can you download stock android on other phones 10 Best Stock Android Phones Available Under Rs. 20,000 In 2021. Motorola and HMD Global that markets Nokia Brand in India ar`e the two OEMs that are primarily accredited for pushing the pure Android software on affordable phones for the last few years. In 2021, however, the onus is now on Motorola and nascent brands like Micromax. ( ) Consumers have strong faith in stock Android software and it also makes more sense for new entrants to embrace stock Android rather than to spend time and resources perfecting a custom interface. Stock Android has progressively gotten better and is considered a safer bet. So, if you are looking for a stock Android or pure Android phone priced under 20,000 INR, here are a few options that you could consider. Stock Android: Advantages and Disadvantages. The stock Android software is popular because it’s relatively lighter and faster as it isn’t bogged down or burdened with customization options, added features, ads, and preloaded apps that you might or might not use. Or in other words, you will (generally) get a clean reliable interface, won’t have to endure ads and recommendations in your notifications panel, and get to decide what apps you want to keep on your phone. It’s also a safer bet for consumers. If you aren’t sure whether you will find a particular software in line with your taste, it’s generally safer to side with ’s vision aka stock Android. On the other hand, the unadulterated Android experience can feel crippling and unbelievably bland at times. That’s because Stock Android is missing a few staple options and that can be really annoying. For instance, we receive many consumer complaints regarding missing features like call recording or a proper, separate gallery app. Best stock Android Phones under Rs 20,000. 1. Moto G60 and G40 Fusion. Moto G60 (review) and G40 Fusion (review) are almost similar phones, with minor differences. Both of these phones run Motorola’s clean software and are powered by Snapdragon 732G octa-core chipset. These aren’t slim or light phones, but perhaps the 6000mAh battery justifies the heft. The IPS LCD panels on both phones support 120Hz refresh rate. The primary difference between the two is in their hardware. The G60 brandishes a 108MP primary rear camera and the G40 Fusion has a 64MP primary rear camera. 2. Moto G 5G. Moto g5 5g (review) is one of the most affordable 5G phones in India. It has a massive 6.7-inch IPS LCD display that supports HDR10 and 90Hz refresh rate. Powered by Snapdragon 750G, this one runs with My UX on top. So, it’s not exactly stock Android, but it’s close and worth counting in. There are four on the rear, a 5000mAh battery, and a rear fingerprint sensor. 3. Moto G9 Power. Moto G9 Power (review) is another sizeable phone that provides remarkable value for its price. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 662 octa-core chipset, paired with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The handset has a 6.8-inch HD+ display, a massive 6000mAh battery, and a 64MP primary rear camera. The software is Android 10-based My UX which is clean and simple and close to stock Android. 4. Motorola One Fusion+ Motorola One Fushion+ is a competitive specced stock Android phone priced under INR 20,000. This one employs Snapdragon 730G octa- core chipset with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. Then there is the customary quad-camera arrangement on the rear with a 64MP sensor in the lead, 16MP pop-up front camera, a 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support, and a dedicated button. The only catch is that you will have to buy this from recurring flash sales. 5. Micromax IN Note 1B. Micromax is trying to make yet another comeback in India with its In series phones. The IN Note 1B offers decent hardware for an affordable phone and runs simple stock Android software. It’s an appealing phone for casual users, even when Micromax is yet to get the nuances right. Features to look forward to include Helio G85 octa- core chipset, 6.67-inch Full HD+ display, and a 5000mAh battery with fast charging. 6. Moto G9. Moto G9 (review) is another affordable stock Android phone from 2021 that’s powered by Snapdragon 662 paired with 4GB RAM and up to 64GB storage. This one has a 48MP primary rear camera, a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display with HD+ resolution, and a 5000mAh battery with 20W fast charging. The Moto G9 starts at Rs. 11, 500 at launch and is an option worth considering for people who prioritize stock Android. 7. Moto G8 Plus. Motorola Moto G8 Plus is powered by Snapdragon 665 octa-core chipset, runs pure Android, supports Dolby Atmos audio, has a vivid display, and a 4000mAh battery. It’s not a phone for hardcore gamers but is a decent option for quotidian consumers who prioritize clean software. 