The Samsung Galaxy A20s (model numbers SM-A207F, SM-A207M, and SM-A2070) is a reliable budget smartphone that serves millions of users worldwide. However, like many budget devices, it comes preloaded with a heavy layer of Samsung's stock software complete with numerous preinstalled apps you may never use, unnecessary background services, and visual overlays that consume valuable RAM and storage space. Over time, this bloatware slows down performance, drains battery life, and makes the device feel sluggish.
There's a better way. By installing Pixel Experience Plus Android 13, a custom ROM based on Google's pure Android design, you can completely transform your Galaxy A20s. Pixel Experience Plus is renowned for being exceptionally lightweight, clean, and stable. It strips away all unnecessary bloatware, freeing up RAM and storage space while delivering the clean, fast, and intuitive software experience found on Google's Pixel devices.
This guide will walk you through every step of installing Pixel Experience Plus Android 13 onto your Samsung Galaxy A20s. No computer is strictly required; everything can be done directly from your phone using TWRP recovery. By the end, your A20s will feel like a brand-new device: faster, smoother, cleaner, and running the elegant Android 13 experience that Samsung never officially provided.
⚠️ Important Warnings Before You Begin
Custom ROM installation involves modifying your device's system software. Please read these warnings carefully before proceeding:
- All Data Will Be Erased: Installing a custom ROM requires formatting your data partition. Back up everything important photos, videos, contacts, and app data to Google Drive, an SD card, or another device before starting.
- Warranty May Be Voided: Unlocking the bootloader and installing custom software will trip Samsung's Knox security counter, permanently marking your device as modified. Some Samsung services (Samsung Pay, Secure Folder) may no longer work.
- Potential for Bootloop: If you skip critical steps like formatting data or flash incompatible files, your device may become stuck in a boot loop. Follow every step exactly as written.
- Compatibility: This guide is specifically for the Samsung Galaxy A20s (SM-A207F, SM-A207M, SM-A2070) running Android 11-based firmware. Do NOT attempt this on other Samsung models.
- No Official Support: Pixel Experience Plus for the Galaxy A20s is a community-built GSI (Generic System Image), not an official build from the Pixel Experience team. While highly stable, some minor features may behave differently than on official builds.
✅ Prerequisites
Ensure you have all of the following before starting:
- Samsung Galaxy A20s (SM-A207F / SM-A207M / SM-A2070) with unlocked bootloader and TWRP recovery installed
- Battery charge of at least 70%
- Internet connection to download the required files
- At least 4-5 GB of free internal storage or an SD card (recommended for reliability)
- Complete backup of all personal data
- If you haven't yet unlocked your bootloader or installed TWRP, you must do those first; they are mandatory prerequisites.
📥 Files You Need to Download
There are two essential files you'll need to download. Save them to a location you can easily access:
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Pixel Experience Plus Android 13 ROM | The main operating system image (usually in .xz or .img format) |
| Permissive Boot Image | Custom kernel required to boot Android 13 GSI on Galaxy A20s |
Important Note: If the Pixel Experience file downloads in
.xzor.zipformat, you must extract it first to get the.imgsystem image file. Only the.imgfile will be flashed through TWRP.
Where to save the files:
- Option A (Recommended): Save directly to your phone's internal storage; TWRP can usually read it without issues.
- Option B: Save to an SD card the most reliable method if internal storage appears encrypted.
- Option C: Save to a computer first, then transfer to your phone once inside TWRP via USB.
🔑 Prerequisite: TWRP Recovery Must Be Installed
Before you can flash anything, your Galaxy A20s must already have TWRP custom recovery installed. If you haven't installed TWRP yet, you cannot proceed with this guide. You'll need to:
- Unlock your device's bootloader first
- Flash TWRP recovery
- Verify that you can successfully boot into TWRP
Once TWRP is installed and working, return here and continue with the ROM installation steps below.
📲 Step-by-Step: Install Pixel Experience Plus Android 13
Step 1: Boot into TWRP Recovery
- Power off your Samsung Galaxy A20s completely; wait until the screen goes black and the device stops vibrating.
- Press and hold the Volume Up button + Power button simultaneously.
- When the Samsung Galaxy A20s logo appears, release ONLY the Power button while continuing to hold the Volume Up button.
- Keep holding Volume Up even after the screen goes black; TWRP will load automatically after a few moments.
Note: Sometimes TWRP appears instantly; other times it takes a short while after the screen goes black. Be patient do not release the Volume Up button too early.
Step 2: Fix Storage Access If Needed
Once inside TWRP, check if your internal storage is readable:
- ✅ If you can see your files: Proceed directly to Step 3.
- ❌ If internal storage is encrypted/unreadable: You have two options:
- Option 1: Use files saved on an SD card; TWRP can read them regardless of internal encryption.
- Option 2: Go to Wipe → Format Data, type "yes", confirm, then reboot back into TWRP. Internal storage will now be accessible. You can then transfer files from your computer via USB.
Step 3: Flash the Pixel Experience Plus System Image
- From the TWRP main menu, tap on Install.
- Tap the "Install Image" button (not the regular "Install" for ZIP files).
- Navigate to where you saved the extracted Pixel Experience Plus
.imgfile. - Select the file.
- When asked which partition to flash, select System Image.
- Swipe the slider at the bottom to confirm and begin flashing.
