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Questions about my new 3a...

T

TripleB67

Newbie
Just ordered (out of stock at my store) my first Google phone, the Pixel 3a.

I have several questions I'm hoping you can answer since I'll not be getting the phone until at least Tuesday:

Instead of having photos upload directly to the Cloud (at high resolution instead of original resolution), can you set the phone up so it saves your pictures/videos to the camera in original resolution instead of them automatically uploading? Then I can just upload them to my computer hard drive at original resolution.

How much does the Cloud cost if I want to have everything uploaded at original resolution?

Does Google Play (what I use to play all the music I've downloaded to my phone) come pre-installed on the 3a?

What case do you use to protect your 3a?

Thanks for any and all help!!!

TripleB67
 
I don't know what "saves your photos to the camera" means. The camera app always saves them to the phone at whatever resolution you have specified. Google's Photos app can be set to make a backup to the cloud, but unless you let it "clean up" old photos the original remains on the camera. And of course you can also choose whether the Google app makes a backup or not, as well as whether it is allowed to remove "old" photos from the device.

I don't know about Google drive costs, I'm afraid.

I don't know about the 3a, but Google Play Music is pre-installed on the 2 (which I have), and as Google want you to use their services I find it inconceivable that it won't be installed on the 3a.
 
Google Play Music is included ( as it is on all Android phones that I'm aware of ) on the 3a. If you've used any Android phone, then you will be right at home for most things. Some Android phones, say like the Samsung version, customize the launcher and a few other things which may cause you to see some minor differences since the Google phones use the stock Android launcher and stock setup.

Cases are pretty subjective and most people tend to like different ones. For what it's worth, I use the Encased Pixel 3a Belt Clip Case w/ Slim Fit Holster Shell Combo. If you like a holster type, that is a pretty nice one and I've used their products for years with my previous phones. You will want to look at case styles that suits your own needs, just make sure it's made for the Pixel 3a.

Just to swing back to this... It isn't "the Cloud".... it's the cloud and that just refers to some location to store your files/photos that is on the internet and is accessible by your internet connected devices like a smartphone or computer. A Google account comes with 15 Gb included storage for your files/photos and you can visit their website for info on how much more additional storage would cost, they have several options available. Other examples of cloud storage on the internet can be found with Apple, Microsoft, Dropbox and many, many other each having their own different costs.

As you were already told, the pictures you take will remain on your phone and you have the option to have them synced to the cloud or not, to have them at just high quality or original etc. With Google, if you select to have the original pictures uploaded, then the space they take up will be taken out of the amount of storage you have with Google ( 15Gb if just using the free one ). In addition, as was mentioned, you also have the option to have them removed from the phone once they are uploaded if you are using Google Photo for that. You would need to look at the other cloud service apps as to what they are able to do in this area since they each differ a little.
 
One small correction: the Pixels don't use the "stock android launcher", they use Google's "Pixel launcher". The "stock android launcher" would be the AOSP one, which doesn't have Google's unremovable clock/info widget or the unremovable Google search widget.

(I have no time for any launcher where the manufacturer decides how my home screen should be laid out. Fortunately it's easy to replace it with something better).
 
TripleB67 said:
How much does the Cloud cost if I want to have everything uploaded at original resolution?
Click to expand...
Hadron said:
I don't know about Google drive costs, I'm afraid.
Click to expand...
There are multiple tiers of prices for Google Drive. I'm using what I think is the lowest paid version, 100GB for $1.99 a month and have more than enough storage for all my photos (9 years worth) in original resolution. You get the added advantage of being able to search photos too.
 
Thanks to you all for the information...it's a great help!

I got the Pixel 3a today - haven't been able to "play" with it much due to some family priorities.

One thing I did notice is that there is no way to attach it to my computer so I can load music to it or load media from it. It seems to have a Type C to Type C cable with an adapter that allows a USB Type A to be plugged into one end and the other end of the adapter is the Type C to be plugged into the phone.

So I assume I'll need a USB Type A to Type A cable (to use with included adapter), a Type C to Type A cable, or a Type C to A adapter?

Also, any advice on a quality car charger for the Pixel (3a)?

Again, I appreciate all the help and information!!!!

TripleB67
 
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TripleB67 said:
Also, any advice on a quality car charger for the Pixel (3a)?
Click to expand...
I just use a standard 2A charger with an appropriate cable. Be careful with any quick chargers as my understanding is the wrong one can damage the phone.
 
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