How to replace your stock OEM Launcher

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How to replace your stock OEM Launcher

How to replace your stock OEM Launcher

Many times you would hear people complain about their phones having a different skin. Regardless if it was Touchwiz, Sense, or Blur, it would always boil down to wanting to have the stock experience since they either find that the skin was too cartoony or it didn’t operate as fast as they had hoped it would.

What some people would usually do is to install custom ROMs that totally change the look and feel of the device. They would even go so far as to install an AOSP or AOKP based custom ROM to make their devices look as close to the original and pure Android as much as  they possible.

For most people, it usually boils down to the launcher. The launcher is your first interface with the device. This is where you arrange your home screen, your widgets, and your apps. Some launchers are more functional than others. Some launchers are smoother or more beautiful. But you are never forced to have only one launcher. As a matter of fact, some people may not know or forget that a launcher can easily be replaced.

Custom Launchers

Android natively allows you to replace your home screen. In fact, it is one of customization options that provide the most massive effect. Not only does it replace your home screen settings, but it can also change your icons, animations and even what your home screen is capable of doing.

Stock launchers normally don’t allow you to change the app drawer like you can with some custom launchers. You can have multiple tabs to separate app categories, or you can even hide apps from the drawer. This is very useful especially if you already have the app rested in your home screen.

The drawer is not the only place where new functions exist. You can also find several new functions like gesture support in the home screen. The home screen can be edited and adjusted as required, even to the point of allowing more apps or grids to be displayed on the screen.

Popular Custom Launchers

There are plenty of Launchers to choose from. You can download some 3rd party apps in the Play Store, or you can even install launchers of other OEMs through unofficial means. Still why go OEM when you can have something better? After all, these custom launchers are always updated with bug fixes and all of the good stuff that makes a launcher great.

Go Launcher EX

By GO Launcher Dev Team

Go Launcher EX

Go Launcher EX is by far one of the most well-known and popular custom launchers in the market for many reasons. One is the fact that the team behind Go Launcher EX has also created other apps that coexist with the Go Launcher EX system such as Go Locker and Go SMS. It is a host of apps built to fit together as a combo that completely replaces the stock experience. Another reason why it is so popular is theme support. I doubt there is any launcher in the Play Store with as many themes available for them as Go Launcher EX. There are so many to choose from. There are some that are free, while others would require you to pay, but in the end, it is totally worth it.

Some will say that Go Launcher EX has become too bulky. They have integrated so many features and so many of their own apps into the system that it has become a burden to the memory card and processor. Indeed, this launcher is now slower than many of the newer apps that are focused solely on the launcher experience. Still, this is a great launcher to introduce you to the world of launchers because it is free and multifunctional.

Nova Launcher

By TeslaCoil Software

Nova Launcehr

Nova Launcher is another very popular launcher that was made to replace OEM based launchers with a launcher that looks and feels so much like the Android Stock Launcher while also adding a lot more functionality. It looks very simple at first, but it features a lot of interesting tweaks and functions in the settings.

Some of the functions it has are gesture support for pinching, swiping, and multi-touch gestures. It can also hide apps from the drawer and remove app labels in the home screen. The app can also make use of themes built for other launchers, making it very versatile.

The Launcher itself is free, but to unlock many of the cool stuff, you need to pay for a license. Afterwards, you are rewarded with one of the smoothest launchers around with one of the best memory management and widget management features around. Nova Launcher is frequently used by talented editors who create great themes with the combination of invisible buttons, wallpapers, and overlapping widgets.

Big Launcher

By BIG Launcher Team

Big Launcher

Big Launcher is a great, albeit cartoony, launcher that has been aimed at people with poor vision or those who have really big fingers. The launcher essentially makes full use of the space afforded by the display to show large buttons to launch apps. Everything is definitely big in this app, including the font and the app icons so that they are easier to read and tap.

Big Launcher also features a large dialer, SMS app and Contacts app, which are few of the most common features of a smartphone that old people use. While the launcher cannot affect the aesthetics of other apps and games, the launcher at least helps the user to reach the app or game with no problem thanks to the massive icons.

The Big Launcher isn’t much for looks. It was built for function and speed, which the app does well.

Next Launcher 3D

By GO Launcher Dev Team

Next Launcher 3D

 

This is a rising star among launchers which was made by the same team that brought us the Go Launcher EX. This launcher is focused on delivering a 3D look and feel at every turn. Everything about this launcher is eye candy, but it never forgets to add function to the style. While not entirely as powerful or customizable as its predecessor, Next Launcher 3D has a great future ahead as the developers keep up their work in making this launcher even better.

Launcher 8

By QiHang Dev Team

Launcher 8

When Windows Phone 8 arrived, there were some Android users who wanted to have the same experience as the Modern UI they introduced without jumping ship to a different platform. After all, the Android platform is still more powerful and popular than any Windows Phone 8 device. In hopes of carrying out this wish, developers created a launcher that tries to emulate the Modern UI as closely as possible. One of those apps is the Launcher 8. There are plenty more out there, but this one seems to be the most popular at the moment.

Lots more to explore

There are plenty of other apps out there to explore that may suit your fancy more than the popular apps. Just because it is popular doesn’t mean it works for everybody. At the very least, thousands should have helped you realize that reliability of the launcher. Explore and experiment in the world of custom Android launchers.

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