cede a bit of control back to users. I can’t complain about that one bit.