WhatsApp for Pixel 5

The Pixel 5 has a fairly quiet earpiece, so voice notes can sound low even at full volume. While a voice note is actually playing, press the volume-up button to raise the level, on Android the volume keys control the active playback stream during playback. If it's still too quiet, listen on the loudspeaker by not holding the phone to your ear (the call/voice-note audio routes to the earpiece when the proximity sensor is covered). Also check Settings > Sound & vibration and make sure Media volume isn't turned down. See how others solved this on Reddit

That's the proximity sensor working as intended: when you raise the phone to your ear, WhatsApp routes the audio to the earpiece and blanks the screen to prevent accidental touches, exactly like a phone call. To listen on the loudspeaker with the screen on, just don't lift the phone to your face. If the screen stays black after you lower the phone, the proximity sensor near the top of the screen may be dirty or covered by a case or screen protector, clean it or remove the cover. See how others solved this on Reddit

Stock Pixel Android has no built-in app-cloning feature like Samsung or Xiaomi, so the clean approach is a work profile: install Island or Shelter from the Play Store, then install a second copy of WhatsApp inside that profile. Alternatively, modern WhatsApp supports two accounts natively, open WhatsApp Settings, tap the dropdown arrow next to your name at the top, and choose Add account. That still requires a second phone number. See how others solved this on Reddit

Bubbles need to be enabled both system-wide and per app. Go to Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Notifications, open the conversation/message notification category, and turn on Bubbles (or 'Allow bubbles'). Confirm bubbles are allowed system-wide under Settings > Apps > Notifications > Bubbles. Note that WhatsApp's bubble support is limited and typically appears for individual chats rather than groups, and only after a new message arrives. See how others solved this on Reddit

Google's iOS-to-Android WhatsApp migration only runs during the Pixel's initial setup, so if you've already finished setup you'll need to factory reset the Pixel to get the option again. Connect the two phones with a USB-C-to-Lightning cable, follow the setup wizard until it offers to transfer WhatsApp, scan the QR code shown, and let it migrate your chats. There's no official way to transfer iOS WhatsApp history after first-time setup is complete. See how others solved this on Reddit

WhatsApp heavily compresses video calls and doesn't use the Pixel's full camera processing, so quality depends mostly on your connection, switching to strong Wi-Fi or a solid 5G/4G signal usually gives a noticeable improvement. Make sure WhatsApp isn't restricted under Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Mobile data & Wi-Fi (Background data on, and turn off any Data Saver restriction). Closing other bandwidth-heavy apps and keeping WhatsApp updated from the Play Store also helps. See how others solved this on Reddit