Personalising Your Android Home Screen

Get a funky new look and added functionality for your phone by installing an app launcher

Aside from changing the wallpaper of your phone, another great way to dramatically alter the appearance and tailor your device to your own specific needs is through an app launcher. There is a decent selection of these available through the Google Play service, and you download and install them as you would any other app. Once installed , you will then be given the option of switching to the new system, after which you can go about tailoring the appearance and functionality of your machine to suit your needs. What app launchers do is provide a basic operating system, allowing easy access to the apps that you use the most, while allowing you to arrange your other apps exactly the way you want them. So you can place the apps you use frequently on one screen and the lesser-used ones on another, all the while creating new folders for storing them in. For this tutorial we will be using a really good app launcher by the name of GO Launcher EX, which is free to download from the Google Play service.

Tailor your phone: get a new launcher

Download an app launcher Launch your Google Play app and then browse for app launchers, one we would recommend is called GO Launcher EX, which is what we will be using for the purpose of this tutorial. Download and install this app on your device.

Run the launcher

Choose Go Launcher EX as your default and then start using it to customise your home screen. When you first start using the launcher , you will see your home screens at the bottom of the window. Drag app icons onto these screens to tailor your layout.

Instant app access

This app launcher conveniently represents all of the services that you use the most as original icons at the bottom of the Home screen, such as phone, contacts, apps, messaging and internet. Tap on an icon to instantly launch the service.

Organising your apps

Tap on the app grid icon from the bottom of the home screen and then tap on the dot menu. Here you will be able to organize everything: re-arrange your apps, create new folders and access all of the settings that relate to the app launcher.

Check app usage

If you tap on the 'Running, icon in the top-right corner of your app grid, then you’ll be able to see which apps are currently running and the memory that is being used to power them. You can refresh and lock this selection if you wish.