How to Get the Best Google Pixel Experience on Your Android Phone 1

How to Get the Best Google Pixel Experience on Your Android Phone

Google’s new Pixel smartphones have gained serious popularity since their launch. Top-notch hardware, unique design, and the latest Android update made people notice the first “made by Google” phones. However, what really boosted the popularity of the Google Pixel was the exclusivity of the features. Yes, the new Pixel devices come with some really cool special features that are not even found on Nexus devices.

We are definitely impressed with the unique features on Google Pixel and you must have wondered if there is a way to get Pixel features on your Android smartphone. As you can imagine, this article is all about how you can get Pixel features on any Android device. Before we get started, let’s take a look at what’s new in Google Pixel.

note: If you’re running Android 7.0, 6.0, or even 5.0, you should be able to get various Pixel features. We talked about the specific requirements for each feature. If you are rooted, it will be very easy for you. However, there are some features that do not require root.

What’s New in Google Pixel?

Google Pixel is the first phone to come with Android 7.1. Still, as mentioned earlier, there are many Pixel-only features. Here is a quick list of special features:

  • Pixel Launcher
  • Google Assistant
  • Unlimited Google Photos Backup
  • New Support Tab in Settings with screen sharing functionality
  • Google Camera App with EIS 2.0 and many new Pro photography features
  • Wallpaper picker with new wallpapers and sounds
  • Smart Storage – automatically removes old backed up photos/videos
  • Android 7.1

That’s a pretty compelling list of exclusive features for the Pixel. We can get some of these features on our phone. So, let’s dig.

1. Boot Animation

When I started rooting and customizing my Android devices, changing the boot animation was one of the things I liked. Each new iteration of Android brings a new boot animation for us to enjoy. But I wasn’t too happy with what we got on Android Nougat. I think Marshmallow’s boot animation was better, but we really liked the Google boot animation on the Pixel.

Requirements:

  • Rooted device
  • Android 5.0 and above

Pixel boot animation flashing zip file. So, you can install it via a custom recovery. Or you can place it in the root folder of your device as described here. There are now two boot animations. One with a black background, the other white. So, choose accordingly.

Download: {link: Android Nougat Boot Animation

Source: With PlayerZ_ZawZaw on XDA.

2. Pixel Launcher

pixel launcher

Coming to the launcher specially developed for simplicity and ease of use – Pixel Launcher. It has nothing to be excited about, but its elegant design should be attractive enough for the average user. The swipe up gesture to open the app drawer and the quick search for apps are pretty handy. The Google search bar is replaced with a more meaningful Google logo in the top left. And I must say that besides being user-friendly, it is also easy on the battery.

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The APK is available on APKMirror and you can download it and install it on your device. However, before you do that, make sure you have it enabled”Unknown sources” inside Settings-> Security. Also, the launcher may not work well on every Android device, so keep your expectations low.

Requirements:

  • Android 5.0 and above

Download: {link: Pixel Launcher [APK]

3. Google Assistant

google-assistant-install-and-run

The Google assistant is one of the special features that makes the Google Pixel a must-buy smartphone. The voice assistant has replaced the Google Assistant, and while we’re enjoying it with Allo, the full-fledged Assistant is much smarter and more functional. You can use it as your healthcare professional, weather reporter, Wikipedia, Travel guide or just have fun playing games. The opportunities are endless as Google starts rolling out new updates for it.

Well, it turns out that this Pixel-only feature can be easily enabled on your device. Android 7.0 powered phone with just a few tweaks. We’ve already shared a guide on how to enable Google Assitant on your phone, so you should check it out. Also, if you’re starting out, try some great Google Assistant tricks.

Requirements:

  • Android 7.0 and above
  • Rooted device

4. Pixel Style Navigation Bar

pixel navigation bar

The other interesting change we’ve seen is the navigation bar at the bottom. Icons are now filled with white and the bottom of the homepage has a new circular design. It also displays an animation when Google Assistant is triggered.

Well, you can get this navigation bar on your Android without root. There is also the root method. But here we will show you non-root. We will use a dubbed application Navigation Bar AppsAllows you to set custom images for your navigation bar and has a Custom view of Pixel navigation bar. However, keep in mind that the ability to set custom images in the navigation bar is only available in the paid version of the app.

