Android is
well-known
for its customizability.
From a custom ROM
to the UI, you can
customize almost
everything. In this
article we discuss
how to customize an
Android phone with
one catch: no root
access or custom ROM
required!
Not every Android
phone or Android user
has access to rooting
or unlocking
capabilities, so for this
article we’ll talk about
the best
customization you can
get, right now, from
apps on the Play
Store… without any
need for root access
or developer-level
knowledge. We’ll also
be telling you how you
can use these apps to
provide a better
experience for your
Android device.
Create/Set
Custom Ringtone
Ringdroid allows you
to quickly edit, save
and use ringtones
from audio files
(typically songs) that
are present on your
device, saving you
from an otherwise
egregious process.
When you open
Ringdroid, you’ll be
given a list of
compatible audio files
on your device which
will usually be your
pre-existing ringtones
and notification
noises.
To use Ringdroid
properly, you’ll need to
transfer audio files
(such as MP3s) from
your computer to your
Android device. Files
from media players,
like Spotify and Google
Play Music, won’t
work.
Get Custom
Wallpapers and
More
ZEDGE, meanwhile,
goes out of its way
to offer you all kinds
of things for your
phone: wallpapers,
ringtones, notification
tunes, games and
even custom icon
packs.
By default, a selection
of Featured
Wallpapers is what
you’ll see the first
time you open ZEDGE.
Opening the menu,
however, will reveal
the other listed
options, including
ringtones and games.
For wallpapers,
ringtones and most
options, all you need
to do is select an
entry. From within the
app, you can
download the
selection and apply it
within the application.
Use Some
Homescreen
Widgets!
Custom homescreen
widgets are a great
way to add
convenience and extra
functionality to your
Android device. Most
apps come with a
widget that you can
add to the
homescreen. Here
we’ll be highlighting
three of our favorites.
First up is Google Keep.
Google Keep is one of
Google’s many apps,
but it’s easily the
least well known.
Basically, it’s a note-
taking/note-keeping
service, and with its
widget on your
homescreen, you can
quickly take notes at
any time, notes
available on any
Internet-connected
device.
Next up is Battery
Widget Reborn which
allows you to keep
better track of your
battery life with a
resizable widget. It
also offers some
additional
functionalities, such
as a power-saving
mode that’s activated
during the night.
Finally, there’s
1Weather. 1Weather
is a powerful,
customizable weather
application that
includes great widget
functionality. For the
best in weather-
tracking widgets,
1Weather can’t be
beat.
Install a Custom
Launcher
The Android launcher
is a peculiar thing. You
may not know it, but
your launcher is
probably the single
most used part of
your device. It
contains every app on
your device, and its
way of sorting and
managing these apps
varies depending on
the launcher. Typically,
Android phones have
greatly different UIs
based on
manufacturer ROMs,
but with a custom
launcher you can tune
your system
navigation experience
to something that
suits your tastes.
Nova and Buzz
Launcher are both
extraordinarily
powerful solutions
that outstrip the ones
that come shipped on
your phone by default.
There are other
custom launchers
available, but Nova
and Buzz are the
most popular and, in
this writer’s opinion,
the most reliable way
to customize Android
phone.
To start using these
apps, all you need to
do is install them and
start using them as
your home launcher.
Diving deeper, both
launchers offer the
ability to customize
things like app grid
size (the amount of
apps you can hold on
your screen), scroll
and transition
effects, the amount
of apps that can be
stored in the dock,
and even gestures to
open certain apps.
While your experience
within apps won’t
change much, using a
launcher will allow
essentially the most
powerful way to
customize Android
phone without
requiring rooting or
unlocking.
Use a Custom
Keyboard App
Finally, where would
we be if we didn’t
talk about keyboards?
Not only is a custom
keyboard one of the
best ways you
can customize an
Android phone,
typically they
correspond with a
massive leap in
usability and speed at
which you can use the
device to text your
friends or browse the
web. Long before
Android
manufacturers
started shipping
touch-slide keyboards
as a part of their OS,
SwiftKey and Swype
were on the scene to
give users a peek at
the future of typing
on mobile.
These keyboards are
still more feature-rich
than stock Android
keyboards. They allow
users to install
various themes which
can be either simple
color changes or fully-
designed keyboard
artwork. They also
offer cloud storage
services for
preferences and
usage data (so you
can install the same
app on another device
and pick up with all of
your next word
predictions intact) and
the ability to totally
customize the layout
of your touchscreen
keyboard.
To start using these
apps, just install them
and set them as your
default keyboard. You
can do this by
installing and launching
the app as it walks
you through the
process pretty easily.
Let’s face it: you do a
lot of typing on your
phone. Why not do it
in style?
Conclusion
We’d like to go more
in depth, but if we
dived too far into the
pool of customizing
Android we’d probably
never be able to come
out. This article offers
six apps and six ways
to customize Android
phone: while rooting
and unlocking grants a
new world of
possibilities, you can
still
do plenty on your
existing device
without pulling
anything too crazy.
That being said, we’re
sure plenty of you
have your own ideas
on what the best
customization apps
for Android are. What
non-root apps do you
use to improve your
user experience on
Android? How have
you customized your
Android phone?
Comment below and
let everyone know!