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AuraGlow vs HiLight Studio: Pixel 11 Pro HiLight Apps Compared
By the llcloud team 5 min read
The short answer
Pick HiLight Studio if you want a free, MIT-licensed app with no analytics, you are comfortable with Shizuku, root or an ADB helper, and you want extras like foreground-app rules and shareable presets. Pick AuraGlow if you want a finished Play release that pairs on the phone with a code and needs no Shizuku, and you value its one-time Pro features.
Both apps light the HiLight ring on the Pixel 11 Pro, Pro XL and Pro Fold on Android 17 for any app, with per-app and per-contact colors, face-down rules and built-in rest limits. HiLight Studio is free, open source under the MIT licence and in open testing on Google Play, and connects through Shizuku, root or an ADB helper. AuraGlow sets up with Wireless debugging and a pairing code typed into the app, and its extras come with a one-time Pro purchase.
The Pixel 11 Pro's HiLight ring lights for favourite callers and Gemini, and that is all Google allows. Two apps unlock it for every notification: HiLight Studio, an open-source project by Dhananjay Bhosale that drew wide coverage in August 2026, and AuraGlow, which we make. They share a lot, because Android leaves only one door open to the ring. This comparison uses HiLight Studio's GitHub README and Play listing, and AuraGlow's own app page, as of October 2026.
How do AuraGlow and HiLight Studio compare?
| Feature | HiLight Studio | AuraGlow |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel 11 Pro, Pro XL and Pro Fold on Android 17 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Lights for any app's notifications | ✓ | ✓ |
| Color per app | ✓ | ✓ From the icon or wallpaper, custom with Pro |
| Color per contact | ✓ | ✓ Pro (BETA), in six messaging apps |
| Animated patterns | ✓ | ✓ Pulse free, 12 more with Pro |
| Face-down only | ✓ | ✓ Pro |
| Camera activity light | ✓ Camera and microphone | ✓ Pro, camera |
| Rules for the app on screen | ✓ Needs usage access | ✗ |
| Presets with import and export | ✓ | ✗ |
| Quick Settings tile | ✓ | Not listed |
| Quiet hours, Do Not Disturb, Battery Saver, low battery | ✓ | ✓ Quiet hours with Pro |
| Charging indicator | Not listed | ✓ Pro |
| Built-in LED rest limits | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | ✓ MIT | ✗ |
| Analytics | ✗ None | Anonymous usage stats and crash reports |
| Setup | Root, Shizuku or an ADB helper | Wireless debugging pairing code, root or Shizuku optional |
| Where to get it | Google Play open testing, GitHub | Google Play |
| Price | Free to install | Free, one-time Pro purchase |
What does HiLight Studio do well?
It is free and open source. The code is on GitHub under the MIT licence, so anyone can read how it drives the ring, build it, or fork it. Its Play listing says the Play build has no advertising, analytics, account system, telemetry or internet permission, and keeps rules and settings on the device. If that matters to you, it is a strong reason to choose it.
Its feature list is long and keeps growing. Besides per-app notification rules, it can react to the app you have on screen, which AuraGlow does not do. It has per-contact rules picked from chats it has seen, face-down rules, rules for camera and microphone activity, saved presets you can export and share, wallpaper colors and a Quick Settings tile. It is available in English and Japanese.
It also takes LED safety seriously. The README lists limits the renderer enforces even if the app's settings are edited: notification effects stop after a minute, brightness tapers after ten seconds of continuous light, and the array is active for at most half of any 10-minute window. The developer is open that long continuous use has not been tested.
Where does HiLight Studio ask more of you?
Setup depends on how you connect it. With root, the app detects it and uses it. Without root, you install Shizuku, start it through Wireless debugging and grant access, or you start an ADB helper from a computer with a command the app gives you. The README says privileged access has to be restored after every reboot, so without root you restart Shizuku or the helper each time.
The project calls itself experimental. The Play version is in open testing and installs separately from the GitHub build, with its own settings.
What does AuraGlow do differently?
