Notification light
What Is Pixel HiLight? The Pixel 11 Pro LED Ring Explained
By the llcloud team 6 min read
Quick answer
Pixel HiLight is a ring of eight LEDs around the camera flash on the Pixel 11 Pro, Pro XL and Pro Fold. Google lights it for calls from favourite contacts and while you talk to Gemini. AuraGlow turns it into a full notification light, glowing for any app you pick in that app's color, with patterns and per-contact colors in Pro, while Google's own glows keep working.
Notification LEDs used to be on almost every Android phone, then they disappeared. HiLight is Google bringing a light back, in a new place: on the back, around the camera flash, where you see it with the phone face down on a table. This guide explains what the hardware is, what Google's own settings do with it as of October 2026, and how AuraGlow turns it into a notification light for every app.
What is Pixel HiLight?
HiLight is a ring of eight LEDs on the back of the Pixel 11 Pro, Pro XL and Pro Fold. 9to5Google describes it as an array of ambient LED lights around the camera flash. On the Pixel 11 Pro and Pro XL it sits to the right of the camera bar, and on the Pro Fold it is in the top-left corner.
Each LED can show its own color, so the ring can glow as one color, split into sections, or run a pattern around itself. Google's idea is a glance-able light: the phone lies face down, the ring glows, and you know something needs you without turning it over.
| Phone | HiLight ring | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Pixel 11 Pro | ✓ | Right of the camera bar |
| Pixel 11 Pro XL | ✓ | Right of the camera bar |
| Pixel 11 Pro Fold | ✓ | Top-left corner of the back |
| Pixel 11 | ✗ | No ring |
On the standard Pixel 11 there is nothing to light. Our guide to getting a notification light on Android covers screen-based options for it.
What does Google's HiLight do out of the box?
Google lights HiLight for two moments, both set in Settings > System > HiLight.
- Calls from favorites. When the phone is face down and a favourite contact calls, the ring glows. Google says it works with the Phone by Google app and WhatsApp. Every favourite glows in a default color unless you pick one in the Contacts app, under Contact Settings > HiLight. 9to5Google reported five colors, chosen to be visible to everyone, and that pressing the power button dismisses the glow.
- Speaking with Gemini. The ring confirms Gemini heard you and shows different patterns for listening, thinking and responding.
A few details from Google's help page are worth knowing. HiLight glows in modes like Bedtime and Do Not Disturb by default, and setting calls to None in a mode keeps it dark. If flash notifications are on, HiLight does not show for incoming calls. If any of this stops working, our HiLight not working guide goes through every fix.
What is coming to HiLight next?
Google said at launch that favourite-contact colors would reach messaging later, and 9to5Google noted it was unclear whether third-party apps would ever get access. In the Android 17 QPR2 beta, a Messages from favorites toggle appeared, working with Google Messages and glowing twice for a new text from a favourite. Android Police expects it with a December Pixel Drop. In an earlier QPR2 beta, Android Authority found four more colors, orange, cyan, green and blue, next to today's teal, yellow, white, pink and purple. Android Headlines reports they are not live on stable software yet.
Even with that update, Google's HiLight stays focused on favourite contacts. Email, deliveries, reminders and most apps are not part of it.
How does AuraGlow extend HiLight to every app?
AuraGlow drives the same ring for any app you choose. Android only lets its own developer tools reach the ring, so AuraGlow uses them on the phone itself. You unlock Developer options, turn on Wireless debugging and type the pairing code Android shows into AuraGlow. No computer, cable, Shizuku or root is needed, and USB debugging stays on so a Wi-Fi change never stops the light.
What you get:
- Every app lights the ring. Messages, email, deliveries, reminders, each in its icon's color or a shade from your wallpaper.
- Google's glows keep working. AuraGlow keeps its own settings, so favourite calls and Gemini still glow as before.
- Built for the hardware. Every light is short and the ring rests for half of every ten minutes, with no setting to override it.
