Basic Android Customization: Launchers, Icon Packs, and Widgets

Have you ever seen a gorgeous looking homescreen and wished that your phone could have the same level of personality? I can't tell you how often I look around and see Android homescreens where all that's been changed is the wallpaper and icon positions. While that may be the majority of customization options on iOS, that is certainly not the case with Android.

First, I'll go over launchers. "Launcher" is a fancy word for homescreen. Every Android device has one, but did you know you can download new ones? Or even have multiple launchers on your device at the same time? Some top launchers include:

• Google Now Launcher (The official launcher from Google. Includes Google Now right on your homescreen.)
• Nova Launcher (Similar to Google Now launcher, meant to give a "stock" feel with lots of customization.)
• Apex Launcher (A competitor to Nova.)
• Action Launcher 3 (Side-menu drawer of all your apps, as well as other nifty features.)

All of these launchers are almost guaranteed to be better than the stock launcher your device comes with. They're usually faster, more stable, with more features and customization. For the sake of this tutorial, I'm going to use Nova Launcher, since that's my daily driver. Download Nova Launcher from the Play Store just as any other app, and once it's downloaded, press your home button. Your device should prompt you asking whether you want to use Nova or the launcher your device came with. Select Nova, and always. 

Once that is done you'll see options to import data from previous launchers. If you don't know what to do here, just skip it. You'll be met with a fresh homescreen that resembles that of Google's newest devices. But it still looks pretty plain, doesn't it? Find the "Nova Settings" app or swipe up from the app drawer button to bring up the launcher's settings. Here you'll find ways to customize it to your heart's content. App grid size, colors, styles, gestures, animations, folders, and more! You can go through this and customize whatever you'd like, but I'm going to move on to icon packs.

Icon packs are just what you'd expect. They change the look and theme of most of your icons. Some top icon packs include:

• Moonshine (Material design themed.)
• Iride UI (Moonshine competitor.)
• Cryten (Flat, pastel colored circles.)
• Click UI (Circular icons using shadows.)
• Stark (Flat square icons.)

Keep in mind many icon packs are paid, which is justified considering the developer has to redesign hundreds of app icons. Once you've downloaded the one you want, go back into Nova. Under Nova Settings, go to Look & Feel. There should be an option for the "Icon theme." Simply select what icon pack you want and go back home. All your apps should be updated.

Finally, I'm going to talk about widgets. Most people I see don't take full advantage of this feature. Again, just because iPhones don't have it, doesn't mean you can't. Head over to the Play Store and search for "Widget." You'll find many helpful widgets that allow you to view information at a glance without opening any apps. Some great widgets include:

• Today (Calendar widget.)
• UCCW (Ultimate custom widget.)
• Zooper (Similar to UCCW.)

This list may look short, but that's because most of the apps you download have widgets bundled along with them. Twitter, Messenger, Google Calendar, Google Now, even Settings has its own widget to toggle options. To get to all the widgets you have, hold down on an empty space on your launcher and select "Widgets." Hold down on one to pick it up, and release it to place it on your homescreen and edit its settings.

Using these three fairly simple customization tools, you can definitely add personality to your device other than just the wallpaper and app positions. So get to customizing!