Do you want to make your Android all about you? There are so many ways to customize your Android device that this article just might amaze you! If you are into customization, hang tight – this article is going to show you X ways how to personalize your Android phone.
In the past, if you really wanted to customize your Android, it was necessary to root it, which doesn’t always go smoothly. You could end up damaging your phone, and as a result, you might have to bring it to a cell phone repair shop to get it fixed.
Nowadays, this isn’t the case. Here’s how to make your Android all about you:
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Personalize Your Lock Screen
You might know that you have your choice of unlocking method with Android – a pin, pattern, password, or even a fingerprint. But did you know you can completely personalize your lock screen?
Are you a fan of security? You can set up a black lock screen with a message that says something along the lines of “if this phone is lost please text 999-999-9999 to return me to my owner” in case you lose your device and a good Samaritan picks it up. If you’re a fan of locking down your phone in the case that it might get lost, you can opt to disallow notifications of any kind from appearing on your lock screen, and choose to lock your phone if it sleeps in as little as 5 seconds.
Are you a fan of convenience? You can display all notifications to easily see what’s going on with your phone, and use third-party apps to add widgets to your lock screen. You can even add to the variety of ways to unlock your phone and set a nice looking background.
If you’re somewhere in the middle, you have fine-grained control over the type of content you would like to display. You can choose your own background, and only opt to show certain notifications on your lock screen. Your Android is your oyster.
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Personalize your Home Screen
As you read this, there are hundreds of third-party launchers on the Google Play Store waiting to be downloaded and used to customize your phone. A launcher is essentially a home screen and app manager, but it can be used for so much more.
Third-party launchers can completely transform your phone’s interface, like setting up customized gesture controls, changing its color scheme or repurposing your icons.
Are you a fan of versatility? Try Nova Launcher, which offers a feature-packed free version that you can use to personalize a wide variety of aspects of your phone like the dock, color of the app manager, size of widgets, and more. If you don’t mind paying for the full version, you can access even more personalized gesture controls.
Are you a fan of options? Check out Buzz Launcher, which offers “Homepack Buzz” – a service featuring more than 700,000 home screens that have already been uploaded and shared by numerous fans.
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Personalize your Browsing Experience
Google Chrome is great, but your options are limitless if you want a more personalized browsing experience.
Are you looking for an endless amount of customization? Try Firefox. With this browser, you can adjust just about every aspect of your browser, like what color everything should be, which features you would like to use, and even how your tabs pop up in your browser.
Are you looking for privacy? Check out Puffin browser, with a built-in VPN that encrypts any data sent from your browser. Along with a built-in VPN, you can use this security-minded browser to save data, watch Flash content and load pages at the speed of light.
If convenience is what you’re after, look into Flynx. Flynx is a unique browser that allows you to open a link in a bubble that pops up on your screen so that you can read it later. It’s perfect for researchers and avid browsers who typically keep a ton of tabs open.
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Set up Custom Wallpapers, Notifications, and Ringtones
With a quick Google search, you can find out how to create your own personalized ringtone. Or, you could download an app like Zedge that allows you to select from a myriad of ringtones and notifications that are pre-made.
You can set different notifications to different apps, and different ringtones for different contacts – the options to personalize here are staggering.
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Personalize Gmail
While you’re setting up notifications, personalize your Gmail app with a custom notification so that you know every time you get an important work email. You can go ahead and set your own custom email signature on Android so that every correspondence has a personal touch to it.
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Personalize your Keyboard
If you’re not a fan of your built-in keyboard, you can try another one.
There are third-party keyboards built with privacy in mind, popular keyboards that make typing more convenient like Swiftkey and Swipe, even GIF keyboards.
You can customize any keyboard even further by personalizing autocorrect settings and add customized words to your dictionary for easy access.
This is only the beginning of the list. You can set up widgets, set a custom picture to each contact in your contact list, and much much more. Customizing an Android is pretty much a rite-of-passage.
Androids are great devices because you can take a stock device out of the box that looks like hundreds of thousands of others, and within a few taps, transform it into something truly personal that is all about you. Where will you start customizing your Android phone?
