Google limited HiLight, but Pixel 11 Pro owners now have another option – Automated Home

The Pixel 11 Pro’s rear HiLight LEDs can do far more than Google’s built-in software currently allows. An open-source app called HiLight Studio lets users configure the eight-LED array for app notifications, custom colors, and animated patterns.

Google designed HiLight as a subtle way to stay informed without looking at the screen. HiLight Studio expands that idea by allowing notification-based lighting rules, including alerts generated by smart-home apps.

For smart-home users, it can turn Android notifications into visual signals. A door sensor, security camera, or other connected device could trigger a chosen color or animation when its app posts a notification, giving the face-down Pixel 11 Pro a quick visual cue.

HiLight is more capable than it looks

HiLight is exclusive to the Pixel 11 Pro family, including the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Google describes HiLight as a ring of colored LEDs around the camera flash that provides visual cues when the phone is face down.

The lights can indicate different stages of Gemini interactions, including listening, thinking, and responding. Favorite contacts can also trigger a customized HiLight color during incoming calls, with support for Phone by Google and WhatsApp.

At launch, HiLight remained limited to Gemini activity and calls from favorite contacts. Google said it planned to expand the feature with additional capabilities, including message notifications from favorite contacts.

Google keeps HiLight deliberately limited

At launch, HiLight was not a general notification light. Google’s built-in implementation focused on Gemini interactions and calls from selected favorite contacts rather than messages, emails, social apps, or third-party notification categories.

That creates a gap between the hardware and Google’s software controls. The Pixel 11 Pro’s HiLight system uses 8 LEDs, whereas Google’s launch implementation offered only a limited selection of colors and use cases.

Nothing’s Glyph Interface provides a useful comparison because Nothing has built broader lighting controls into supported phones. HiLight offers a more limited set of built-in controls, although HiLight Studio expands what the Pixel’s LEDs can do.

HiLight Studio opens the system up

HiLight Studio was created by developer Dhananjay Bhosale. It is free, ad-free, and subscription-free, and its code is open source. It supports Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold phones running Android 17.

The app creates per-app notification rules, app-open effects, custom colors, and multiple animation patterns. Presets can be exported, imported, and shared, while Quick Settings, Do Not Disturb, quiet hours, and battery restrictions add control.

Its effects include Rainbow, Random, Comet, Pulse, Breathe, and Wave. Users can configure individual LEDs for saturation, intensity, brightness, and timing. That turns HiLight into a small programmable notification system.

What can the rear lights show?

For smart-home users, the possibilities are particularly compelling because Android notifications can serve as visual signals. A security-camera alert could trigger a red pulse, while a water-leak notification could use a blue breathing effect.

A completed robot-vacuum run could use a green comet pattern, while a Home Assistant automation could produce a purple wave. Calendar reminders could use white or amber, giving a face-down phone another glanceable role.

These examples depend on applications producing notifications that HiLight Studio can read. The app does not create new smart-home integrations, so its usefulness depends on Android notification behavior.

Little-known fact: HiLight Studio was first spotted by The Verge’s David Imel on the developer’s GitHub page and notably works without rooting the phone, despite requiring shell-level system access.

Setup is not for casual users

HiLight Studio is not distributed through Google Play. Installation requires sideloading the APK from the developer’s GitHub project. Android can show Play Protect or unknown-source warnings because the application comes from outside Google’s store.

The setup also requires Shizuku, Developer options, and Wireless debugging. Users must pair and start Shizuku before requesting access in HiLight Studio. They then approve the permission request before it can communicate with HiLight controls.

The light has important safety limits

HiLight Studio includes built-in timing limits for the rear LED array. Sustained brightness tapers after 10 seconds of continuous light, while ambient effects stop after 30 seconds by default and can be extended to 5 minutes.

Notification effects are limited to 1 minute. The array can be active for no more than half of any 10-minute period, and other controls such as Battery Saver, low-battery protection, quiet hours, and Do Not Disturb can pause the output.

Does the unofficial approach work reliably?

Android Authority tested HiLight Studio on a Pixel 11 Pro XL. Its advertised colors and animations worked after setup. However, the test also found interference with native HiLight behavior that could prevent Gemini and favorite-contact effects from working.

Those built-in effects reportedly returned after removing the app and restarting the phone. The issue could depend on the device or software release, showing why enthusiasts should understand recovery before experimenting.

Privacy matters when notifications are involved

Notification access deserves particular attention because it can expose notification content to an application. That information could include messages, authentication codes, emails, security alerts, and smart-home events delivered via Android.

Usage access can also reveal which applications are opened and when. Anyone considering HiLight Studio should inspect the developer’s official repository, source code, release history, and permissions before granting system-level access.

HiLight fits a bigger Pixel package

HiLight is only one part of the Pixel 11 Pro family. Google also lists Tensor G6 and a Super Actua display reaching 3,600 nits. Storage starts at 256GB, while Pixelsnap and Qi2.2 support charging up to 25W.

The Pro camera system includes an upgraded 48-megapixel telephoto camera. It also supports Portrait Mode at 5x and Pro Zoom up to 120x. Google promises seven years of operating system, security, and Pixel Drop updates.

The Pixel 11 Pro starts at $1,099 in the U.S., while the Pro XL starts at $1,299. Those prices put HiLight in the premium phone category, where cameras, AI, display quality, support, and security matter more.

TL;DR

• HiLight Studio adds app-specific colors and animations, allowing Android notifications to trigger visual signals on the Pixel 11 Pro’s rear LEDs.
• Installation is more involved than for a typical Android app and may require ADB or Shizuku with Wireless debugging, depending on the setup method.
• Built-in brightness and duration limits restrict prolonged LED use, while notification and usage access create privacy considerations.
• The experimental app can interfere with native HiLight behavior, although the built-in effects can return after removing the app and restarting the phone.

This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.

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