How to Turn Any Android Smartphone Into a Google Pixel
The flexibility of Android means that manufacturers can create their own versions of the OS to suit their hardware, but there is an elegance in stock Android devices that other Android smartphones cannot match.
Some Android manufacturers, such as Samsung, are tweaking the stock Android operating system to suit their own app ecosystems, including those away from Google services. Even worse, devices purchased from a network provider often contain additional software and features not found in unlocked phones. This can be frustrating for those who want a cleaner Android experience (or those who prefer Google products).
Luckily, it’s easy to recreate the Pixel experience on most modern Android devices while scrubbing away digital junk as you go. All it takes is a little tinkering and using a few third-party apps. Best of all, you can do this without rooting your device. Here’s how.
Installing Google Apps
The first step in creating a Pixel UI on a non-Google smartphone is replacing your phone’s apps with Google alternatives – or as close to real ones as possible. (If you only want aesthetic changes, feel free to skip to the last section.)
Installing a bundle of new apps can be tedious, but most are pre-installed on all Android devices – they just need to be enabled as the default app for a specific feature.
However, there are a small number of Pixel-exclusive apps that are not available in the Play Store. The Android tweak community has ported or rebuilt them to work on nearly all regular Android phones.
Below are links to download pages for most of the default Google apps used by Pixel phones, as well as ports and remakes of those not found in the Play store (which need to be installed via sideload ). The installation process is the same as for any app you download from Google Play, unless otherwise noted. Once installed, you will need to assign each new default app to your phone by going to Settings> Apps> Default Apps .
Google’s own Android apps
- SMS / RCS text messages : messages
- Web Browser: Chrome Mobile
- System keyboard: Gboard
- Calendar: Google Calendar
- Photo Gallery: Google Photos
- Google wallpaper
- Gmail
- Google drive
- Camera: Google Camera (port) : The Pixel camera app is device-exclusive, but many modders have replicated its look and feel on non-Pixel devices using third-party apps. Please note that some of these will require unpublished downloads.
- Phone: Google Phone or Google Phone Port : If your phone is not compatible with the Play Store version of the Google Phone app, there is an alternative with the option to sideload . Don’t worry – we’ve downloaded and tested the .APK and it’s safe to use.
Google Assistant
The last app to install is Google Assistant . Many phones use Google Assistant by default, while others use the manufacturer’s proprietary AI assistant instead. After you’ve installed Google Assistant, don’t forget to make it your default app.
While technically optional, you can also customize a touch command that activates Google Assistant using your phone’s AI assistant switch (if there is one). The process for doing this will vary significantly depending on the make and model of your phone, but the general rule of thumb is that you need to set up a specific touch command for your dedicated AI button (like the Bixby button on Samsung phones) that will open. Google Assistant. This can usually be done in the system settings of your AI assistant.
Removing / disabling additional applications
Before moving on to the last step of the process, consider freeing up space on your device by uninstalling the apps we just replaced with Google’s versions.
While you can do it the old fashioned way, we suggest using Google’s Files app . Even though this is not a standard Android app (for some reason), it is incredibly useful . The application scans your phone’s memory to find and delete unnecessary data, and also recommends uninstalling unnecessary applications.
For those who cannot uninstall additional apps, the best thing you can do without rooting your phone is to disable them. Some users may find a malware removal tool for their phone in the Play Store , while others will be forced to remove it manually. From the app menu, press and hold the app you want to uninstall, then either drag it to the trash can icon at the top of the screen, or tap on the app’s quick settings menu when it appears, then tap disable or uninstall. … »This may not work for all applications, but it’s worth a try.
The emergence
Now for the fun part: making your phone look and feel like a pixel (or as close to it as possible). You can’t completely replace your phone’s UI without rooting your phone, but you can get pretty close. It’s surprisingly simple, only a few third-party apps and some tweaks are required.
Pixel Launcher Screen
The most important part of recreating the Pixel’s look is the launch screen. There are tons of replacement launchers on the Play Store, many of which are designed to recreate the last Pixel launcher screen, but we’ll go with Rootless Launcher due to the fact that many Pixel features are added without root. These include icon packs that match Pixel icons, a properly integrated Google search bar, and additional widgets. You can also customize the look of Root Launcher through options not usually available on Pixel phones, such as the various search bar forms in the app’s settings.
Google feed
Next, you’ll want to recreate the Google Feed tab, which is a personalized feed of news articles, upcoming recommendations, and other content based on your search and device usage history. (This can be configured according to your desired privacy level in your Google Account Settings .)
While Google Feed emulation is technically a Rootless Launcher feature, it is not available by default and requires sideloading to be installed . Follow this link to download the “pixelbridge.apk” add-on file . When it appears on your phone, here’s how to turn it on.
- Download “pixelbridge.apk” from the link above.
- Open the .APK file on your phone to download the app.
- Once the installation is complete, open the Rootless Launcher app.
- Go to settings
- Turn on “Display Google App”
Quick settings menu and action center
Finally, you will want to install the Power Shade we talked about earlier . This app recreates the design of the quick settings menu and notifications in Android Pie, although Power Shade offers much more flexibility and customization than the default Android settings allow. Here’s how to set it up:
- Download the app from the Play Store
- After installing it, open the Power Shade app.
- Tap the slider to enable the app
Once enabled, your notifications and quick setting menus will now follow the Android 9 Pie design by default. However, you can customize these new color schemes, backgrounds, layouts, and opacity levels in various app settings. (Some of the more important changes will not be available without root access.)