The best thing about Android smartphones is the flexibility to customize and personalize the device according to your preferences.
Apple’s iOS is slowly catching up with iOS 14 but for now Android is the perfect operating system to go nuts on.
Also, there’s a ton of customisation apps in the Google Play Store.
So if you just got a new Android phone or want to revamp your old Android device – here’s where and how to start personalizing your phone.
Custom Launchers
Most of us are okay using the native launcher your phone came in especially if it’s a OnePlus device, a Pixel device or a Samsung device thanks to the minimalistic OxygenOS, Pixel launcher or One UI respectively.
For the rest of us, we have to tweak the devices by getting a more simple launcher to reskin our Android devices.
There’s a ton of launchers on the Google Play Store. Nova launcher is right up there – if you’ve been reading my reviews, you’ll notice that it’s my go-to launcher.
Here are other interesting launchers to check out:
- Microsoft Launcher
- Launcher 10 – for those who miss that Windows Phone Live tile look
- Apex Launcher
- Action Launcher
- Lawnchair Launcher
- Evie Launcher
- Niagara Launcher – it’s in early access, so go crazy on it.
- Poco Launcher
- Smart Launcher 5
- CPL – Customized Pixel Launcher
- Total Launcher
Custom Icon Packs
Why stop at custom launchers, get some custom icon packs too. From the featured image above, you’ll see I’m not using the native icons – I like experimenting with new icon packs.
Here are some of my favourites:
- Splendid Icon Pack
- Minty Icon Pack
- LineX Icon Pack
- AfterGlow Icon Pack
- Lines Icon Pack
- Flight Icon Pack
- Sagon Icon Pack
- Crayonic Icon Pack
- Vyariocons Icon Pack
- Monotone Dark Icon Pack
- SkyLine Icon Pack – my favourite at the moment
- Ration Icon Pack
- GreenLine Icon Pack
- Whicons Icon Pack
- Minima Icon Pack – second close favourite
Custom Wallpaper Apps
We might as well get a wallpaper app while we’re here, right?
- Backdrops
- Resplash – gets wallpapers from Unsplash. Also my favourite.
- Splash It
- WalP
- Reddit Wallpaper subreddits – r/ultrahdwallpapers, r/wallpaper+wallpapers, r/wallpaper dump, r/wallpaper and r/WQHD_Wallpaper
- Sphaera
- Walpy
- Abstruct- OnePlus Wallpaper
- Wallpapers by Google
- Hidey Hole – Samsung phones – S10, S10e, S10 Plus
- Walli
Custom Widget Apps
Other Interesting Apps
- MIUI-ify – lets you have the quick settings slide from the bottom instead of the top.
