I’m a Pixel-head, but getting Pixel-exclusive features onto a budget Samsung tablet isn’t as simple as installing a few apps. Some need extra setup, others don’t work due to hardware limits, and a few aren’t worth the compromise.

After I lost my Pixel 8 Pro and the Pixel 4XL, I started looking for ways to bring some of Google’s features to my Galaxy Tab A11. These are the ones I managed to get working, and the changes it took to make them useful.

Pixel Screenshots

My research screenshots stopped getting lost

I’m a writer, so taking screenshots is a big part of my day, especially when researching or testing apps. My tablet captures them just fine. Finding them again was the problem, and an old screenshot can hold information from an earlier research or testing session.

Pixel screenshots is an app that uses on-device AI Gemini to sort and organize everything you screenshot on supported Pixel phones. My tablet doesn’t have that, but PixelShot brings a similar feature to other Android devices.

PixelShot groups similar screenshots together, and I can search for the name of a tool or a subject to bring them back. That makes recovering information much faster and easier. You can preview a screenshot and get a detailed outline of what’s inside without opening the screenshot. It’s become one of the apps I use the most.

I use the free version, although a premium option is available. According to its Play Store listing, screenshots are processed on the device, and only extracted text is sent to a cloud AI for summary. It also asks for full photos and video access, which I’m okay with for the perks I enjoy.

Now Playing

The song I’d been hunting for turned up in a YouTube video

Now Playing identifies the songs playing around you without you opening an app. I brought a similar feature to my tablet with Ambient Music Mod, though it needs Shizuku, a free app that gives it system access, to run.

Open Shizuku and tap Pairing. Then, go to Developer Options and turn on Wireless debugging. Go to Wireless debugging > Pair device with pairing code, and you’ll see a six-digit code. Shizuku will prompt you to enter this code. Once entered, the pairing is successful. Head back to the Shizuku app and tap Start to get it running.

Then open Ambient Music Mod to use Now Playing. While I was streaming YouTube on my PC, it caught a song in the background that I’d been trying to find for a long time. It was “idea 10” by Gibran Alcocer.

It isn’t perfect, though. I’m using only the US music database, so I get a lot of “not found” results. Adding other databases might help, but I don’t want to slow the tablet down. Shizuku also has to be restarted after every reboot, and with my tablet’s limited RAM and aggressive background app management, that gets annoying fast. On Demand mode shows “Firmware Incompatible” because it needs root access, and I’m not rooting this tablet just for song recognition.

Rambler voice typing

I ramble, it tidies

Let’s get this straight: this isn’t a feature I missed. It’s more like an opportunity I’m glad I got. I dictate almost everything on my tablet and only type when I absolutely have to. That’s why Rambler, Pixel 11’s exclusive voice typing, caught my attention. It turns messy speech into clean text.

PixelBoard gave me a way around Google’s restrictions. It’s a patched version of Gboard posted by a developer on GitHub. I installed the APK, set it as my keyboard, and switched voice typing from Standard to Rambler. I’ve used it for nearly everything since installing it. It also came with Gboard’s writing tools in the keyboard. So I can change the tone of a message without switching apps.

The minor limitation is just the offline use. Google says Rambler still works offline on the Pixel 11, with fewer features. On my tablet, it falls back to standard voice typing. If a patched keyboard isn’t for you, there are other ways to dictate text on Android.

Live Transcribe

The built-in alternative to the port I couldn’t fix

I couldn’t get Pixel’s Recorder app working on my tablet. I tried a couple of Recorder APKs, and none worked. Most required turning off the Play Protect setting, and I wasn’t willing to do that.

I realized I wanted live transcription most from the Recorder, and Google’s separate Live Transcribe app gives me that. So I tried it while listening to a lecture about Carl Jung. The words appeared on the screen as the speaker talked, making it easier to follow along. It transcribes filler words too. It also misheard a few things, like “Jung” as “Young,” “puer” as “poor,” and growth as “goat” or “good.” The speaker also had trouble with R sounds, which didn’t help.

Transcripts stay in history for three days, and there’s an option to export everything before they expire. Also, you can use it offline without a drop in performance. Live Transcribe saves text, not audio, so it’s not a replacement for Recorder. It’s just more suited to my needs.

Material You Colors

My apps now match my wallpaper

I also missed the way Pixel’s Material You color system lets apps pick up colors that complement the wallpaper. Samsung’s One UI has its own palette, but ColorBlendr gave me a way to apply Material You style anyway.

The style I applied changed the colors in my apps, including Gmail and my keyboard. The colors go well with my wallpaper, and I like the uniform look now. It’s a small change, but one I notice whenever I use those apps.

It has some limits, though. Samsung’s settings, Quick settings, One UI interface, and some native apps keep their original colors. That doesn’t bother me because most of the apps I use every day pick up the new palette.

ColorBlendr also uses the same Shizuku service as Now Playing, which I already had running. A lot of the community themes and custom styles need root. I’m happy with the styles I can apply without going that far.

What was worth the setup

PixelShot and Rambler are the ones I use most, while Live Transcribe is easy to add. Now Playing takes some maintenance, but finding those music gems made it worthwhile. ColorBlendr is a nice visual extra.

I tried Smartspacer and Lawnchair to get the At a glance feature and the home launcher feel, but they didn’t work on my Samsung Galaxy due to hardware limitations.