The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL come with some pretty impressive features including things like a Night Sight mode in the camera, new Playgrounds 2.0 AR Stickers, Live Wallpapers, stock Android Pie, and a lot more. So, if you’re wondering how to get Pixel 3 features on any Android smartphone, look no further. Read on to figure out how to get Pixel 3 features on your phone right now:
Get Pixel 3 Features on Any Android Smartphone
This tutorial is going to be a bit more complicated than your normal tutorial as many of the features that I mention have device restrictions so it may not work for every phone. I will mention these restrictions with every point, so be sure to read it before you try this on your phone. With that said, let’s see how to get Pixel 3 features on any Android device:
1. Get Pixel 3 Camera Features
Probably the biggest enhancement coming with the new Pixel 3 is its camera. However, even non-Pixel 3 users will be able to get Pixel 3’s camera features on their Android phones by simply downloading the Google Camera mod. Installing the camera mod is easy, but we have a detailed article on how to install Google Camera mod on any Android phone to help you out. Once you have installed the Camera mod, you will be able to access the following Pixel 3 camera features on your phone:
- Google Night Sight
- Google Live Lens
The developer of this APK has promised that it will be updated to bring more features such as Top Shot, and Motion Focus in the future. This means that eventually you will be able to use all the Pixel 3 exclusive features on your device which is just great.
Restriction: The app works only on phones with Android Pie as of now.
2. Get Pixel 3 PhotoBooth Feature
While you can wait for the Google Camera mod I mentioned above to get the PhotoBooth feature update, there is another way to get this feature right now and you don’t even need Android Pie for this to work. To get PhotoBooth on any Android device, just click on the link to download and install the Selfie Camera Auto app from the Play Store. Once you’ve installed the app, you can use it to capture selfies automatically just like you can by using the PhotoBooth feature on the Pixel 3.
3. Get Playground 2.0 Playmoji
Apart from the awesome camera features on Pixel 3, Google also introduced improved augmented reality stickers which look much more realistic than their previous iterations. Google also re-branded the AR Sticker feature which is now known as Playground 2.0. While this feature is exclusive to the Pixel 3 for now, you can use this on your own device. All you need to do is install the Google Camera mod 6.1 (mentioned above) and then install all the new sticker packs separately. We have already created a full tutorial on this and you can read it by clicking on the link.
Restrictions: The app works only on Android Pie devices right now, and is most stable on Pixel devices.
4. Get Android Pie on Any Android Device
As you can see, the Google Camera features need Android Pie to work. That means that not many old Android devices will be able to utilize these features. Thankfully, there’s also unofficial Android Pie port available for many devices which you can install to run the Google Camera mod app. The list of devices which have receive Android Pie port include the OnePlus X, OnePlus 2, OnePlus 3/3T, Moto Z Play, Asus ZenFone Max Pro, Redmi Note 5 and more.
You can see a full list of supported devices and find the installation link by visiting this article. The article will be updated with the new devices that will get Android Pie ROM support.
5. Get Digital Wellbeing Features on Any Android Phone
One of the best features of Pixel 3 is Digital Wellbeing, which helps you maintain a balance between your virtual and real life. Basically, the feature captures your smartphone usage and shows you important metrics such as the daily pickup and usage time, the app you spend the most time on, the app that sends you the most notifications, and so on. The feature also allows users to put restrictions on apps so that they can maintain a healthy balance of smartphone usage. You can get this feature on your rooted Android phone as well.
Do note that you need to be rooted for this feature to work. The device needs to be unlocked, running TWRP custom recovery and rooted using Magisk. You can learn more about rooting your phone by clicking on the above links. Once your device is rooted, you need to download and install the Digital Wellbeing APK and Digital Wellbeing Enabler by clicking on the links and then use Magisk to enable it. You can learn more about this process and get the step-by-step tutorial by clicking on the link.
Note: The app works only on Android Pie devices for now.
6. Get Pixel 3’s “SHUSH” Feature
Another small but nifty feature coming with the Pixel 3 is the flip to shush feature which allows users to activate DND mode by just placing their phones face down on a surface. Google has introduced this feature to make people more social so that they spend more time talking to their friends than looking at their phone. To get the ‘Flip to Shush’ feature on your phone, all you need to do is download and install the Flip DND app from the Play Store. Once installed, just grant the app necessary permissions and it will put your phone into DND mode once you put it face down.
7. Get Pixel 3’s Now Playing Feature on Any Android Phone
While this feature was introduced with the Pixel 2, it still remains one of my favorite features of the newly released Pixel 3. The feature, if you don’t know, allows the phone to automatically recognize any song that is playing in the background. While it does it offline in Pixel phones, to enable this feature on non-Pixel devices, we will be using the popular song recognizer app, Shazam. There’s a feature inside the Shazam app called Auto Shazam and it recognizes the songs playing nearby even when your phone is locked.
The Auto Shazam feature is available under the Settings menu of the app. You just need to enable the toggle next to it and the app will automatically identify songs in the background for you. In our testing, the app was working flawlessly as can be seen from the picture above.
8. Get Always On Display
Another cool Google Pixel 3 feature is its always-on display which displays information such as time and weather even when the device is locked and in stand by mode. This is a very handy feature as it allows users to get quick access to information without waking up their device. To get this feature on older Android devices, we will take the help of a third-party app called “Always on Display – AMOLED” which is completely free and can be downloaded from the Play Store. Once you have installed this app and granted it the necessary permissions, you will get the ambient display feature just like the Pixel 3.
9. Get Pixel 3 Live Wallpapers
Every new Pixel device comes with its own set of wallpapers which you cannot find on any other device. These wallpapers are really beautiful and will look really cool on your devices. To get these wallpapers for yourself, all you need to do is click on this link and download them. Once downloaded, you will be able to use these live wallpapers to beautify your own Android device.
SEE ALSO: Pixel 3 XL Performance and Gaming Review: Should You Buy OnePlus 6 Instead?
Enjoy Pixel 3 Features on Your Android Device
As you can see, there are many Pixel 3 exclusive features that you can get on your device if you are ready to spend some time on configuring your phone. I really like these features and I hope that you will enjoy using them as much as I did while testing them. Do let us know if you encounter any problems while getting any of these by writing in the comments section below. We will be happy to help you out.
