GoKawiilRita El Khoury / Android Authority
Transit mode was supposed to launch with the March Pixel Drop, but for weeks, it was nowhere to be found on my Pixel 10 Pro XL. I updated everything, including the often-forgotten Play System, but it refused to show up for me. A couple of days ago, it finally did, and I was able to give it a go immediately after.
This isn’t a mundane new feature for me — I take public transit everywhere I go, and I really want to see how Google’s new mode can improve or change this experience for me going forward.
Transit mode is all about reduced disturbances
Getting pinged by a dozen notifications when you’re on a bus or train isn’t the best experience for you or for those around you. Because of this, Google’s first setting for transit mode involves picking a volume you’re comfortable with. You can leave the sound on (please don’t) or choose between vibrate and silent. You can also have it automatically enable Bluetooth to simplify pairing your buds or headphones.
This particular aspect isn’t much use to me because my phone is always silent when I’m wearing my watch, and I always have Bluetooth on by default. But for anyone who likes to switch ringing modes or toggle Bluetooth, this is already a step in the right direction.
Google adds a big notification filter on top of this. I don’t know about you, but I don’t need a notification from my bank or my electricity supplier’s app while riding the bus. You can allow all notifications if you’re adventurous, but the right approach is to tailor them. I only allow my starred contacts to message and call me, though I could open this to all contacts or reduce it to priority conversations only. For those who really don’t care about interruptions during commutes, there’s a “none” option, too. I appreciate that there’s still a toggle to allow repeat callers, even if they’re not contacts, which works a treat when I’m afraid the Amazon delivery might leave my package out unattended.
I'm glad there's finally one toggle to control all of these sound and notification settings at once.
For applications, I’ve allowed Google’s apps as well as CityMapper, WhatsApp, my home’s alarm system, and my smart home — i.e., all the crucial notifications that I still need when out and about. The rest can wait, especially personal notifications from my banking and financial apps.
On top of this, Google has made sure that all sounds coming from the phone can be turned on or off. I disabled alarms, reminders, and calendar events, as well as touch sounds and all media playback sounds. I’ve had a few side looks from Parisian metro riders when a video played by mistake on Twitter with a loud volume, and I’d rather it didn’t happen again. When Transit mode is active, it takes over the volume panel, too, and most sound settings get greyed out because they’re controlled by it.
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