A free clock app can replace the one on your Pixel phone

A free clock app called Chrono has replaced the default clock on one Android Police writer's Pixel phone for good. Reviewer Jon Gilbert says it is easier to use and looks better, and it handles alarms in ways the Pixel Clock app does not. It comes from GitHub, not the Play Store.

What Chrono does differently

The alarm tools are the main draw. Gilbert says Chrono lets you attach a task to an alarm, turn off snooze, and delete the alarm as soon as you dismiss it. That last one suits a one-time event, like an early flight, because old alarms do not pile up in the app.

• Alarms can have a name, plus vibration settings.
• The stopwatch has large buttons and colored bars for previous, fastest, slowest and average times.
• A Material You switch matches the app's colors to the rest of the phone.
• You can tweak corner roundness, opacity, blur, outline width and shadow depth.

What is missing

Chrono does not show local weather in its world clock, and it has no bedtime mode. Gilbert says he does not miss either, because he does not find sleep features useful. He also notes it has no integration with other apps or Android features.

The home screen widgets are a weaker spot. Chrono offers an analog and a digital clock, copied almost pixel by pixel from the Pixel Clock widgets. The digital clock comes only in a scalloped design, and the widget has no second hand or date. Gilbert calls the customization tools an afterthought.

Why it is open source

Open source means the app's code is public. Gilbert says he browses such apps outside the Play Store because it gives him control over what he installs. He says he is not worried about a clock app leaking personal information. He also says open source apps are often packed with features but awkward to use. He ran into that with AMdroid, an earlier clock app, before settling on Chrono after a year of testing.

What to do

If your phone's clock feels basic, Chrono is a free option to try. Before switching, check whether you rely on bedtime mode or weather in the world clock. Gilbert admits Chrono has fewer features than both Pixel Clock and AMdroid, but he argues a clock app does not need more.