Change theme on android is actually quite easy, but it can be a little confusing for the first-time user. In this article, we will teach you step by step how to do it. In short, to change Android theme and icon is by installing launcher application first and then find a theme for the launcher used. Here is a detailed explanation:
First step: Install Launcher Application
You can download launcher application for free via Android Market. What you have to do is go to Market, then typing “launcher†in the search field. You will see some several results, such as Go Launcher, ADW Launcher, Launcher Pro, etc. In this tutorial, we will use ADW Launcher as an example.
Second step changing Android theme and icon: Find a theme for the launcher application
If you are using ADW launcher, there are two ways to find a theme for this launcher. The first one is by visiting the Market, then type “ADW Theme†in the search field. It will show several themes you can choose like an example below:
Android ADW Theme
For example, we will use ADW.BuuF.Theme. This theme is one of the themes that has good appearance and has quite a lot of custom icons.
The second way to find themes for ADW launcher is as follows: Go to the main screen by pressing the HOME button > press the MENU button> click “More” > click “ADW Settings” > click “Themes Preferences” > click “Get Themes!” This method is actually almost the same as the first; the user will be directed to the Market to find a theme.
How to change android theme step #3: Apply your theme
To activate a theme that has been installed, what you have to do is go to the main screen by pressing HOME button. It might be not straight to the main screen when you press the HOME button, it will show some launcher options as shown below:
Android Launcher selection
If it’s the first time you install the launcher application, it shows only two options, which is the ADW Launcher and the standard launcher that came pre installed on your phone. To activate ADW Launcher: Click HOME > Click ADW.Launcher icon and then to activate the theme, from the main screen, press the MENU button > Click More > Click ADW Settings > Click Themes Preferences > Click Select Your Themes > click the theme you want to use, in this case, we will choose ADW.Buuf.Theme > after that click “Apply Theme.”
If you use Buuf Theme, you can choose wallpapers that came preinstalled on this theme, what you have to do is go to the main screen > press the MENU button > click Wallpaper > Click Buufgrounds > select the wallpaper you want to use> click “Set Wallpaper.” If you want to get extra wallpapers, you can click “Get More Online” (require Internet connection).
There are several versions of wallpaper that you can download from “Buuf†website, which is HDPI Version, MDPI version and LDPI version. HDPI Wallpaper is designed for Android cell phones that use high resolution screen (approximately 480 × 800 pixels), for example, Samsung Galaxy S, Motorola Defy, HTC Desire, etc. MDPI Wallpaper intended for Android phones with medium resolution screen, (approximately 320 × 480 pixels), such as Samsung Galaxy Ace, Optimus One, etc. LDPI wallpaper used for phones with small resolution screen (approximately 240 x 320 pixels), for example, Samsung Galaxy Mini, Motorola Charm, HTC Wildfire, etc.
Here’s an example of main screen appearance after using ADW Launcher with Buff Theme.
Android Home Themes
You can see at the picture above that the default icons have changed. If you don’t like the icon appearance, you can change it by yourself. To change android icon, click and hold for a second on the icon, for example we select “Market†icon (in the picture above, the market icon is located on the lower left of the screen).
After you click and hold the icon, it will show options to Remove, Edit and Uninstall. To change the icon image or text, click Edit > then click the image as the example below:
Change Android Icon and Text
When you click the icon image, it will show three options:
- Select picture: you can use pictures that stored on your phone, such as photos taken using the phone camera, or images that downloaded from the internet, etc.
- Select and crop picture: It uses a picture that stored on the phone, but you can crop the image first then using the selected area only. For example, if you have a picture of your dog, you can crop the body and only use the face, etc.
- ADW Theme Icon Packs: Using icons that came with the installed theme (Buuf theme). There are quite lot icons you can choose, and it looks cool too.
Here is the example of a Market icon that has been replaced using my pictures 😀
Market icon has been changed
You can also change the Dock icon or a shortcut that located on the bottom of the main screen. The procedure is same like changing the Android icon.
Just for your information the number of icons or shortcut that located on the Dock could be different from one theme to another. For example, on “Buff†theme in this article, there are only three dock icons, namely the Telephone icon on the left, the app drawer icon on the center and the browser icon on the right. There are some other themes that consist up to five icons on the dock. Of course, the appearance is also looks different, as an example, there are some docks that look like another operating system, etc.
You can change the shortcut on the dock. For example, if you want to change the browser shortcut with Facebook’s shortcut, what you have to do is go to app drawer > click and hold on Facebook’s icon, then slide and drop the FB icon on the top of Browser icon on the dock.
Customize android home screen without a theme
Some of Android launcher doesn’t have a theme, but when we use this launcher, it will change the look of Android interface completely. One of the Android launchers that doesn’t have theme is the Regina 3D launcher. This launcher has a 3D animation that looks attractive as shown below:
3D Launcher
You can install more than one launcher on your phone. So, if you get bored with one launcher, you can easily change with other launchers. To change from one launcher to another, you can read this article: “How to Change Android Launcher”