Would you like to customize the user interface of your Android smartphone but you don’t know how to do it? Have you heard about the possibility of changing app icons through an application that changes the phone’s home screen, a so-called launcher , but you don’t know how it works? In that case, if you wonder how to activate launcher on Android, you will be happy to know that you have just come across the right tutorial and at the right time!
In the course of this guide, in fact, I will tell you about the best launchers for Android, explaining how to install them and, subsequently, how to activate them on your device. I’ll show you how to make the launcher automatically replace your device’s default home screen and also how to activate it manually.
Don’t worry, these are all very simple steps to take and I am sure that even if you are not familiar with the technology, you will be able to do it. So make yourself comfortable, take a few minutes of free time and carefully follow the instructions I am about to give you. Happy reading and, above all, have fun!
Index
- How to activate launcher
- Choose the launcher
- Download the launcher
- How to set default launcher
How to activate launcher
You have been using an Android smartphone for some time , but you have not carried out more advanced customization procedures, so you have no idea what a launcher is and above all how to activate third-party launchers.
A launcher is nothing more than an app that allows you to manage apps within the main screen of the device, start them and move to any other section of the operating system.
On Android, every company offers its own proprietary launcher, which, however, is not always customizable in every aspect. For this reason, we tend to opt for third-party launchers made by other developers, which are able to replace the official smartphone one and which usually allow almost infinite customization.
Now that you know a little more about the subject, I guess you can’t wait to download a new launcher to replace the one on your smartphone, right? I had no doubts about it, so I advise you to continue reading the next paragraphs.
Choose the launcher
The first thing you need to do is choose the launcher that best suits your needs. It seems simple, but you should know that there are a lot of launchers in the app stores, but not all of them are of quality.
For this reason, below, I will point out some of the best third-party launchers that you could consider.
- Nova Launcher– one of the best third-party launchers available on Android, which takes up the design of the stock Android launcher, expanding it with lots of customization options and features. Some customization features are only available with the Prime version at a cost of99 euros . More info here .
- Microsoft Launcher– launcher made by the famous manufacturer of the Windows operating system. Also in this case it is a launcher based on the Android stock launcher, but much more customizable and very linked to the company’s services, such as the Office suite , the Bing search engineand Microsoft Start, through which you can access a news section directly from the leftmost page of the launcher. More info here .
- Niagara Launcher– perfect launcher if you are a lover of minimal and simplicity. Its main feature is that it makes all interface elements accessible with one hand. Furthermore, any element appears only when it is needed, such as the music player, incoming messages or calendar events.
- Launcher iOS 16– perfect launcher if you want to completely change the interface of your smartphone and make it practically identical to that of an iPhone. moreover, if you want to complete the customization work, you can download the other complementary apps, namely the one of the lock screen and the control center. More info here .
Download the launcher
Once you have chosen the perfect launcher for your needs, you need to proceed to download the launcher . To do this, simply open the Play Store and use the search field at the top to search for the launcher you want: from the list that appears, tap on the entry for the launcher you want to download.
Once in the preview tab on the Play Store, tap on the Install button and wait for the download and installation of the launcher to complete. More info here .
How do you say? Your smartphone doesn’t have the Play Store, so you don’t know where to download the launcher from? Don’t worry, you probably own a Huawei smartphone equipped with HMS services , so there are no Google services and the Play Store has been replaced by AppGallery . To proceed with the download, all you have to do is use the latter, but I suggest you take a look at my tutorial on how to install apps on Huawei , where you will find all the information you need.
Furthermore, on all Android smartphones it is also possible to install apps through the use of APKs , the packages that contain all the application files for Android. There are several sites on the web that offer APK file downloads , but not all of them are reliable. Unfortunately, many of these websites often offer modified APK files that hide malware within them . For this reason, I recommend that you only download APK files from safe sources, such as APKMirror . More info here .
Once you have downloaded the APK of the launcher you prefer, you need to proceed with its installation. Using any file management app (for example Google Files ) go to the folder where you downloaded the APK (usually the Download folder ), tap on it and allow the installation of apps from unknown sources by enabling the appropriate lever : proceed with the installation by tapping the Install button . More info here .
How to set default launcher
Finally you have downloaded and installed the new launcher, to be able to use it daily as a replacement for the default one, you must set it as such. However, I guess you don’t have a clue how to set default launcher .
Once the launcher installation is complete, you must open it by tapping the Open button on the main page of the store used for the download or on the installation page, if you had installed via APK.
After starting the new launcher, proceed with its configuration following the instructions on the screen (it will take a few seconds) and, once you reach the main page, you must set it as default to replace the default one on your Android device. To do this, simply select the new launcher from the pop-up that appears on the screen by touching the Home navigation button (the icon with a circle symbol) of your device (or use the appropriate gesture) and confirming the operation tapping on the Always button .
Alternatively, you can also set the default launcher via your smartphone’s Settings app. To do this, open the Settings app (usually recognizable by the icon of a gear), go to App> Default apps and tap on the entry App initial , in the screen that appears select the third-party launcher downloaded previously.
In this way, your default launcher will be completely replaced by the new launcher and you can finally start the complete customization of your device.
Of course, you can always go back to the default launcher at any time, either by repeating the procedure I mentioned earlier, or by uninstalling the third-party launcher. If you need more information on this, you can consult my tutorial on how to customize Android .
