Summary
-
App Pixels is a browser-based ESP32 app store for the Waveshare ESP32-S3 1.8 AMOLED.
-
It allows you to run programs from your browser via the Web Serial API – no drivers, toolkits or terminals required.
-
Offers 20 curated apps—Claude, voice recorder, Pomodoro timer, Flappy Bird math game, dice wheel, and more.
There is no shortage of programs you can put on the ESP32. In fact, it feels like every week someone is creating a new program that pushes the microcontroller to its limits and ends up with something really cool. There’s just one problem: actually to find these programs can be a mess. Each of them has its own GitHub page with wildly different names, and it can be difficult to find the program you’re looking for.
What if the ESP32 had an app store where you could pick and choose the app you want, just like the Android or iOS stores? Well, there is no official ESP32 app store (at least not yet), but someone has come up with a nice option app for the Waveshare ESP32-S3.
App Pixels is an ESP32 based app store for Waveshare
It already has a lot of great apps on it
The creator of the website posted his big discovery on the ESP32 subreddit. The App Pixels website hosts firmware designed to run on the Waveshare ESP32-S3 1.8 AMOLED and its main goal is to help people flash apps on their devices. If you haven’t heard of it before, the Waveshare ESP32-S3 1.8 AMOLED is a $30 device that looks like a strapless smartwatch. Of course, some people have added cool DIY wearable straps to it, but you can use it as is if you want.
Here’s how the creator of App Pixels describes their website:
I started building small apps for this board (mostly tools for myself and my kids) and kept running into the same problem: sharing them with non-technical people is a nightmare.
So I set up app-pixels.com. It uses the Web Serial API to flash programs directly from the browser. No toolchains, drivers, terminals. Just plug and go.
At the time of writing, App Pixels has 20 apps. There you have some handy tools, including the Claude app, a voice recorder, and a Pomodoro timer. There are also fun apps like the multiplication-based game Flappy Bird and a dice wheel. The creator plans to add more, and they’re already getting tons of positive feedback on the Reddit thread, so it’s worth your time to bookmark this site.
