You can live a perfectly delightful mobile existence using an Android phone without tweaking a single setting. But where's the fun in that? Especially when a handful of downloads and a few minutes of tinkering can turn, say, your Galaxy S8 from a TouchWiz minefield into a digital zen garden.
This has always been true. And if you're an Android power user, if you've installed a custom ROM (or even know what that means), this guide is not for you. But there are two billion active monthly Android devices in the world now. Lots of those devices are smartphones. One of them might be yours. And if there's anything about that Pixel or Moto or Galaxy or LG that bothers you even a little—the keyboard, the gestures, the app icons—know that you can make it better. Here's how.
Ready For Launch
Let's start big with the piece of software called the launcher, which dictates not just how your smartphone looks but how you interact with it. Your phone came with a launcher, although you likely just think of it as "the way my phone works."
A lot of the time, your out-of-the-box experience works just fine, especially if it hews close to the stock Android you'll find in a Pixel or Nexus phone. But sometimes manufacturers marry terrific hardware with clunky software, or include embellishments that feel more like bloat. Sometimes you want more tinkering choices; sometimes you want fewer. Sometimes you just want to try something new. For all of those times, you can simply install a launcher.
An extreme example might help contextualize this a little better. One Launcher transforms your Android phone into something that very much resembles iOS. A gimmick? Sure! But at the very least it gives you a small taste of how the other UI lives.
Even Microsoft, despite largely tapping out of its own mobile operating system aspirations, offered a darn good Android launcher called Arrow for two years; it freshens up your wallpaper every morning, and promises quick access to your most frequently used apps and contacts. It recently overhauled that into Microsoft Launcher, now in beta, which among other features lets you pick up where you left off on your PC. It's like the macOS Handoff feature, except between a Windows computer and an Android device. Neat!
And so on. The main knock against launchers is that they can slow your system down. It depends on how heavy a coat it puts on, but generally you either won't notice or, if you pick the right one, won't mind the trade-off.
But which one is best? Apologies for the copout, but it really depends on what you're looking for. And if you don't even know that, go ahead and download Nova Launcher, which leads practically every "best launcher" roundup you'll find. Nova's a delightful chameleon, giving you as many customization options as you could ever possibly want. Just clear out a little time on your calendar before you start; from gestures to themes to subgrids to notifications, you've got a lot of potential choices to make.
Personally, I had used the Google Now launcher to try to get as close to stock Android as I could on my Galaxy S7. But when Google pulled support earlier this year—and since it only makes its Pixel Launcher available to Pixel devices—I hopped over to Action Launcher, which prides itself on keeping pace with Pixel and Android Oreo features—even if you're still on Android Jellybean—with some extra customization built in and an emphasis on shortcuts for quick results. You know, action. Case in point? When Google relocated the search bar to the bottom of the display on the Pixel, Action alerted me that it offered that option within a few days.
That works for me! It might not for you. The good news is, most Android launchers come free, so you can experiment until you find one that suits you. Also, Google offers an Android "taste test" that recommends various set-ups you might like.
To the Window, To the Wallpapers
It's been so long since I've looked at the stock Android wallpaper, I don't even remember what it looks like. I'm sure it's ... fine? But you can do better! And it takes no time at all.
All you need to do to rotate in a new display background is tap and hold a blank spot on your homescreen. From there, a bottom row of options will appear: Wallpapers, Widgets, and Settings. Tap on Wallpapers, and from there you'll have the option to sift through My photos, or choose from your apps that provide "live wallpapers," animated backgrounds that liven up your screen time. (MLB At Bat, for instance, offers team-based wallpapers, while Shadow Galaxy puts your apps in front of a swirling nebula.) Be careful with live wallpapers, though; they can be hell on your battery.
In fact, be careful with wallpapers generally. There are countless apps to choose from, but not all of them are entirely reputable. In some cases, developers have even used wallpaper apps to sneak malware past Google Play's defenses. That's not to scare you off of wallpapers altogether; just try to stick to reputable vendors as best you can. Unfortunately, you mostly have to go by downloads and reviews, which obviously aren't foolproof.