8. Xiaomi Mi A3. Mi A3 is the third or stock Android phone from Xiaomi. Going by early 2021 standards, the Mi A3 can be termed as a compact and light phone. It has a 6.08-inch display with HD+ resolution and is powered by Snapdragon 665 octa-core chipset, which is a minor improvement over Snapdragon 660 on its predecessor. The handset has an in-display fingerprint sensor, triple rear cameras, a water-drop notch, and a 4030mAh battery with fast charging support. On the downside, the display isn’t sharp enough and that really bogs the experience down. 9. Motorola One Vision. The primary highlight of the Motorola One Vision is its 21:9 aspect ratio screen that’s quite immersive when you find the right content. The 6.3- inch IPS LCD display is full HD sharp and has a punch-hole cutout to accommodate the selfie camera. The handset is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 9606 octa-core chipset and employs a 48MP primary rear camera. The 3500mAh battery doesn’t sound very inspiring, but on a positive note – Moto bundles an 18W Turbocharger in the box. If you are fascinated by the prospects of experience pure Android software on that rather tall screen, Moto One Action is almost the same phone, save for the differences in camera hardware. 10. Nokia 8.1. The Snapdragon 710 powered Nokia 8.1 is now available in the sub 20K price segment. The handset has a 6.18-inch screen with Full HD+ resolution and a large notch. The handset runs stock Android 9.0 Pie out of the box, starts at 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, and Zeiss optics for front and rear cameras. It’s fueled by a 3500mAh battery and has fast charging support. 10 Best Pure Android Running Smartphones for 2021. As you might have noticed, phones with the best hardware aren’t running stock Android. Last year hasn’t been particularly good for stock Android, and the only compelling options that come to mind is Google 4a. Here’s the list of affordable stock Android phones In India in 2021. How to Make Any Phone Feel More Like Stock Android (Without ) Cameron Summerson is the Editor in Chief of Review Geek and serves as an Editorial Advisor for How-To Geek and LifeSavvy. He’s been covering technology for nearly a decade and has written over 4,000 articles and hundreds of product reviews in that time. He’s been published in print magazines and quoted as a smartphone expert in the New York Times. Read more. Now is arguably the best time in the history of the platform for Android users—the OS is getting better, updates are getting (slightly) quicker, and there are several excellent handsetS to choose from. If you’re not into the whole “manufacturer skin” that most are offering these days, however, it can be slightly less exciting to buy a non-Nexus phone. But giving your phone a “stock Android” look and feel isn’t as hard as you think. If you’re rooted, of course, you could just flash a custom ROM based on stock Android, but most people don’t want to go through that hassle these days. If you have a Samsung phone, we recommend checking out our Samsung-specific guide–there are a few extra things Samsung has in place that let you make your phone feel like stock. For all other phones, read on. Change Your Launcher. This is the first thing that I do on any phone, because it easily makes the biggest different right out of the gate. With Android, basically everything is managed through the launcher—the app that handles your home screens—so it’s one of the most dramatic changes you can make to your phone’s look and feel. Even better, there are several really good launcher replacements out there. If you’re looking for a one hundred percent stock experience, you can get that on the home screen with the Launcher—the same one that you’ll find on stock Android devices. However, if you’re looking for an experience that’s more customizable and still very close to a stock look and feel, I vote for Nova Launcher. It’s powerful, insanely customizable, and fast—what more could you possibly want? You can even change your icons in Nova to match those of stock Android, so you’re not stuck looking at Google’s Launcher with LG or Samsung’s icons. It’s a win-win all around. Switch to Google Keyboard. Touch keyboards on Android have come a long way over the last few years, and Google’s own offering is now one of the best out there. Like most other things Android, it’s clean and minimal, not full of “fluff” features that no one ever uses, but rather has a focus on accuracy and meaningful settings. Like Now Launcher, this is the same keyboard that you’ll find on stock Android devices out of the box. Grab it from the Play Store, install it, and enjoy your next step toward stock. Use Google Camera. There’s a good chance that the stock camera app that comes with your phone is robust and full-featured, which is nice, but sometimes you just don’t need all that. If you want something simple and easy to use, Google Camera is the app for you. It does a good job of keeping the picture taking process a clean one, as it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles that you’ll find on most other cameras—just hit the button and snap the picture. The idea here is that Google Camera will do most of the heavy lifting for you, automatically setting , ISO, shutter speed, and all that other good stuff. But there’s one catch: it’s not available directly from . If you want to install the official Google Camera, you’ll have to grab it from APK Mirror and sideload it. Keep in mind that there are two different versions of Google Camera—one for 64-bit