I gave up on stock Android until I found these 4 apps that fix what Google broke
… Essentials The grail for UI customization that dwarfs Material You Saving the best for last, we've got an extensive personalization suite simply named Essentials . …
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These 4 Pixel widgets earn their space on my home screen by cutting friction every day
… Yes, I agree the Google Search bar is ubiquitous, and Android purists hate that it's baked into the Pixel Launcher, but it is the ultimate Swiss Army knife of the ecosystem. …
These 4 free open-source apps fix what Google left broken on my Pixel phone
… This makes Pixel devices resemble an on-ramp for Google's subscriptions more than a flagship Android phone. Oftentimes, Pixel phones struggle with basics like looking up local files without ads or sending files to another OS easily. …
I ditched my Pixel phone's camera app for this free open-source alternative
… It hasn't quite hit the same level as Samsung's devices, but it's getting there, especially with the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro. …
I tested an Android launcher that learns your habits and stops making you search for apps
… This is unlike anything I've seen on Pixel Launcher, and before you rush to the comments section to tell me how Nothing Launcher, Samsung's One UI, and others surface app suggestions in the drawer, this is way different. …
I turned my Samsung Galaxy into a speed machine by ditching Samsung's bloated launcher
… Then there is Lawnchair, which is probably the better option if you like the Pixel Launcher but want more control. It is open source, based on Android’s Launcher3, and supports Material You theming, richer grid and icon customization, and local on-device search. …
I ditched my car's built-in infotainment for Android Auto, and three years later I haven't looked back
… Even the UI is responsive, fluid, and mostly immediate since my Pixel phone's handling the processing, not the aging chipset powering the headunit. …
This free Photoshop alternative does what GIMP and Krita can't, and I stopped looking after trying it
… When I’m dealing with deadlines, I don’t have time for UI lag or brush stutter. That is exactly where Affinity Photo 2 wins. It’s built for the hardware I’m actually using in 2026. Whether I’m working on my Windows workstation or pushing pixels on my MacBook Pro, the difference is night and day. …
4 useful Android Auto apps that made the cut after I purged my home screen
… The app's UI is straightforward and simple, and most importantly for me, it's multi-platform. Whether I'm using my iPhone 17 Pro , my Pixel 10 Pro , a Windows 11 or Mac desktop, and of course, Android Auto, all the podcasts I listen to are synced, including even the playback position. …
I turned my Windows desktop into an animated GIF playground with this free open-source app
… One cool thing about this is that if an image has transparent pixels, you can still click UI elements under those pixels, even if the image's resolution technically covers that area. …