Android devices are very diverse and the diversity has its advantages and disadvantages. Take the Galaxy S10 for example. It’s a beautiful phone but if you don’t like the punch hole, you can buy something else while still enjoying the power of Android. Or maybe you do love the camera cut out on the Galaxy S10 but you’re not a fan of the software. Android lets you change that software experience to an extent. You can turn your Galaxy S10 or any other Android into a Google Pixel if you want.
Your Galaxy S10 isn’t locked down to working and feeling like every other Samsung Galaxy S10. You’ll still be stuck with the custom skin Samsung has but you can replace it in a lot of places even without rooting or installing a completely different ROM. This is actually better in my opinion because you get the best of both worlds, but the rest of neither. You get the simple stock Android like experience for the most part but you also have as feature-packed Samsung skin running beneath.
Install a launcher on your Galaxy S10
The launcher is one app that you interact with the most without even realizing. Samsung’s stock launcher has more features than the Pixel launcher but it’s not as lightweight. Custom launchers like Nova, Action, and others pack in even more features and are still more smooth and lighter to use. Therefore, changing the default launcher on your phone is probably the biggest change you can make to your software experience.
Since we’re interested in making the software experience more Google Pixel like the launcher we recommend is Rootless Launcher. It’s free and it is always pre-configured to be as close to the Pixel launcher as it can be. Other launchers like Nova Launcher, Action Launcher, Lawnchair Launcher, etc. are also good options with more features. They require a bit of tweaking around though to be exactly like the Pixel Launcher.
Even with Rootless launcher, you’ll need to manually do things to enable the integrated Google Discover feed on the leftmost home screen. You’ll have to sideload the “pixelbridge.apk” file from the developer’s site, then enable Display Google app in Rootless Launcher’s settings.
Get stock Android Pie quick settings and notifications panel
You have a Google Pixel like home screen now but there’s one more thing that you probably access a lot more than any app. It’s the notification shade and the quick settings. Without this, the look will feel a little incomplete. Thankfully, there’s an app that brings over the stock Android Pie quick settings and notification shade to any Android device. It works with the Samsung Galaxy S10, OnePlus 6, Huawei P30, and even devices running an older version of Android.
The app is called Power Shade and it brings a few advantages over the stock Pixel-like quick settings too. You can find out more about the app and learn how to get the stock Android Pie quick settings from the link below.
Install Google Camera on your Galaxy S10
This one is a little tricky because not every Android device has a Google Camera port. Moreover, it can be buggy enough for some devices that makes it unuseable. We have tutorials along with download links for Google Camera ports including devices like the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S9, Razer Phone, Razer Phone 2, OnePlus 6/6T, etc. You can browse through the list and find out if we have a guide for your device or you can use the search function.
Install Google Phone
Most Google made system apps from the Google Pixel are available on the Play Store for all Android devices. The Google Camera is one exception to that and the other is Google Phone. Just like the modding community has found ways to port the Google Camera on other devices though they’ve also ported the Google Phone app for other devices. The modded Google Phone app linked below will work on almost any Android device, even the Galaxy S10.
Download Google Phone port APK
After installing the APK, make sure you set it as the default Phone app in Settings > Apps > Default apps > Phone. On the Samsung Galaxy S10 and other Samsung devices, you have to go to Settings > Apps and select Default apps by tapping in the three-dot menu button in the top-right. Select Calling app then and select the Google Phone app.
Get more Google Apps
As mentioned most other system apps made by Google for the Pixel are available on the Play Store for everyone. You can download as many as you want.
[googleplay url=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.messaging”] [googleplay url=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.wallpaper”] [googleplay url=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.photos”] [googleplay url=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.calendar”] [googleplay url=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.inputmethod.latin”]
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