At the very least, Google offers a separate Wallpapers app with a diverse array of images from Google Earth and beyond, and gives you the option of waking up each day with a freshly image. If that's not often enough, Wallpapers HD can cough up a new high-resolution wallpaper every hour, from a collection of over 80,000 images, tailored specifically to your screen size.
Icon Believe It
The look of your Android smartphone goes way beyond your wallpaper, or even your launcher. In fact, unless you're some sort of home-screen swiping maximalist, app icons cover the bulk of your display. Why tend to the other facets of your Android aesthetic but leave that real estate up to each app developer's whims?
Icon packs serve a dual purpose in that respect. First, they prettify ugly or boring standard app icons. Maybe more importantly, though, they give your home screen a unified look. I use Rugos Premium, which gives my apps a sort of retro rumpled paper look. Why not! There's also the Cornie Oldie pack, which is also vintage but flattened out and with less muted colors. There's the Revolution icon pack, for the minimalist in your life. Lines just straight-up uses a bunch of white-lined silhouettes. And on and on. You won't have to look long to find one that fits your mood.
There are a few important things to note before you venture into icon customization. First, not every pack has an icon for every app. If you have less popular downloads installed and on your home screen, you may be stuck using the default icon. It's a little jarring. You can always either just hide those outliers in the app drawer, or collect them on their own screen so that they at least have common company. Better still, some icon packs slap an icon mask on top of every single app, regardless of if it specifically designed a replacement, giving everything at least a somewhat similar vibe.
Along those same lines, after you download your icon pack of choice, you'll need to install it through your launcher, which may not be fully compatible. Brace yourself for some funky results if you opt for less fully developed versions of either. Which brings us to the last point: A lot of developers in the icon/wallpaper world are part-timers and hobbyists. You may not get the level of fit and polish you'd expect from, say, a Netflix or a Robinhood. And the same security cautions mentioned for wallpapers apply here as well.
This has always been true. And if you're an Android power user, if you've installed a custom ROM (or even know what that means), this guide is not for you. But there are two billion active monthly Android devices in the world now. Lots of those devices are smartphones. One of them might be yours. And if there's anything about that Pixel or Moto or Galaxy or LG that bothers you even a little—the keyboard, the gestures, the app icons—know that you can make it better. Here's how.
Ready For Launch
Let's start big with the piece of software called the launcher, which dictates not just how your smartphone looks but how you interact with it. Your phone came with a launcher, although you likely just think of it as "the way my phone works."
A lot of the time, your out-of-the-box experience works just fine, especially if it hews close to the stock Android you'll find in a Pixel or Nexus phone. But sometimes manufacturers marry terrific hardware with clunky software, or include embellishments that feel more like bloat. Sometimes you want more tinkering choices; sometimes you want fewer. Sometimes you just want to try something new. For all of those times, you can simply install a launcher.An extreme example might help contextualize this a little better. One Launcher transforms your Android phone into something that very much resembles iOS. A gimmick? Sure! But at the very least it gives you a small taste of how the other UI lives.
Even Microsoft, despite largely tapping out of its own mobile operating system aspirations, offered a darn good Android launcher called Arrow for two years; it freshens up your wallpaper every morning, and promises quick access to your most frequently used apps and contacts. It recently overhauled that into Microsoft Launcher, now in beta, which among other features lets you pick up where you left off on your PC. It's like the macOS Handoff feature, except between a Windows computer and an Android device. Neat!
And so on. The main knock against launchers is that they can slow your system down. It depends on how heavy a coat it puts on, but generally you either won't notice or, if you pick the right one, won't mind the trade-off.
