What Essentials Is and Why Pixel Fans Should Care
Essentials is an open-source tools-and-tricks app that brings Samsung Good Lock–style customization to Google Pixel phones by giving users fine-grained control over quick settings, lock screen behavior, display tweaks, and system UI effects without replacing the stock Pixel interface. For many users switching from Samsung’s One UI, the lack of a Good Lock alternative on Pixel has been a long-standing frustration. Samsung fans are used to extensive personalization, from custom recents layouts to playful notification effects, while Google’s Pixel UI customization options feel more limited out of the box. Essentials changes this balance by offering a focused, Good Lock alternative for Pixel that lives in a single app instead of separate modules. According to Android Authority, Essentials is “the closest equivalent for Pixel phones right now,” especially for users who miss Samsung Good Lock features but want to stay on stock Pixel software.
Installing Essentials: Preparing Your Pixel for Deeper Tweaks
Essentials is designed as a Good Lock alternative for Pixel and other Android phones, but it feels most at home on Google’s own devices. Unlike Samsung Good Lock, which is organized as a store-like hub of separate modules, Essentials app customization tools are bundled together in one install. After downloading it from the developer’s GitHub page, you open a clean dashboard of categories covering display, notifications, power features, and quality-of-life tweaks. Because Essentials modifies Pixel UI customization options at a system level, you may need to grant extra permissions, toggle accessibility services, or allow notification access for specific tools to work. The app’s layout keeps these requests organized by feature, so you can approve only what you plan to use. Think of this setup phase as flipping on the same kinds of switches Samsung hides in Good Lock, except now they’re on your Pixel instead of a Galaxy.
Tuning Display and Night Modes Like a Pro
One of Essentials’ strongest Samsung Good Lock features–style tricks is its control over display behavior. Google’s default Night Light is a simple on/off toggle, but Essentials turns it into a per-app tool. You can keep Night Light active system-wide while excluding apps that need true-to-life colors—such as the camera, gallery, video players, or streaming apps—so your screen does not turn amber while you edit photos or watch movies. The app also exposes frame rate and scaling options usually buried in developer settings, giving you per-app refresh rate limits and finer control over how content is rendered. This level of Essentials app customization lets Pixel owners fine-tune smoothness and battery use in a way that feels familiar to seasoned One UI users. For many, it narrows the gap between Pixel UI customization and the more mature tuning Samsung offers through One UI and Good Lock.
Customizing Notifications, Quick Settings, and System Flair
Essentials also brings some of Samsung’s flair to Pixel UI customization, especially around notifications and system effects. Its Notification Lighting feature is a clear nod to Samsung’s Edge Lighting: when an alert arrives, your Pixel can display animated glows, status bar pulses, or even Google-inspired loading animations. You can tweak pulse count, colors, and styles, turning basic notifications into subtle visual cues. Beyond that, Essentials offers mods that echo core Good Lock alternative Pixel users have wanted for years: more control over quick settings behavior, smoother animations, and changes to how the system UI responds in daily use. While it doesn’t fully replicate every Good Lock module, it covers the essentials of lock screen and system customization, helping bridge the experience gap for former Galaxy users who grew attached to One UI’s polish and miss those thoughtful touches on their Pixel.
Is Essentials Enough to Replace Good Lock on Pixel?
Essentials does not try to copy every Samsung Good Lock feature, but it hits the most practical notes for Pixel owners: smarter Night Light control, animated notification lighting, display tuning, and a growing list of system tweaks packaged into one approachable app. For Google fans who envy One UI’s polish, it offers a meaningful Good Lock alternative Pixel users can install today, without waiting for an official toolkit. In the Android Authority hands-on, the author notes that while the app works on multiple Android devices, it “is far more useful on Google phones,” because it fills a real gap in Google’s own feature set. Paired with Pixel’s strengths—fast Android updates and clean design—Essentials lets customization enthusiasts build a hybrid experience that keeps Google’s software identity while reclaiming much of the power and flexibility they loved from Samsung’s ecosystem.