Third-Party App Unlocks Pixel 11 Pro’s HiLight LED, Expanding Its Limited Out-of-Box Functionality

Out of the box, the LED on the back of the phone can only alert users to calls from favorite contacts and indicate when Gemini is active, with limited customization options. TechRadar’s review described HiLight as “not a must-have,” while Android Authority called it “pointless,” and GSMArena said it was “borderline useless.”

X user @Dhananjay_Tech created HiLight Studio, which allows users to activate the HiLight LED for notifications from any app or when launching an app. The app also lets users customize the LED’s color and pattern, and is free of both charges and adverts. According to TechRadar, the app was reportedly “vibe coded” using AI, which some may find less reassuring.

The app is not available on Google Play. Instead, users must download it from GitHub, install the Shizuku app, and then activate HiLight Studio through Shizuku by finding the downloaded GitHub file and selecting Setup > Request access. The app also needs to be restarted manually after each phone reboot. These requirements have sparked mixed reactions on Reddit, with one user saying “this is so much better” than the standard HiLight functionality, while another argued that requiring Shizuku makes it a “complete non-starter.”

TechRadar noted that the hope is that Google might eventually embrace HiLight’s full potential through an update, so users don’t have to turn to third-party apps. For now, HiLight Studio offers a way to get more out of the feature.