phones, and one for 32-bit phones—and you’ll also have to enable “Unknown Sources” in your phone’s Security menu. Honestly, your phone’s default camera app is probably just as good, if not better–but if you want a truly stock experience, grabbing Google Camera is worth the extra work. Drop the Stock SMS App and Switch to Messenger. There is no shortage of messaging apps in Google Play, and even Google now has a bunch to choose from. But I think Google really got it right with Messenger, the new(ish) stock SMS app for Nexus devices. It uses Google’s user interface for a clean, sharp look, but it’s not just a pretty face—it works exceptionally well, too. But really, I just mostly love how good it looks. I don’t understand why so many other messaging apps can’t seem to get this right. Messenger is my jam. Give Google’s Other Apps a Shot. Your phone probably ships with the manufacturer’s choice of various apps—Calendar, Gallery, Clock, etc. The thing is, Google’s stock offerings are probably better (or at least a lot cleaner), and you can use those instead: While that won’t get you a perfectly stock phone, it’s definitely several steps in the right direction. Switching to Google’s own apps will give your phone a much more stock-like look and feel, which can be a big improvement on many handsets out there. And really, if you don’t like it, you can always switch back. That’s the power of choice, baby. How to Get (Nearly) Stock Android on Any Phone, No Rooting Required. Recently, Google fans finally got what they've wanted since the HTC Hero first came out: stock Android versions of the most popular, non-Nexus handsets. However, if you aren't able to pick up one of those phones, you can still get the stock experience, without having to root your device. Is the Stock Android Galaxy S4 Better Than a Nexus? Yesterday at Google I/O, the company announced something it hasn't before: a stock version of an… There are a number of reasons why you might not be able to get a stock Android handset. The costs $300 and the other handsets are $600 or more. They only work on certain networks and aren't available in all countries. That still leaves an overwhelming majority of people that might prefer Google's vision of the platform that might never know for lack of access. Or you might just not want a Nexus—some of the other phones have arguably better hardware, even though their software might not be the stock experience. Obviously, the nuclear option is to root your phone and install a custom ROM that's based off stock Android, like CyanogenMod . We highly recommend doing this, in fact—but if that sounds too work-intense or intimidating, you can still get pretty close without risking your warranty or reading a single guide (well. aside from this one). Everything You Need to Know About Rooting Your Android Phone. We love Android, but rooting your phone can give you the opportunity to do so much more than your… Get a New Home Screen. Your home screen is like your. well, like your home. Technically, the app that contains your home screen is called the launcher , and it also includes your app drawer and widget selector. Manufacturers skin this pretty heavily (for example, HTC's new BlinkFeed feature is built in to the launcher). Apps like Nova and Apex Launcher are custom launchers that are very similar to the Google-y default. They do add some new features like changing icons (which we'll get to in a bit), but they're largely similar, if you want them to be. They'll have their own dedicated set of preferences to tweak things like animations or number of home screens. It's actually better than stock—it gets you the stock look with a bunch of other features so you can tweak things to your liking. Replace the Keyboard. This one's a slam dunk, since Google recently released their keyboard on the Play Store. You can replace the keyboard on your device with any number of alternatives, but if you want the stock version it's available right here . The bad news is that this will require Android 4.0+ and is only for English-speaking countries at first. If you happen to be stuck on an older device or in a region that isn't supported, you can download the APK separately . Of course, this will not come with updates and may not work perfectly. You're on your own if you go down this road, but it is available. Of course, they aren't stock, but you can't go wrong with keyboard alternatives like SwiftKey or Swype , either. Five Best Android Keyboards. Finding the perfect Android keyboard is no easy task—there are so many to choose from, and most of… Download All the Google Apps. For the most part, you're probably already using some regular Google apps. , Hangouts , and Maps , for example, typically come pre- installed on every phone, or are at least the best available option. However, you're probably using some skinned versions of basic apps like the calendar. If you want to get as close to stock as possible, you'll need to add a couple things. For starters, Chrome is now the default browser on new devices. is also available to replace the skinned versions your manufacturer included. Unfortunately, the Google-y Messaging app isn't available. However, a modified APK that's designed to work