Google Pixel phones get better with age, but only if you use these 4 apps to match new features

Published Nov 5, 2026, 6:31 AM EST Andrew Heinzman is a seasoned tech writer with over half a decade of experience. He specializes in delivering insightful tech news and detailed product reviews, particularly focusing on audio and video technology, as well as computers and smartphones. His journey in tech writing includes a two-year stint as the News Editor at Review Geek, the former sister site of How-To Geek. Throughout his career, Andrew has consistently provided readers with valuable insights and up-to-date information on the latest developments in the tech world, earning recognition for his clarity, depth, and relevance. In his free time, Andrew likes to explore music and read books, just as he did when earning his bachelor's degree in English literature. Google Pixel phones tend to hit maturity a few years after launch, as bugfixes and updates slowly fix and add functionality. Still, you may find that you're envious of all the cool new features Google has introduced on newer Pixel devices. No worries, these new features are easy to replicate on an older Pixel handset, or any Android device, for that matter. You just need a couple of clever apps. Use Wispr Flow to replicate Rambler A speech-to-text tool that doesn't garble your sentences The Pixel 11 includes a totally upgraded speech-to-text tool called Rambler. It's built directly into Gboard and replaces the standard speech-to-text algorithm with one that utilizes a mix of on-device and cloud AI for super-intelligent transcription. In other words, Rambler makes fewer mistakes than a typical voice-typing tool, it's great at removing "uhs" and "ums," and you can ask it to fully rewrite text on the fly. Wispr Flow is the easiest way to replicate this technology on older Pixel phones. It's an AI-powered voice-to-text tool that runs alongside your keyboard of choice (so, in that way, it's better than Rambler). It's worth noting that you can add Rambler to any Android phone by using a modified version of the Gboard app. But I wouldn't encourage anyone to go down this route, as modified Google apps are a ToS violation and, more importantly, Rambler uses cloud AI. It costs Google some money, so there may be an increased risk of getting punished for violating the ToS. Use WeatherMaster to match the new Pixel Weather app Sunny days ahead! The Pixel Weather app, introduced in 2024, probably works just fine on your phone. It supports all Pixel models beginning with the Pixel 6, after all. But the Pixel 8 and later devices have an enhanced weather app with built-in AI overviews, which can be useful when you're not in the mood to examine hourly forecasts or other data. Thankfully, these AI overviews are replicated in WeatherMaster, an app that aims to offer the full Pixel Weather experience on every Android device. There are some quirks here, such as the requirement to grab a free API key for some weather sources, but WeatherMaster is still one of the easiest ways to make an older Pixel phone feel just a little bit fresher. I suggest that you check out the WeatherMaster GitHub repo for additional info, including supported weather sources. Unlock all the camera features Google doesn't want you to have Every Google handset features the Pixel Camera app, but did you know that this app is slightly different on every model of Pixel phone? Certain features, including manual camera controls, are exclusive to "Pro" models, while new features like Camera Looks only work on the latest Pixel phones. Thankfully, the Pixel-Camera project unlocks all of these features on any Pixel phone you want. You just need to sideload the APK. I should clarify that Pixel-Camera isn't perfect. It has plenty of known bugs, and using it won't unlock features that require exclusive hardware, such as Periscope Lens. Still, if you're bored of the Pixel Camera (or jealous of newer devices), this unofficial app is worth a try. Check out the Pixel-Camera GitHub repo for a link to the most recent APK, plus a rundown of supported features, devices, and known bugs before you dive in. Run a local LLM with Google AI Edge Gallery Just don't set your expectations too high New Pixel phones include a lot of on-device LLM functionality, but it's mainly utilized for things like Sound Recorder transcriptions or Google Messages summaries. In any case, it's fair to assume that a lightweight local chatbot may be preinstalled on some future Pixel phones, so we might as well get a head start by playing with local LLMs on the phones we've already got. There are actually several ways to run a local LLM on Android. You can go through Termux, for example, or through dedicated apps like PocketPal AI. But one of the easiest (and more forgiving) tools for this is Google AI Edge Gallery, an app that lets you install and run Gemma models locally with basically zero effort. Models installed with AI Edge Gallery can be used as basic chatbots, of course, though Google has also built a lot of tools that make it easy to use models for offline audio transcription, image media search, and language translation. Plus, the AI Edge Gallery app includes a Prompt Lab so that you can tailor models toward specific workflows, such as programming or summarizing documents. While model performance in AI Edge Gallery is quite good, even on older phones like the Pixel 8a, these models can push your phone to the limit. You should also bear in mind that Gemma and other local models don't match the capabilities of cloud-based frontier LLMs. Change your Pixel phone's settings to make it feel new These apps may provide a Pixel 11-like experience on older hardware, but they won't make a sluggish or bloated phone feel brand new. To do that, I suggest that you adjust settings like animation speed, clear out old apps, and enable app archiving.