The size of the navigation bar image must match your smartphone. You can check this at: take a screenshot or? Navbar apps will show you dimensions.

pixel-navbar-screenshot

Now, make sure you are using an image editing tool that supports it. transparent Edit as shown above. A screenshot taken in Photoshop for my phone with a 1080p display. Among the downloads I will link my image below. So if your device has a 1080p screen, you can use it for your phone. However, you need to make sure the height is correct. The size is 1080×144 pixels. Also, the image format should be PNG. You will also need to create a navigation bar for landscape mode.

So, after creating your image, simply upload it to the app. And select the custom image.

pixel-navigation-image-app

You will learn more in the resource linked below.

Requirements:

  • Android 5.0 and above
  • Photoshop or similar image editing tool

Download Links: Navigation Bar Apps | 1080p Navigation Bar PNG Image.

Source: With FaserF at XDA

5. Google Phone Dialer

Android 7.1 on Google Pixel brings a new dialer with a new caller UI that matches that on Google Duo.

google-phone dialer

Unfortunately, the new dialer app Can’t install on non-Nexus devices. The latest APK update is available at: APK Mirror. But it will not install.

So, there is a workaround that you can apply on your phone. This is a Flashable zip file containing the framework required to install the application. The zip file contains the APK that will be installed as a system app. attached below download link includes Phone Dialer V5.1 Which Pixel is available. However, you will need to flash it via a custom recovery on a rooted Android device.

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Requirements:

  • Android 6.0 and above
  • Rooted device
  • Custom Recovery to Flash Zip file

Download: {link: Framed Google Phone Dialer V5.1

Source: With blackout on XDA

From the source linked above, you can download other older versions of the Google dialer app even if the current version looks faulty on your phone. Next, you need to export the app required permissions so it can read contacts. You can continue later set as default dialer (If you want).

google-phone dialer-2

6. Google Camera

Google released its latest and greatest update for Google Camera during N Preview and it comes pre-installed on new Pixel devices. The new camera app update brings a host of great changes and additions. Here are the innovations:

  • New flattened settings layout
  • New zoom animation when tapping a photo to view it through the viewfinder
  • New look for Timer/HDR/Flash transitions
  • New HDR “rendering” animation
  • Volume key action can now be specified: Shutter (default), Zoom or Volume
  • You can now swipe from left to right to bring up the menu.
  • The navigation buttons dim slightly when you open the app.

google-camera-on-pixel

APK for Google Camera v4.1 is available for download with a little caveat. Only works on Android 7.0+ devices. And there is no way to make it work on older devices.

Requirements:

  • Operating System: Android 7.0 and above

Download: {link: Google Camera V4.1

7. Pixel Icon Pack

How to Get the Best Google Pixel Experience on Your Android Phone 4

It won’t be a perfect Pixel experience without the perfect icon pack. Brings Android 7.1 on Pixel round icons, which looks pretty good. The good news is that there is an icon pack on the Play Store that mimics the new round icons on the Pixel. However, you will have to use a third-party launcher app like Nova that lets you change icon packs. We will recommend you to use Nova Launcherit also brings Nougat’s rounded folder styles.

Necessity:

  • Android 4.0 and above

Download: {link: Pixel Icon Pack

8. Pixel Wallpapers

pixel-wallpapers-app

Well, you may have noticed that the wallpapers option in Pixel Launcher is locked when you tap on it. This is because you have to have the new Wallpapers app from Google. With this application, different wallpapers in different categories and update your home screen daily with a new wallpaper. Wallpapers app is available on Play Store.

Necessity:

  • Android 4.1 and above

Download: {link: Wallpapers from Google

9. Quick Shortcuts Inspired by 3D Touch

pixel-quick-shortcuts

Android 7.1 brings a 3D Touch-like feature that provides app shortcuts when an app icon is long-pressed. You can easily get this feature by entering the Beta program of Nova Launcher. Latest Beta build of Nova Launcher (Version 5.0-beta8) includes Pixel-like app shortcuts. So all you have to do is enter the beta program from the Play Store. Otherwise, you can even get the .apk file from APKMirror.

Necessity:

  • Android 4.1 and above

Download: {link: game store | APK Mirror

SEE ALSO: How to Get Pixel’s Fingerprint Gestures on Any Android Phone

Get the Pixel Experience on Your Android Device

Android is all about customization and fine-tuning between different features. And that’s what we did here. Android updates have always been an issue and most of us won’t be getting the Android 7.1 update and some great features on the Pixel will remain exclusive to it. So, if you want Android 7.1 features or Pixel-exclusive features, the above-mentioned methods are your best bet. Well, it’s all on our end, let us know if you have any questions and share your experience with the various Pixel features.

Featured Image Courtesy: flickr

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