with is on the Play Store. If you want to use it to receive Google Voice , it will cost money eventually, but just for regular text messages it's perpetually free. Unfortunately, without rooting, you're still left with a few gaps. Namely: The dialer, People, Camera, and Gallery apps are still siloed within official Google builds, but alternatives exist for nearly all of them (for example, we like JustPictures and QuickPic better than the default Gallery app anyway). Also keep in mind that your manufacturer has probably made extensive tweaks to the camera app that you'd want to keep. For example, the HTC One introduces a host of custom features that the stock camera app doesn't include. In this sitaution, going pure Google does have its trade-offs. The Best Photo Management Alternative for Android. Your phone is likely the centerpiece of your digital photo collection, so you may as well have the… Tweak the Icons and Wallpapers. It's just not stock Android without the right icons and wallpapers. The latter is super easy to find, as your backgrounds were always meant to be customizable, so it's just a matter of downloading the right image . Typically, XDA will have the new ones available pretty quickly. Live wallpapers get a bit trickier as they're not necessarily universally compatible. You can find helpful posts where selfless internet citizens have gone to the trouble of ripping APKs of stock live wallpapers. These might be more of a crapshoot in terms of compatibility, but search around for your specific device and LWP you're looking for and you may get lucky. Icons are similarly complicated, though mainly due to the launcher. Icon packs are often designed to work with Nova, Apex, GO Launcher, ADW, or any number of alternative launchers. If you downloaded the stock Google apps in the last section, then you're probably mostly set, but the sticklers can typically find the last few remnants on the Play Store or in the XDA forums. Just download the icon pack to your device, install it (if it's an APK), thenhead into your launcher's settings and change your icon pack to the one you downloaded. Don't Forget the Kitchen Sink. You may not be aware of it—and to a certain extent you don't need to be, as much of this happens behind the scenes—but Google has been working to bring the stock experience more out in the open. The biggest piece of that puzzle is . You may or may not recognize it, but this is a crucial piece of the Google ecosystem that can be updated independently of a whole OS update. This became especially clear at Google I/O this year when Google introduced a host of new features , and there was no mention of a new version of Android. That doesn't mean you don't get new features, though. Synchronized notifications, better location tracking, and all those sweet new gaming features are all part of an update to the new Google Play Services . Google Play Services Bring Notification Syncing and More to Android. At Google's I/O conference today, the company announced some interesting new APIs as part of Google. You don't really have to do much of anything to keep this part updated. However, if you want the purest Google experience you can get, this is where the magic is probably going to happen from here on out. It will update behind the scenes and developers will tap into, sometimes without you ever seeing it happen. Don't be worried or freak out over any permissions it requests. This is just the new delivery system for key Android components. Google is attempting to separate Android from its services. The slow updates cause breaks in the platform that have led to a somewhat chaotic ecosystem. With Google Play Services, combined with the unbundling of key apps like Calendar or the keyboard (which actually began with way back in Android 2.0), the broader plan is to make the Android version you're running entirely irrelevant. It wasn't possible two or three years ago, but now you can get almost entirely stock Android just by downloading a few apps. How to make your phone feel like stock Android (without root) Android OS comes in different flavors on different phones. If you have a Samsung phone, you won’t find the same UI on another phone. The user interface of Xiaomi phones is different from Oppo and OnePlus. Every OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) brings its unique flair to their devices. Most Android enthusiasts lean towards stock Android which is the basic version of Android OS that Google ships. Other than Motorola, OnePlus, Nokia, and some other companies, all companies use a highly customized version of their Android OS on their devices. Why stock Android? I prefer stock Android any day over skinned versions of it. It looks clean, is fast, and offers buttery smooth performance than tweaked versions. Vanilla Android also comes with less bloatware than skinned versions. It doesn’t lag or slows down with time like other Android phones. Google’s Nexus and Pixel phones are examples of how stock Android keeps performance a priority by ignoring unnecessary design trends. Here are the reasons why stock Android is better than tweaked versions: 1. Latest updates. Nexus and Pixel devices are the first ones to get the latest builds of Android OS. Google ships these devices with the basic version of Android. But the other companies take time to deliver updates. Google and other OEMs like OnePlus can deliver updates faster because they don’t have to visually play with the operating system. Inconsistent updates on Android devices are no less than a plague in the Android ecosystem, but Google’s Project Treble might bring seamless updates to the platform. 