One of the biggest selling points of Google Pixel phones has always been the software. Google’s approach has always been refreshingly simple: clean visuals, a handful of genuinely useful features, and very little unnecessary clutter.
The good news is that you don’t need to buy a Pixel to enjoy most of what makes these phones special. Thanks to a few free apps, you can recreate much of the Pixel experience on almost any Android phone. Here’s how.
Lawnchair is a powerful Pixel launcher that forms the foundation
The main interface layer
If you’re looking for a single app that will do the heavy lifting to turn your phone into a Pixel, look no further. Lawn chair.
This powerful launcher is designed to mirror the look and feel of the Pixel’s stock launcher, except it’s even better thanks to the wider customization options it provides.
Like the Pixel app, Lawnchair is built on it Material Youa design foundation that transforms your entire system using a single color palette removed from your wallpaper. Make sure to use one of the native Pixel wallpapers with Lawnchair to get the most out of this feature.
Lawnchair also features a continuous Google search bar at the bottom and, more importantly, time, date, weather, calendar appointments, and more at the top. adds the “At a Glance” widget, a powerful contextual widget that displays
Lawnchair’s “At a Glance” integration is solid if you’re aiming for the stock Pixel experience without messing with system permissions, but you can install it if you want to take it to the next level. Smartspacer. It’s a more powerful, customizable upgrade over the vanilla Pixel feature.
As a testament to Lawnchair’s success, the app has already seen over 500,000 downloads on the Play Store, even though it’s still technically in beta. As far as aesthetics go, Lawnchair is the closest you can get to turning a phone into a Pixel without rooting or flashing a custom ROM.
- SoC
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Google Tensor G4
- Screen
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6.3-inch Actua display
The Google Pixel 10a is a barely updated version of the Google Pixel 9a, with a slightly brighter screen and an upgrade from Gorilla Glass 3 to Gorilla Glass 7i. Google shaved off the remaining few millimeters of the camera bump and made it completely flat. Unlike previous versions of the Pixel a series, this model year does not share the same Tensor processor as the flagship Pixel 10.
Lawnicons adds the Material You Pixel aesthetic to the launcher
Dynamic visual harmony in your application network
As powerful as Lawnchair is, it falls a little short in one area: icons. While the app does support custom icons, it doesn’t actually come preloaded with any icon packs that allow you to fully enjoy the Material Biz themed icons on your home screen and app drawer. Unsurprisingly, the only app icons that follow the Pixel style by default are Google’s.
The same developer team behind Lawnchair left to fix this semi-themed look Lawnicons Reddit, Discord, LinkedIn, etc. icon pack that replaces the default icons with monochromatic vector designs for almost all popular apps.
Lawnicons can also automatically adjust to the dark mode and accent colors of your wallpaper, which makes it essential if you want a more uniform look like Pixels.
Core Google apps (Phone, Messages, and Gboard)
Simplify your everyday tools
Most Android phone brands already rely on Google’s (superior, in my opinion) core suite of apps: Phone, Google Messages (for SMS/MMS) and Gboard. And for good reason. These apps are clean, intuitive, and carry the signature Material Design that makes them a core part of the Pixel experience.
If your phone already uses Google apps for these features, you don’t need to install anything. However, other brands (mainly Samsung) use their proprietary alternatives instead. Samsung has already admitted defeat in the field of messaging In July, Samsung will replace Messages with Google Messagesso if you’re on Samsung, that decision has already been made for you.
But to get a more Pixel-like experience for the keyboard and dialer, you should definitely replace the Samsung (or whatever brand you’re using) versions with the Google ones.
Sideload Gcam for a Pixel-like camera experience on any phone
Bring Google’s computational photography to your sensor
Pixel phones are known for their best-in-class cameras. But the magic behind these sharp, contrasty landscape images with incredible dynamic range isn’t actually in the sensor—it’s in the software and processing that processes the photo after you hit the shutter button.
Fortunately, much of that famous Pixel look can be replicated using Google’s commonly called “camera app.GCam.”
The thing is, you can’t just open the Play Store and download it. You will usually need it side load from a trusted third-party source.
Since stock GCam is optimized for Pixel hardware, you often also need a device-specific XML file to get the best results. Alternatively, you may find a GCam build that already contains a profile for your phone, but you should be careful where you download APKs from to avoid potential security risks.
It’s also worth noting that you probably won’t be able to use secondary lenses like telephoto and ultra-wide on your camera.
Get the amazing, exclusive forecast interface
There are plenty of weather apps to choose from, but the Pixel has one of the most useful and best-looking weather apps and widgets. It’s an app you’ll likely interact with regularly, so it’s a must-have if you want your phone to feel more Pixel-like.
Pixel Weather uses large, bold fonts and prominent alerts for current weather events, along with simple yet attractive forecast icons. It also provides information on UV index, humidity, visibility and more. contains useful information such as Best of all, there are no ads or other clutter that many free weather apps suffer from.
Unfortunately, Google doesn’t make it easy to install the app on non-Pixel phones, so this is another APK you’ll have to find online and sideload. The good news is that finding and installing the correct version is easier than GCam.
For an even more Pixel-centric experience, head over to Google’s app directory
Completing the transformation with stock system utilities
Now that you have the launcher, icons, main apps, camera and weather app, the only thing left is to install the many other Google apps that can replace your phone’s proprietary apps. Again, many brands already rely on Google’s apps, but Samsung in particular offers a relatively large number of its own alternatives that you can replace with Google’s versions to get the ultimate Pixel experience — some you might not even think of replacing.
Basic things like this are included Clock, Calendar, Save, Calculator, Health, Houseand even Files (although it might Better replace with Material Files).
All of these apps follow Google’s Material Siz design language, so they’ll feel right at home on your new Pixel phone.
Enjoy the Pixel experience without buying a Pixel
If you’ve always wanted the colorful and fun yet clean interface of Pixel phones, but you’re not sold on Pixel hardware, there are a surprising number of apps that can make it happen. While this list covers the basic tweaks, there are also more advanced mods you can explore to make your phone feel almost indistinguishable from a Pixel. Essentials on GitHub?
