Custom Android Launchers: What They Are & Why Use Them
Customizing Your Android Home Screen with Launchers
Android offers a significant degree of personalization, and one popular method involves completely substituting the default home screen experience.
Developers within the Android ecosystem have the capability to design software specifically intended to function as alternative home screens.
The Role of Custom Launchers
Currently, the majority of custom Android launchers prioritize providing users with extensive customization options.
These options typically include alterations to the home screen’s visual theme and icons, alongside broader adjustments to the standard user interface.
Impact of Alternatives Like Facebook Home
The introduction of applications like Facebook Home may inspire developers to explore more innovative approaches to home screen replacements.
This could lead to a wider variety of alternatives to the conventional Android home screen, offering users even greater control over their mobile experience.
Consequently, we may see increased creativity in the design and functionality of these alternative interfaces.
Understanding the Android Home Screen
The Android home screen is what appears when the Home button is pressed on your device, be it a phone or tablet. It’s populated with app shortcuts and widgets that you’ve customized.
Unlike the home screen implementations found on platforms such as iOS and Windows Phone, Android treats its home screen as a standard application.
Customization Through Launchers
A key distinction of Android is the ability to replace the default home screen with a third-party application. This is achieved through software commonly known as launchers or home-screen replacements.
When activated, these launchers effectively take over the role of the home screen, providing a different user experience.
Therefore, pressing the Home button can initiate either the original Android home screen or a user-selected alternative.
The Capabilities of Third-Party Launchers
Third-party launchers function as complete replacements for your device’s default home screen experience. This encompasses modifications to both the home screen itself and the application drawer. For instance, launchers often incorporate themes that alter the visual appearance of your home screen and the icons representing your installed applications.
These launchers can fundamentally reshape the app drawer’s appearance and organizational structure. They may introduce categorization features and alternative sorting methods for your apps. Furthermore, they allow for customization of graphical transitions during screen swipes.
Customization Options
- Launchers provide a wide array of options for fine-tuning the user interface.
- Users can redefine the actions triggered by taps and swipes on the home screen.
- The level of personalization offered is significantly greater than with stock launchers.
The preceding description accurately reflects the functionality of the majority of third-party launchers currently available. However, some, like Facebook Home, deviate from this norm. Facebook Home leverages its control to prioritize content from your social network, minimizing widgets and repositioning app icons.
Other third-party launchers could similarly evolve, potentially distancing themselves from the conventional “home screen with widgets and app drawer” paradigm. This suggests a future where launchers offer increasingly diverse and unconventional user experiences.
Employing Custom Launchers
Following the installation of a custom launcher via the Google Play Store, pressing the Home button will initiate an application selection prompt. From this prompt, you can choose your desired home screen.
A single tap on "Just once" will apply the launcher for that session only. Alternatively, selecting "Always" will designate it as your new default home screen, appearing with each subsequent press of the Home button.
Launcher Selection Process
This selection option will be presented each time a new custom launcher is installed, granting you the flexibility to choose your preferred application.
The ability to revert to the original, default launcher is readily available. Navigate to the Settings menu, then select "Apps."
Within the list of installed applications, locate and tap your currently active launcher. Finally, press the "Clear defaults" button.
This action will remove the launcher’s default status, restoring the original home screen experience.
Alternative Android Home Screens
Several compelling third-party launchers are available for the Android operating system.
Facebook Home
Facebook Home presents a unique approach to home screen customization. Unlike many launchers geared towards advanced users, it doesn't focus on extensive options and themes.
Instead, Facebook Home fundamentally alters your device’s home screen, prioritizing content directly from your Facebook network. This demonstrates Android’s inherent adaptability, potentially paving the way for similar interfaces from other developers, such as Twitter, who have expressed interest in creating their own Android home screen replacement.
Nova Launcher
Nova Launcher is compatible with Android 4.0 and later versions.
While visually resembling the standard Android launcher, it introduces a wealth of additional features and effects. These include theme support and the ability to create custom tabs for organizing applications within the app drawer.
Its similarity to the default interface allows seamless integration across devices from manufacturers like Samsung and HTC, effectively replacing their custom Android skins with a more streamlined, stock Android experience.
Holo Launcher
Holo Launcher replicates the user interface of Android 4.0, but with broader compatibility extending to Android 2.2 and above.
This launcher provides a modern aesthetic to older Android devices, effectively revitalizing their appearance and user experience.
GO Launcher EX
GO Launcher EX boasts support for over 5000 themes and its proprietary GO widgets.
It also incorporates numerous built-in effects and customization options, making it a suitable choice for users seeking a distinctly different visual style.
Launcher 8
Launcher 8 transforms your home screen to emulate the layout of Windows Phone 8.
This exemplifies Android’s flexibility, although the experience won’t fully match the fluidity and integration of a genuine Windows Phone device.
Recently, Facebook introduced "chat heads," which are floating chat windows that appear over your current applications.
However, these aren't the only floating applications available for Android. A diverse range of floating apps can be utilized on any Android device for tasks such as messaging, note-taking, web browsing, and video playback.