2. Better Performance. Due to fewer animations and bloatware, stock Android often performs better than skinned versions. Vanilla Android comes with less to no bloatware, and it helps maintain the performance and keep the storage free of duplicate apps. With fewer apps to suck up the juice and better performance, the battery life also gets better with stock Android. 3. Less Bloatware. If you own a Samsung phone or any other Android phone that has been tweaked, then you have seen duplicate apps like two browsers, two email apps, and two messages apps. You don’t have to deal with this bloatware in stock Android. As the OS grows, it offers more flexibility by letting users uninstall the apps they don’t need. Bloatware also drains battery life and sucks the performance of a phone. Hence, it is important to get rid of it and make your phone faster. How to get Stock Android experience? Via . If your phone is not running vanilla Android, you can follow these tips to make it feel and look like stock Android. Here is how to go stock Android with your non-stock phone: 1. Install Pixel Launcher. The first thing to make your phone feel like stock Android is changing the launcher of your phone. It won’t change the look ENTIRELY, but it significantly changes the app drawer and home screen. You can download Pixel Launcher on your Android phone, and it will give you a stock Android feel. In case Google Play says that your device isn’t supported, you can download and install APK of Pixel Launcher from APKMirror here. If Pixel Launcher is still not compatible with your device, you can also try other third-party launchers like Nova or Action Launcher. Nova Launcher is my first preference on any phone which doesn’t have stock Android. Install Nova launcher, and it’ll give you a Pixel look with some advanced features that you won’t find in stock Android launchers. Nova lets you customize your phone with. 2. Install G-Apps. Vanilla version of Android comes packed with Google Apps. These apps are developed by Google and packed with the basic version of Android OS. Here’s a list of apps that you should consider to make your phone feel like stock Android: 3. – the Google Keyboard. Gboard – the Google Keyboard is one of the first apps that I install on my new phone. It’s one of the most useful keyboard apps in the Google Play Store. It is material designed and was also mentioned in our list of best Android keyboard apps. Installing it will give you a feel of stock Android. 4. Install Messages app (by Google) Default Messages app that comes with stock Android phones is also available on Google Play. You can download Messages and ditch your current messaging app for good. The new messages app from Google also comes with RCS support and a web client. 5. Install Contacts app. Contacts by Google is also a useful addition to your phone. It comes with stock Android phones with the support of merging duplicate contacts and synchronization with Google accounts. 6. Install Calculator app. Calculator by Google is also available on Google Play. The material designed app is more than useful for different calculations. But, it’s still a basic calculator app which only offers history and some advanced features, unlike many other apps that can calculate complex inputs and support Matrices along with other concepts of Mathematics. 7. Install Google Camera app. Google Camera app is available on the Play Store, but it might not work on your phone. To install Google Camera, you’ve to use the moded version that is available for your device here. Google’s software enables users to take better photos. If you remember the Night Sight mode, you know that Google uses software to capture great shots even in darkness. Google Camera app also tops our list of best camera apps for Android smartphones. 8. Install Google Assistant. Google Assistant is a handy addition to your phone if you prefer automating your routine using an AI-powered assistant. The newly designed Google Assistant makes it more useful and easy to use. You can install Google Assistant on your phone from Google Play Store or enable it using the app for Android. 9. Install Google Doc apps. Document related apps by Google include , , and . These apps are essential if most of the work is about creating documents of these formats. Since we are talking about making a phone look like stock Android, these apps are also on the list. 10. Install Wallpapers app (by Google) Wallpapers app is not necessary, but if you want to have it just because it comes with most of the stock Android phones, then you can download it here. You can also pick a wallpaper from our list of best wallpaper apps for Android. 