But which one is best? Apologies for the copout, but it really depends on what you're looking for. And if you don't even know that, go ahead and download Nova Launcher, which leads practically every "best launcher" roundup you'll find. Nova's a delightful chameleon, giving you as many customization options as you could ever possibly want. Just clear out a little time on your calendar before you start; from gestures to themes to subgrids to notifications, you've got a lot of potential choices to make.
Personally, I had used the Google Now launcher to try to get as close to stock Android as I could on my Galaxy S7. But when Google pulled support earlier this year—and since it only makes its Pixel Launcher available to Pixel devices—I hopped over to Action Launcher, which prides itself on keeping pace with Pixel and Android Oreo features—even if you're still on Android Jellybean—with some extra customization built in and an emphasis on shortcuts for quick results. You know, action. Case in point? When Google relocated the search bar to the bottom of the display on the Pixel, Action alerted me that it offered that option within a few days.
That works for me! It might not for you. The good news is, most Android launchers come free, so you can experiment until you find one that suits you. Also, Google offers an Android "taste test" that recommends various set-ups you might like.
To the Window, To the Wallpapers
It's been so long since I've looked at the stock Android wallpaper, I don't even remember what it looks like. I'm sure it's ... fine? But you can do better! And it takes no time at all.
All you need to do to rotate in a new display background is tap and hold a blank spot on your homescreen. From there, a bottom row of options will appear: Wallpapers, Widgets, and Settings. Tap on Wallpapers, and from there you'll have the option to sift through My photos, or choose from your apps that provide "live wallpapers," animated backgrounds that liven up your screen time. (MLB At Bat, for instance, offers team-based wallpapers, while Shadow Galaxy puts your apps in front of a swirling nebula.) Be careful with live wallpapers, though; they can be hell on your battery.
In fact, be careful with wallpapers generally. There are countless apps to choose from, but not all of them are entirely reputable. In some cases, developers have even used wallpaper apps to sneak malware past Google Play's defenses. That's not to scare you off of wallpapers altogether; just try to stick to reputable vendors as best you can. Unfortunately, you mostly have to go by downloads and reviews, which obviously aren't foolproof.
At the very least, Google offers a separate Wallpapers app with a diverse array of images from Google Earth and beyond, and gives you the option of waking up each day with a freshly image. If that's not often enough, Wallpapers HD can cough up a new high-resolution wallpaper every hour, from a collection of over 80,000 images, tailored specifically to your screen size.
Icon Believe It
The look of your Android smartphone goes way beyond your wallpaper, or even your launcher. In fact, unless you're some sort of home-screen swiping maximalist, app icons cover the bulk of your display. Why tend to the other facets of your Android aesthetic but leave that real estate up to each app developer's whims?
Icon packs serve a dual purpose in that respect. First, they prettify ugly or boring standard app icons. Maybe more importantly, though, they give your home screen a unified look. I use Rugos Premium, which gives my apps a sort of retro rumpled paper look. Why not! There's also the Cornie Oldie pack, which is also vintage but flattened out and with less muted colors. There's the Revolution icon pack, for the minimalist in your life. Lines just straight-up uses a bunch of white-lined silhouettes. And on and on. You won't have to look long to find one that fits your mood.
There are a few important things to note before you venture into icon customization. First, not every pack has an icon for every app. If you have less popular downloads installed and on your home screen, you may be stuck using the default icon. It's a little jarring. You can always either just hide those outliers in the app drawer, or collect them on their own screen so that they at least have common company. Better still, some icon packs slap an icon mask on top of every single app, regardless of if it specifically designed a replacement, giving everything at least a somewhat similar vibe.
Along those same lines, after you download your icon pack of choice, you'll need to install it through your launcher, which may not be fully compatible. Brace yourself for some funky results if you opt for less fully developed versions of either. Which brings us to the last point: A lot of developers in the icon/wallpaper world are part-timers and hobbyists. You may not get the level of fit and polish you'd expect from, say, a Netflix or a Robinhood. And the same security cautions mentioned for wallpapers apply here as well.
by Brian Barrett, Wired | Read more:
Image: Delicious