- Stays out of your way. It respects Do Not Disturb, pauses in Battery Saver, stops below a battery level you pick and can go dark for an hour.
- Pro, one purchase. Per-contact colors (BETA) in WhatsApp, Messages, Telegram, Signal, Messenger and Instagram, twelve more patterns, several apps at once or one LED per app up to eight, face-down only, a camera light and a charging indicator.
You can try notification light colors and styles in our notification light preview tool, then follow the step-by-step setup in our Pixel 11 Pro HiLight guide. Other community apps exist too, and we compare them in AuraGlow vs HiLight Studio and AuraGlow vs HiLight Plus.
What do you need to light HiLight for every app?
AuraGlow keeps the list short, and every item is something you already have or can switch on in a minute.
- A Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL or Pixel 11 Pro Fold running Android 17.
- Developer options, unlocked by tapping Build number seven times in Settings > About phone.
- Wireless debugging for setup, which needs Wi-Fi while you pair.
- USB debugging left on afterwards, so a Wi-Fi change never stops the light. No cable is needed.
AuraGlow asks only for notification access and permission to post its own notifications. It reads notifications to choose the light and never sends their content anywhere. Root and Shizuku are optional. With root, the light comes back by itself after every restart, and without it AuraGlow usually turns Wireless debugging back on for you on a Wi-Fi you allowed before.
Which way of using HiLight should you pick?
| What you get | Google's HiLight alone | Google's HiLight plus AuraGlow |
|---|---|---|
| Calls from favourites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Gemini glow | ✓ | ✓ |
| Messages from any app | ✗ | ✓ |
| Email, deliveries and reminders | ✗ | ✓ |
| Color per app | ✗ | ✓ |
| Color per contact in messaging apps | ✗ | ✓ Pro (BETA) |
| Patterns for notifications | ✗ | ✓ Pulse free, 12 more with Pro |
| Several alerts at once | Not listed | ✓ Pro |
| Charging indicator | Not listed | ✓ Pro |
| Fixed rest periods for the LEDs | Not listed | ✓ |
Google's HiLight is the starting point, and AuraGlow is what makes the ring a real notification light. For the full side-by-side, see AuraGlow vs Google's HiLight settings. HiLight is on the back, so it is out of sight face up. For a light on the front as well, AuraDisplay draws a ring around the front camera or a glow along the screen edge.
Sources
Questions
What is HiLight on the Pixel 11 Pro?
HiLight is a ring of eight LEDs around the camera flash on the back of the Pixel 11 Pro, Pro XL and Pro Fold. Google uses it as an ambient light you can see with the phone face down. Out of the box it glows for calls from favourite contacts and while you talk to Gemini. AuraGlow lights it for any app's notifications.
Does the regular Pixel 11 have HiLight?
No. HiLight is only on the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. The standard Pixel 11 has no ring, so no app can light one there. On the Pixel 11 or any other phone, AuraDisplay draws a notification light on the screen instead, around the front camera or along the edge.
What colors can Pixel HiLight show?
With Google's settings you pick one of five colors for a favourite contact, chosen so they are visible to everyone. Four more turned up in an Android 17 QPR2 beta but are not on stable software yet. AuraGlow colors each app from its icon or your wallpaper, and Pro adds a full color picker, nine palettes and Rainbow.
Can HiLight show notifications from any app?
Not with Google's own settings. As of October 2026, stable software lights it for calls from favourites and for Gemini, and a messages option for favourites is in beta with Google Messages. AuraGlow lights the ring for any app you pick today, so messages, deliveries and reminders each glow in their own color.
Where are the HiLight settings?
Google's settings are in Settings > System > HiLight, with a main Use HiLight switch and toggles for Calls from favorites and Speaking with Gemini. A favourite contact's color is set in the Contacts app under Contact Settings. AuraGlow keeps its own settings in its app and does not change Google's.
