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To disable HiLight, open Settings > System > HiLight, then switch off Use HiLight. That is the global control for the feature.

Google documents HiLight on the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. If you do not see System > HiLight, your Pixel model or software build may not support the feature. HiLight is a light-based alert that can appear while the phone is face down, including cues for Gemini activity and calls from favorite contacts.

What HiLight does

HiLight uses the phone’s exterior lighting to provide selected notifications without requiring you to look at the display. Google describes it as a way to receive color-coded cues for timely information while the phone is face down. The documented uses include activity while speaking with Gemini and customizable lighting for calls from favorite contacts.

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HiLight is separate from the normal on-screen notification system. Turning it off stops the HiLight light cues, but it does not generally remove the underlying Gemini activity, call, message or app notifications that your other notification settings allow.

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Google’s support documentation identifies these supported models:

Model HiLight availability documented by Google
Pixel 11 Pro Supported
Pixel 11 Pro XL Supported
Pixel 11 Pro Fold Supported
Older Pixel models Not established on the cited support page

For the feature description and launch context, see Google’s Pixel 11 Pro HiLight announcement. For the current control path and mode-specific options, use Google Pixel Help’s HiLight instructions.

Turn off HiLight everywhere

Use this procedure when you want to stop all HiLight lighting, regardless of whether the cue would have represented Gemini activity or a call from a favorite contact.

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  1. Open the Settings app on your Pixel.
  2. Tap System.
  3. Tap HiLight.
  4. Turn off Use HiLight.

The switch is the feature’s global control. Once it is off, HiLight should no longer provide its documented light cues. You do not need a case, accessory, replacement part or separate app to change this setting.

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If Settings looks different

Settings labels can vary slightly with Android updates, language and device configuration. Start from the main Settings screen and use its search field for HiLight. If no HiLight result appears, check the model name under Settings > About phone. Google’s cited documentation only lists the three Pixel 11 models above, so the absence of the option on an older phone is not necessarily a fault.

Disable only one type of HiLight cue

You do not have to switch off the entire feature. The HiLight page also provides separate controls for the two documented uses.

Keep or disable Gemini lighting

On Settings > System > HiLight, adjust Speaking with Gemini. Leave it enabled if you want a light cue associated with a Gemini interaction while keeping the other HiLight behavior under your control. Turn it off if Gemini-related lighting is the only cue you want to remove.

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Keep or disable favorite-contact call lighting

Use the Calls from favorites control on the same page to decide whether favorite-contact calls can trigger HiLight. Google says this favorite-call behavior works with Phone by Google and WhatsApp. This control changes HiLight’s lighting response; it does not remove the contact from your favorites or block the call itself.

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If you want no HiLight at all, switch off Use HiLight rather than changing the two individual controls one by one. If you want one cue but not the other, leave the global switch on and change only the relevant category.

Why HiLight can still appear in a mode

Google says HiLight glows by default when certain modes are enabled, including Flip to Shhh, Bedtime and Do Not Disturb. A mode can therefore have its own call behavior that affects what happens while that mode is active.

Remove HiLight call behavior from a specific mode

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Modes.
  3. Select the mode that is producing the light, such as Bedtime or Do Not Disturb.
  4. Tap People.
  5. Tap Calls.
  6. Choose None.
  7. Turn off Allow repeat callers if it is enabled.

This mode-level change has an important side effect: Google says choosing None also turns off ring and vibration call notifications while that mode is active. It is not merely a cosmetic change to the light. Before applying it, make sure you are comfortable missing audible or vibrating calls during that mode.

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Global switch versus mode setting

Control Where to find it What it changes
Use HiLight Settings > System > HiLight Turns the HiLight feature on or off globally.
Speaking with Gemini Settings > System > HiLight Controls the documented Gemini-related HiLight cue.
Calls from favorites Settings > System > HiLight Controls favorite-contact call lighting, including supported Phone by Google and WhatsApp calls.
Calls: None Settings > Modes > [mode] > People > Calls Stops calls being allowed in that mode and also removes ring or vibration call notifications while it is active.
Allow repeat callers Inside the selected mode’s call settings Prevents repeat callers from bypassing the mode’s call restriction when disabled.

