These are the best apps I sideload on my Pixel phone

Google Pixel users can access a world of apps beyond the Play Store. Not every great Android app will be found within the company’s store walls. Many apps I rely on daily on my Pixel 8 are located in third-party app stores and repositories, forcing me to embrace sideloading to install them. These apps build on core Pixel features, make better use of Google’s own design language, and offer a gateway to even more great tools. Below, I detail three of the best apps I always sideload on my Pixel, and you should absolutely consider installing them on your device, too.

If you’re using a Google Pixel phone and haven’t tried Smartspacer, you have no idea what you’ve been missing. Smartspacer enhances the functionality of Google’s At a Glance widget — a fixture on the Pixel Launcher. The tool allows more integration with third-party apps and Google services, making that information strip at the top of your Pixel’s screen even more useful.

While the default At a Glance experience lets you toggle various items on and off, Smartspacer goes several steps further. Once activated via a reasonably complicated process involving ADB and Shizuku, Smartspacer extends my control of At a Glance, giving it a leg up over a traditional replacement widget. More importantly, the app’s changes extend to the AOD, making it a universal info ticker whether my Pixel is locked or ready to rumble.

Considering what Smartspacer is capable of, I’m not surprised that it’s unavailable on Google’s official store. However, it’s found quite readily on GitHub. To fully use Smartspacer, I suggest grabbing its various plugins, many of which are also built by its developer, to enhance the app’s utility further.

One of the perks of the Play Store is its seamless background update support, keeping my swathe of downloaded apps fresh and functional. Those who regularly sideload apps on their device know that updating them can be a massive pain in the neck. We need a Play Store-like governor to seek out, notify, and install app updates from various sources. Obtanium is one of the first apps I install on Pixels, as it does just that.

Obtanium lets me search for apps across various online sources, select various parameters for download and updates, and list all the apps I’ve ever installed or monitored through the app itself. When an update is pending, I don’t have to go directly to an app’s GitHub repository via a browser; I simply hop on to Obtanium and update it as I would via the Play Store.

Obtanium is available on GitHub and via F-Droid. Note that Obtanium can also scour F-Droid and its repositories for apps, so installing both is no longer explicitly necessary.

Breezy Weather is my favorite free weather app by a country mile. I’m unsure how it’s still free because it’s packed to the brim with features and elegant design flourishes. As a Pixel user, I benefit from the Material design touches, including a widget that melds perfectly with my carefully curated Pixel Launcher experience. More importantly, as a data nerd, I can choose from various weather providers for my region.

The app presents weather info in multiple customizable cards, displaying critical parameters like actual and relative temperature, wind, UV index, and beyond. Forecasts extend well into the future, making it a great secondary weather app to support my primary tool, Meteogram.

If you’re wondering why I don’t use the official Pixel Weather app instead, I can’t quite get around some of its quirks. Its single weather provider isn’t as accurate for my region, rendering it less reliable than alternatives. I also don’t appreciate the lack of a date displayed on the 10-day forecast card — it just doesn’t make sense as a quick reference tool. Finally, its meager widget offering is also off-putting. This is especially true given that Breezy Weather’s large widget looks as if it was made by Google itself.

Breezy Weather is available on F-Droid and GitHub, but I reliably keep it (and Smartspacer) updated using Obtanium.

That’s my brief list of the best apps I sideload on my Pixel. Do you have a favorite app that is not available on the Play Store but pairs perfectly with your prized Google phone? Let me know in the comments below.