- Be patient; flashing the system image takes several minutes. Let the process complete fully without interruption.
- When finished, you'll see a "Successful" message.
Step 4: Flash the Permissive Boot Image
- Tap Back to return to the file selection screen.
- Tap "Install Image" again.
- Select the Permissive Boot Image file you downloaded.
- When asked which partition to flash to, select Boot Image.
- Swipe to confirm and flash the boot image.
- Wait for the "Successful" confirmation message.
⚠️ Do NOT skip this step! The Permissive Boot Image is required to properly boot Android 13 GSI on the Galaxy A20s. Skipping this will almost certainly cause a boot loop.
Step 5: Format Data Partition (CRITICAL: Do NOT Skip)
- Return to the TWRP main menu and tap on Wipe.
- Tap on Format Data (NOT "Advanced Wipe").
- You'll be asked to confirm by typing "yes".
- Type yes using the on-screen keyboard and confirm.
- Wait for the formatting process to complete.
⚠️ Why this is mandatory: If you skip formatting data, your device will almost certainly become stuck in an infinite boot loop continuously restarting without ever reaching the home screen. This step removes encryption and prepares the data partition for the new Android 13 system.
Step 6: Reboot into System
- Tap the Reboot button in TWRP.
- Select System to reboot into your new Pixel Experience Plus Android 13.
- Be extremely patient. The first boot after installing a custom ROM takes much longer than usual; anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes is completely normal. You may see the Samsung logo for an extended period. Do NOT assume it's stuck and do NOT restart it manually.
✅ Success! Set Up Your New Pixel Experience
Once your Galaxy A20s finally boots up:
- You'll be greeted by the Pixel Experience setup wizard: clean, fast, and pure Android.
- To speed things up, you can temporarily enable Airplane Mode during the initial setup to bypass the "Connect to Wi-Fi" screen quickly.
- Once you reach the home screen, reconnect to Wi-Fi, sign in with your Google account, and restore your apps.
- Open Settings → About Phone and verify that it shows Android 13 and Pixel Experience Plus.
Google Play Store is preinstalled you can sign in and download your apps immediately. Wi-Fi, mobile network, hotspot, camera, fingerprint sensor, and display all work reliably. Your IMEI and baseband remain intact and secure.
🧪 Why Pixel Experience Plus? Benefits Over Stock Samsung ROM
| Feature | Samsung Stock ROM | Pixel Experience Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Bloatware | Heavy, dozens of preinstalled apps | ✅ None — completely clean |
| RAM Usage | High — overlays & background services | ✅ Minimal — more free RAM |
| Android Version | Stuck on Android 11 | ✅ Upgraded to Android 13 |
| UI Design | Samsung One UI overlays | ✅ Pure Google Pixel design |
| Performance | Slower over time | ✅ Faster, smoother, lightweight |
| Updates | Samsung rarely updates old devices | ✅ Community-maintained |
Pixel Experience Plus feels noticeably lighter and more responsive than the stock Samsung firmware. Without unnecessary bloatware consuming resources, your Galaxy A20s will run faster, stay cooler, and potentially enjoy improved battery life. All core features calls, messaging, Wi-Fi, camera, and fingerprint sensor work reliably. While there may be minor, barely noticeable bugs in edge-case features common to GSI builds, daily use is stable and problem-free.
⚠️ Troubleshooting Common Issues
Device Stuck in Boot Loop / Won't Boot Past Logo
- Cause: You skipped the "Format Data" step, forgot to flash the Permissive Boot Image, or flashed an incompatible file.
- Fix: Reboot into TWRP → Flash the Permissive Boot Image again → Wipe → Format Data → type "yes" → Reboot.
TWRP Can't See Internal Storage
- Cause: Encryption hasn't been removed.
- Fix: Go to Wipe → Format Data → type "yes" → confirm → Reboot to TWRP. Internal storage will now be accessible.
Wi-Fi or Mobile Data Not Working After Boot
- This occasionally happens with GSI variants. Try rebooting once more or reflashing a different variant (vndklite vs non-vndklite) of the Pixel Experience build.
📌 Important Notes
- No computer required; every step can be performed directly on your Galaxy A20s using TWRP recovery.
- Always flash the Permissive Boot Image.e Android 13 GSIs will not boot properly on the A20s without it.
- Always format data; skipping this step is the #1 cause of boot loops and installation failures.
- Save files to the SD card when possible; it avoids encryption-related issues in TWRP.
- Backups are essential: custom ROM installation wipes everything, so save your photos and files first.
- Future updates: To upgrade or switch to another custom ROM later, you'll follow the same general process: download the new image, flash System → flash Permissive Boot → Format Data → Reboot.
Conclusion
Installing Pixel Experience Plus Android 13 on your Samsung Galaxy A20s is one of the best ways to breathe new life into a device that Samsung has effectively left behind. By removing the heavy bloatware and replacing it with a clean, lightweight, and stable Android 13 experience, your A20s will run faster, feel smoother, and receive features and improvements that Samsung never officially provided.
The process boils down to six critical steps: have TWRP ready → download the files → flashthe Pixel Experience system image → flash the Permissive Boot Image → format data → reboot. Follow each step carefully, never skip the data format or boot image, and be patient during that first boot; you'll be rewarded with a beautiful, fast, and pure Android experience on your Galaxy A20s.
Enjoy your new Pixel Experience Plus!
