đź’ˇ lightphone customization guide
the light phone 3 is great out of the box, but if you want to push it further, you can boot into android and customize it way beyond what lightos offers by default. here’s a full walkthrough.
disclaimer: this involves accessing the android layer underneath lightos. do this at your own risk — you won’t brick your phone, but you might need to factory reset if something goes wrong.
step 1: boot into android
power off your light phone, then press the following key sequence:
up, down, up, down, down, home
this will boot you into the underlying android operating system instead of lightos. you’ll see a standard android setup screen.
step 2: enable developer mode
go to settings > about phone and tap the build number 7 times. this enables developer options, which you’ll need for some of the customization steps below.
step 3: configure basic settings
while you’re in android, there are a few settings worth changing:
- fingerprint unlock — set this up so you can unlock your phone quickly without a pin
- gesture navigation — switch from the default 3-button nav to gesture navigation. swipe up to go home, swipe from the edges to go back. feels way more modern.
step 4: install aurora store
since the light phone doesn’t have google play services, you can’t use the regular play store. instead, install aurora store, which is an open-source frontend for the play store that doesn’t require a google account.
download the aurora store apk from the browser and install it. you may need to enable “install from unknown sources” in your settings first.
step 5: install your apps
through aurora store (or by sideloading apks), install the apps you want:
- keymapper — this is essential. it lets you remap the physical buttons on the light phone to do custom actions. more on this below.
- spotify — works fine without google play services for basic playback
- signal — for encrypted messaging
- f-droid — another app store focused on free and open-source apps
- koreader — an excellent ebook reader if you want to use your light phone for reading
step 6: configure keymaps
keymapper is where the real customization happens. you can set up the physical buttons on your light phone to launch specific apps, toggle settings, or perform custom actions.
for example, you could map a long-press of the home button to open spotify, or double-press a volume key to toggle the flashlight. set this up based on your own preferences.
step 7: reboot into lightos
once you’ve got everything configured, reboot your phone normally. it’ll boot back into lightos, but the apps you installed in android will still be accessible. the light phone essentially runs lightos on top of android, so both layers coexist.
things to know
- no google play services — some apps that depend heavily on google services won’t work properly. push notifications may be unreliable for some apps.
- limited carrier support — depending on your carrier, some features like wifi calling or volte might not work. check compatibility before buying.
- updates — lightos updates may occasionally reset some of your android-side customizations. just re-apply them after updating.
credits
big thanks to the r/ModifiedLightPhones community for figuring most of this out. if you run into issues or want more advanced customizations, that subreddit is the best resource.
the whole point of the light phone is to use your phone less, so try not to go overboard installing apps. the goal is to add just the essentials that lightos doesn’t cover, not to turn it back into a regular smartphone.