How to Change the Icons/Theme on Your Android Device (Video)

Now that you’ve learned to change your Android device’s home screen launcher, you can take the customizing of Android one step further by adding a custom theme for that launcher to change the icons for apps, skin the device, change the wallpaper, etc.

Just like with the custom launcher scene, there’s no shortage of themes (and some are pretty popular). From making your Android device resemble all of the other operating systems (from Windows Phone to Blackberry to iOS), to giving your device a much more cartoony look, there’s no limit getting your device to look the way you really want it to look.

Ready to try a few? Here’s how.

I. Setup a New Launcher

1. Head to my How to Change the Home Screen Launcher tutorial, complete it, then return here to continue. Keep in mind when looking for a launcher to theme, that the more popular the launcher, the more themes will be available for it (as not all themes are compatible with all launchers).

II. Download the Theme You Want

1. Open the Play Store.

2. Search for the name of your launcher followed by the word “theme” (i.e. Apex theme, Nova theme, etc.). Alternatively, you can add other words describing the theme to narrow the search (i.e. Apex flat theme, Apex cartoon theme, Apex iPhone theme, etc.).

3. Once you find one you like, check its description to make sure it says it works for your theme, then click Install.

III. Select the Theme

1. Depending on your launcher, the option for themes might be in a different location, but for the most part, head to your launcher’s settings menu and look for theme there. Alternatively, some themes allow you to open them like a normal app and tap your launcher’s name from inside there to have it install automatically (but I find that this is just a place for really annoying ads most of the time).

2. From there, select the theme you downloaded and hit Apply. To undo a them, simply head to the theme settings in your launcher again and choose the default theme (or another theme).

Enjoy!

Find any amazing themes? Share them in the comments below!

Head to our Android How To’s section and pick your device for more how to’s for that device.