Troubleshoot HiLight that does not behave as expected

The HiLight menu is missing

  • Confirm that the phone is a Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL or Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Those are the models named in Google’s documentation.
  • Open Settings search and enter HiLight to rule out a navigation mistake.
  • Check for system updates and restart the phone after an update. The cited support page does not establish HiLight support for older Pixel generations, so do not assume the feature can be added to an unsupported model.

The light appears only during Bedtime, Do Not Disturb or Flip to Shhh

Open the active mode and review People > Calls. If calls are allowed, choose None and disable Allow repeat callers when you also want repeat callers excluded. Remember that this blocks ring and vibration call notifications for that mode.

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Incoming calls do not show HiLight

Google says flash notifications prevent HiLight from displaying for incoming calls. If you expect a favorite-contact call cue but see none, check whether flash notifications are enabled. This is expected interaction between the two notification features, not evidence that the HiLight switch is broken.

Only some calls produce lighting

Review the contact and app involved. The documented favorite-call feature applies to calls from favorite contacts and supports Phone by Google and WhatsApp. Calls that do not meet those conditions may not trigger the favorite-call cue. Also check whether a mode is active, because its call permissions can change the result.

You turned off one category but still see another cue

The Gemini and favorite-call options are independent. Turning off Speaking with Gemini does not turn off favorite-contact call lighting, and turning off Calls from favorites does not turn off Gemini lighting. To remove both, turn off Use HiLight or disable both individual controls.

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HiLight is off, but normal notifications remain

That is expected. The global HiLight switch controls the light-based cue, not the complete notification system. Calls, messages and app alerts can continue to ring, vibrate or appear on the screen according to their own settings. If you also want to silence those alerts, change the relevant app, sound or mode settings separately; do not use the HiLight switch as a substitute for Do Not Disturb.

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Choose the least disruptive setting

The right option depends on whether you dislike all exterior lighting or only a particular alert.

  • No exterior light at any time: Turn off Use HiLight.
  • Keep Gemini cues but remove favorite-call lighting: Leave Use HiLight on and turn off Calls from favorites.
  • Keep favorite-contact call lighting but remove Gemini cues: Leave the global switch on and turn off Speaking with Gemini.
  • No call indication during a particular mode: Set that mode’s calls to None, then review the ring, vibration and repeat-caller consequences.
  • No call HiLight when flash notifications are active: Leave flash notifications enabled; Google says they suppress HiLight for incoming calls.

These choices are independent enough that you can avoid changing broader notification rules just to stop a light cue. Make the global change only when you want HiLight disabled across every supported context.

Turn HiLight back on later

To restore the feature, return to Settings > System > HiLight and turn on Use HiLight. Then review Speaking with Gemini and Calls from favorites if you want to restore only selected cues. If you previously changed a mode’s call setting to None, return to Settings > Modes > [mode] > People > Calls and choose the call behavior you want for that mode. Re-enabling the global HiLight switch does not automatically undo a mode-specific call restriction.

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What the documentation does and does not establish

Google’s current help page gives the exact path for switching HiLight on or off and identifies the three supported Pixel 11 models listed above. It does not establish support for earlier Pixel phones, nor does it provide a named performance statistic or battery figure for the feature. Treat the model list and controls as the documented scope rather than assuming every Pixel has the same menu.

The feature is designed for glance-free, light-based information, but the available documentation does not promise that every notification type will produce a HiLight cue. The documented categories are Gemini activity and favorite-contact calls, with favorite-call support identified for Phone by Google and WhatsApp. Other notification behavior remains governed by Android’s ordinary app, sound, vibration and mode settings.

Quick checklist

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Go to System > HiLight.
  3. Turn off Use HiLight for a complete shutdown.
  4. For a selective change, adjust Speaking with Gemini or Calls from favorites instead.
  5. If lighting occurs only in a mode, open Settings > Modes > [mode] > People > Calls, choose None, and review Allow repeat callers.
  6. If incoming-call HiLight is absent, check flash notifications because they suppress it.

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