11. Install Stock Android Icon Pack. To make your phone look like stock Android, you have to get an Icon pack that looks like vanilla Android. There are hundreds of Icon packs available on Google Play, but the Pixel Pie Icon pack is my favorite. It is available for free with in-app purchases to remove Ads. The app offers more than 6000 icons reflecting ’s icon design. What is stock Android? We’ve all heard the term before, but what is stock Android exactly? Stock Android, also known by some as vanilla or pure Android, is the most basic version of the OS designed and developed by Google. It’s an unmodified version of Android, meaning device manufacturers have installed it as is. Android is an open-source operating system, which means companies can modify it to their liking. They do so by adding what’s known as a custom skin or user interface on top of the OS, which changes its look and feel as well as adds new features. These skins include Samsung Experience, HTC Sense, EMUI (Huawei), and OxygenOS (OnePlus), to name a few. Some skins, like Huawei’s EMUI, change the overall Android experience quite a bit. For example, until EMUI 5.0 came along, owners of Huawei smartphones didn’t have an app drawer. All the apps installed on a device were placed on the home screen, just like on iPhones. On the other hand, we have skins like OxygenOS from OnePlus that have a different approach. OxygenOS looks and feels almost exactly like stock Android but does have a few extra features on board. These include Reading Mode that filters out blue light for a better reading experience, and App Locker which secures your data-sensitive apps from prying eyes. The software also allows you to open an app of your choice by drawing an O, V, S, M, or W on the display while it’s turned off, and much more. With stock Android, you get none of that — you only get the features developed by Google. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Stock Android has many advantages over customized versions of the OS. Advantages of stock Android. The biggest advantage of stock Android is fast updates. Smartphones running it are among the first to get upgraded to the latest versions of OS, while owners of Samsung, LG, and other smartphones typically have to wait for quite some time to get an update. That’s because these manufacturers have to modify a lot of the software before they can release it, which isn’t the case with stock Android. The second reason is that stock Android smartphones are bloatware-free, meaning they don’t come pre-installed with apps made by the manufacturer that you’ll likely never use. For example, some handsets come with their versions of calendar and fitness apps (and many others), which are already on the device courtesy of Google — or can be installed from the Play Store. What’s worse is that these apps usually can’t be deleted from a device, unless you root it. That brings me to the next advantage of stock Android, which is storage. All those unnecessary apps take up space that you could use for something else. Also, the OS itself takes up more room due to the many bells and whistles that were added to it by the manufacturer. In other words, stock Android typically takes up less space on your device compared to modified versions of the OS. Stock Android also has a clean, minimalistic design many people love. It can be very different from some Android skins out there that look way too colorful for my taste or even dated — although this is subjective and might be a good thing for some. The simplicity of the operating system makes it a great choice for newbies, as it can be a lot easier to use. Google’s variant of Android can also work faster than many customized versions of the OS, although the difference shouldn’t be massive unless the skin is poorly developed. It’s worth noting that stock Android isn’t better or worse than skinned versions of the OS used by Samsung, LG, and many other companies. It’s just different. Which one is a better option for you comes down to your personal preference. Smartphones with stock Android. The most popular stock Android smartphones are those made by Google. These include the Pixel, the , and the handsets as well as older Nexus devices. HMD Global, which launched smartphones using the Nokia brand starting in early 2017, also uses stock Android. The next on the list is Lenovo. The Chinese manufacturer announced back in August 2017 that it will ditch its Vibe Pure UI and ship all its future device with stock Android on board — the first one was the K8 Note. Then there’s also Essential, which makes sense given the fact its owner, Andy Rubin, co-founded Android before it was acquired by Google in 2005. Unfortunately, this phone is no longer available from the company directly. And let’s not forget about Android One handsets. Android One is Google’s program that brings a stock version of the OS to smartphones. These include models like the HTC U11 Life, Xiaomi Mi A1, the Motorola One and many others — see the full list here. Android One was originally designed for entry-level smartphones and targeted at emerging markets but has since been reinvented and sort of replaced by . What are your thoughts on stock Android? Do you prefer it over customized versions of the OS found on Samsung, LG, and many other smartphones? Let us know in the comments.