AuraGlow is built around a shorter setup and a finished Play release.
- Pairing code on the phone. You unlock Developer options, turn on Wireless debugging and type the pairing code Android shows into AuraGlow. No Shizuku, no computer, no cable. Root and Shizuku work too, if you have them.
- Comes back after a restart. AuraGlow usually turns Wireless debugging back on by itself on a Wi-Fi you allowed before. When it cannot, a notification asks you to switch it on once. With root the light returns on its own.
- Colors that set themselves. Each app glows in its icon's color or a shade from your wallpaper.
- Built for the hardware. Every light is short and the ring rests half of every ten minutes. No setting overrides these limits.
- One-time Pro. Per-contact colors (BETA) in WhatsApp, Messages, Telegram, Signal, Messenger and Instagram, a full color picker, nine palettes and Rainbow, twelve more patterns, several apps at once or one LED per app up to eight, face-down mode, a camera light, a charging indicator, auto-dismiss, quiet hours and battery-aware brightness, plus every Pro feature added later.
Our guide to using the Pixel 11 Pro HiLight ring for notifications walks through every setup step.
What are AuraGlow's limits?
AuraGlow works only on the Pixel 11 Pro, Pro XL and Pro Fold running Android 17. The standard Pixel 11 has no ring. Setup needs Developer options, Wireless debugging and Wi-Fi.
USB debugging must stay on. Android switches Wireless debugging off whenever Wi-Fi changes, and that stops the light. With USB debugging on, a Wi-Fi change never stops it. No cable is needed, the switch just has to stay on.
AuraGlow is not open source, it sends anonymous usage stats and crash reports, and the extras cost a one-time Pro purchase. It never sends your notifications, messages or contacts anywhere, and the part that drives the ring has no network access. It has no foreground-app rules, presets or microphone light.
Which should you choose?
- Choose HiLight Studio if you want free, open-source software with no analytics, you already use root or Shizuku, and you want foreground-app rules, microphone rules or shareable presets.
- Choose AuraGlow if you want to set up with a pairing code on the phone, skip Shizuku, and get a light that usually comes back after a restart by itself.
- Happy with calls and Gemini only? You may not need either. See AuraGlow vs Google's built-in HiLight settings.
Both are free to try on a supported Pixel. For a light on the front of the screen too, AuraDisplay draws a ring around the front camera, as explained in our guide to getting a notification light on Android. It works with Always On Display on Pixel phones as well.
Sources
Questions
Is HiLight Studio free and open source?
Yes. HiLight Studio's source code is on GitHub under the MIT licence, which lets anyone use, modify and redistribute it. Its README describes the app as free, and its Play listing says the Play build has no advertising, analytics, account system or internet permission. The Play listing does show an in-app purchases label, so check it in your own Play Store.
Do I need Shizuku for either app?
HiLight Studio connects through root if your phone has it, otherwise Shizuku started with Wireless debugging, or a helper you start with ADB from a computer. AuraGlow does not need Shizuku. You turn on Wireless debugging and type the pairing code Android shows into AuraGlow. Root and Shizuku are optional in AuraGlow.
What happens after I restart my Pixel?
HiLight Studio's README says privileged access must be restored after every reboot, by restarting Shizuku or its ADB helper, unless you use root. AuraGlow usually turns Wireless debugging back on by itself on a Wi-Fi you allowed before, and posts a notification when it cannot. With root, AuraGlow's light returns on its own.
Why must USB debugging stay on for AuraGlow?
Android switches Wireless debugging off whenever Wi-Fi changes, and that stops the light. Keeping USB debugging on in Developer options means a Wi-Fi change never stops it. No cable is needed, the switch only has to stay on. HiLight Studio relies on the same developer access, so its light also depends on how you started it.
Can these apps damage the HiLight LEDs?
Both apps cap how long the ring runs. HiLight Studio limits notification effects to a minute and keeps the array active for at most half of any 10-minute window, and warns that long continuous use has not been tested. AuraGlow keeps every light short and rests the ring for half of every ten minutes, and no setting overrides it.
