Now that the LG G7 ThinQ is in the hands of quite a few users, chances are you may already be tired of LG’s software. Maybe you want all of the frills that LG includes, but want a stock Android look.
Well, thanks to the world of Android, you can do just about whatever you want. That includes making your G7 ThinQ look like a Pixel 2.
Download the Launcher
Unfortunately, Google Now Launcher is dead, and the Big G has not released a new launcher for everyone to download. However, all is not lost as there is a modded Pixel 2 launcher available.
In order to get this working on your device, you’ll want to click the link here from your G7. This will download the Rootless Pixel 2 Launcher to your device.
Before getting started, your device needs to be able to install files from “unknown sources”. This is just a security measure included in Android to prevent malicious files from automatically downloading.
- Open Settings
- Select Apps
- Scroll down and find your browser, in this case, Chrome
- Scroll down and toggle Install Unknown Apps
If this is your first time downloading an APK file from somewhere other than the Play Store, then you will likely see a prompt. This will allow you to automatically toggle this function on, without having to dive into the settings.
Once this has been completed, we’ll need to locate the Rootless Pixel 2 Launcher file we downloaded earlier. You can use a third-party file manager, or the standard My Files app.
- Open My Files
- Select Installation Files
- Tap Download
- Select the Pixel 2 Launcher
- Tap Install
After the launcher has been installed, you’ll want to set it as your default launcher. You can tap the home button and choose from the list of launchers. Select Pixel 2 Launcher and tap “Always”.
Finally, you will have the Pixel 2 Launcher, equipped with a few extra customization options. While you won’t be able to choose custom icon packs, but you there are some other settings to tinker with.
What about Wallpapers?
This wouldn’t be a true Pixel 2 set up if we didn’t have the right wallpapers onboard. Well, Google has everyone’s back in this case, as the company released the “Wallpapers” app on the Play Store some time ago.
This gives you access to all of Google’s stock wallpapers, allowing you to stop scouring forum threads. Simply download the app from the Play Store, find the wallpaper of your liking and apply it.
You will then have all of those love landscape and satellite view wallpapers that we have all come to know and love.
Odds & Ends
So now that we have our launcher, wallpaper, and theme in place, there are a few more steps. In order to get the full “Stock” experience, you will want to head to the Play Store to download a few apps.
- Gboard – Download Google’s stock keyboard app
- Chrome – The best browser around
- Contacts – This won’t replace your dialer app, but still comes from Google
- Calendar – Download the Google Calendar app to replace Samsung’s option
- Google Messaging – Take advantage of Google’s own messaging app over whatever Samsung includes
Set as defaults
After these apps have been downloaded, we need to head back into Settings. By setting each option as the default, this will remove any prompt for you to switch between Samsung’s apps or Google’s.
- Open Settings
- Scroll down and select Apps
- Tap the three-dot overflow in the top right-hand corner
- Select Default Apps
From this Settings panel, you can go through and change the default app for the following options:
- Browser App
- Calling App
- Messaging app
- Home screen
When it comes to an app like Gboard, you’ll need to head over to the Langauge & Input portion of the settings. Additionally, Gboard will walk you through the process of setting a default during initial set up.
Show off your home screens
Now is your chance to shine. We’ve shown off what our G7 ThinQ looks like now that the Pixel 2 Launcher is enabled. But we want to see what you’re working with.
Be sure to comment below with a screenshot of your home screen. And if you have any questions, feel free to let us know in the comments!
