PixelExperience (aka Pixel Experience, PE[2]) is a popular open-sourced custom ROM, or Android distribution, based on the stock Android AOSP (Android Open Source Project) that aims to provide a bloat-free, stock-android, Pixel-like experience to a wide range of Android devices.
The project, initiated by a community of developers in 2017,[5][2] focuses on delivering a clean, minimalistic, and visually appealing user interface reminiscent of Google's Pixel devices.
Pixel Experience is designed to be as close to stock Android as possible, with a focus on reliability, security, stability, performance, battery life, and useful customizations.[2][5][6][7]
Because of the frequent updates, stable security features, and being bug free, a reviewer called this the best daily driver of all the custom ROMs.[3]
Advantages and disadvantages
There are a number of advantages to using Pixel Experience, including:
- Latest Android security patches: get new versions faster than some stock ROMs[3][5]
- Stock Android experience: having no bloat means faster performance even on low-end hardware[5]
- Active community: excellent developer and community support[5][3]
- Support for a wide range of devices,[5] possibly extending the lifespan of a device that is no longer receiving OEM updates,[2] supporting over 100 devices in November, 2022[2]
- Stability and bug-free experience compared with other custom ROMS[5][3]
- Supported phones may pass Google SafetyNet out of the box.[2][3]
- The ROM comes with Google apps (know as GApps) pre-installed, negating the need to install them separately.[2]
However, there are also a few disadvantages, including:
- May not be compatible with all devices: need support from individual developers
- From v13 needs to flash Google apps (know as GApps) separately to get Google services[5]
- Google SafetyNet "fails by default breaking some apps". Magisk can circumvent this.[5][2]
- Installing a custom ROM can void manufacturer warranty[5]
- May not have stock ROMs' or other custom ROMs' bells and whistles[5]
- Requires a working knowledge of Android bootloader unlocking and ROM flashing
- May not be as stable as stock Android
Features
Pixel Experience features include:
- Stock Android AOSP with Google Pixel features
- Latest Android security patches: there are monthly Android security patches to keep devices secure and up-to-date. Vulnerabilities are quickly patched.[5]
- Can use with its own PE limited-feature recovery image (with OTA), or TWRP or other recovery[2][3]
- Apps: Pixel Experience includes some features that are not available on stock Android, such as Pixel Boot Animation, Pixel setup, Pixel Launcher (with round icon support), Pixel Live Wallpapers, Pixel Themes, icons, fonts, Pixel Camera (on some devices), Pixel dialer, Pixel Recorder, Pixel Sound, Google Assistant Pixel, etc. These features make Pixel Experience similar to the Pixel devices.[2][3][5][8]
- Active community, with source code on GitHub[9]
Pixel UI
Pixel UI is designed to mimic Pixel phones, with a focus on simplicity, material design, and personal customization. Key features of Pixel UI include:
- Material Design: Pixel UI is based on Google's Material Design guidelines, which emphasize a clean, modern, and user-friendly interface.[5]
- Simplicity: Pixel UI is designed to be simple and easy to use.[5]
- Personalization: Pixel UI allows for a degree of personalization. Users can change the wallpaper, theme, and launcher.
- Pixel experience: Notification shade, settings menu, app drawer, lock screen, and always-on display are modeled after Pixel phones. The layout, transitions, and animations match Pixel phones.[5]
Here are some of the specific elements of Pixel UI:
- Lock screen: Pixel UI uses a simple and customizable lock screen that shows notifications and provides quick access to the camera and flashlight. There are tweaks including: toggle media cover art, music visualizer, and device controls[2]
- Always-on display: Pixel UI supports an always-on display that shows the time, date, and notifications when the device is idle.[5]
Overall, Pixel UI is a clean, modern, and customizable user interface that provides a stock Android experience. It is for users who want a simple and easy-to-use interface that still offers a degree of personalization.
Customizations
Users can customize their Pixel Experience devices to match their individual needs and preferences.
There are options to customize the status bar, lock screen, theme, icon shape, font, and accent color to personalize the home screen. Multiple pre-installed themes and icon packs are also available.[5]
There are settings to tweak UI elements like the clock/date format, icon size, notification logos, brightness slider position, etc.[5]
Here are some of the ways to customize Pixel Experience:
- Change the launcher: Pixel Experience comes with the stock Android launcher, but users can change it to any other launcher they like.
- Change the wallpaper: Pixel Experience users can change their wallpaper to any image they like.
- Change the theme: Pixel Experience offers a variety of themes to choose from, and users can also create their own custom themes.
- Install custom fonts: Pixel Experience allows users to install custom fonts to change the look and feel of their device's text.
- Enable or disable features: Pixel Experience allows users to enable or disable a variety of features, such as the always-on display and the Google Assistant.
- Use mods: There are a variety of mods available for Pixel Experience that can add new features or change existing features.
Pixel Experience is a customizable ROM that allows users to personalize their devices to match their individual needs and preferences. There are a variety of customization options available, and there are a number of resources available for finding Pixel Experience customizations.
Optimizations
There are enhancements to improve performance, battery life, and stability compared to stock Android. There are also tweaks to memory management, app launching, and UI fluidity.[5]
Features to extend battery life include doze mode, background app optimizations, scheduled dark mode, etc.[5]
Plus variant
An official Plus variant has additional functionality:[2][7]
- Per-app volume settings
- Network traffic monitor
- Notch hiding support
- UI enhancements
- Additional gestures (such as 3-finger swipe for screenshot)
- LiveDisplay panel, for tweaking color profile, display mode, reading mode, and color calibration
- More granular customizability including modifying status bar icons, volume and power button cutomization, lock screen cutomizations
- Screen recorder
- Custom screenshot: take screenshot selecting any part of the screen
- Caffeine: temporarily disable screen lock & sleep mode
Community and support
Pixel Experience has an active community of users and developers. As a result, there are wide variety of officially supported and unofficial supported devices.[2][3]
There are dedicated Instagram, Telegram, and XDA accounts which the developers and users use for communications. As a result, questions may be quickly answered, and issued quickly resolved.[3]
The project also has a comprehensive wiki that includes instructions on how to install and use the ROM, as well as a troubleshooting guide.[10]
Pixel Experience is a custom Android ROM that provides a near-stock Pixel experience for a wide range of devices. There is an active developer community, which can be broadly classified into two groups:[5]
- Core Team: The central Pixel Experience team spearheads the project, overseeing its overall development and management. They handle the core Android framework, platform updates, new feature implementation, and official builds, aiming for stability, consistency, and adherence to Google's design principles.
- Device Maintainers: These independent developers port and optimize Pixel Experience for specific devices, including those from Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Sony. They lay the groundwork for new device ports, identify and resolve device-specific issues, ensure feature compatibility, and maintain a regular update schedule for specific devices. They help to implement Pixel Experience on many smartphones.
