What is a launcher and how to change the one on my android?

What is a launcher and how to change the one on my android?

The Android launcher is one of the most important applications on a mobile device, although its simple concept may be a mystery to some. If you don't know what a launcher is or which launcher to install, here you will find the answer.


If you are new to smartphones or Android in particular, you have probably heard of "launchers" and that there are the best or worst. It is a topic often taken for granted and rarely explained, here we will see what is a laucher and how can you change the one on your android mobile.



What is a launcher?

What is a launcher and how to change the one on my android?

Let's start from the first level, what exactly is a launcher? First of all: it's exactly the same as a launcher, only we're used to calling it in English. It is one of the most important applications of Android, it is the application with which other applications are launched.


It is therefore the first application you see after unlocking the phone, and the one in charge of showing you the icons of the different applications you have installed (so that you can open them) and view the widgets.

Any android phone includes its own launcher, often customized by the phone manufacturer. For example, Samsung phones have Touchwiz while Sony phones have Xperia Home and so on.

The 20 best Android launchers to try

Unlike other components of the manufacturer's customization layer (i.e., the Android customization made by the mobile brand), you can change the launcher of your Android with another downloaded from Google Play. That way, if your phone's launcher doesn't convince you, you can always download and install another one.




Although there are many curious and original launchers, most of them avoid reinventing the wheel and follow the same pattern: with a desktop it's a application menu. Some of these allow you to choose whether you want to use the application menu or not.

The desk

The desktop, which may also receive the name of the "main screen" is the equivalent of the Windows desktop or other operating systems. Includes shortcuts for some applications you want to always have on hand, as well as widgets.

Here it is necessary to distinguish between startup programs that have an application menu (which we will see later) and those that do not. Those that don't have an application menu show all installed applications on the desktop (in the same way as on an iPhone), while those that have a menu only show access to the applications you choose.


The application menu

What is a launcher and how to change the one on my android?

The app drawer is the list in which they are displayed all installed applications that you can open as a user and the way to open applications that you don't have on the main screen. The applications in the drawer can be displayed alphabetically, by installation order, or in a custom order, depending on the user and the launcher.

It is from the app drawer that you can add new apps to your home screen, usually with a long press. In some cases, in addition to applications, available widgets are also displayed, usually in another tab.


How to change the launcher

Changing the launcher on your phone is very simple and most of the lauchers available on Google Play have some sort of assistant to guide you through the process. The first thing you need, of course, is another launcher than the one you are using.


If you need an idea, here are some tips. The launchers come installed like any other application from Google Play.

The best launchers for Android - March 2019

You can change the launcher from the Android settings, but fortunately there is a faster mode: after installing a new launcher, when press the Start button, Android will ask you which launcher you want to use, showing you which ones you have installed. The one you choose will be used from that moment on, without being asked again.

If you prefer to change it yourself, the option may vary slightly by location and name for different phone brands, but it should be in the settings Android, in the section Applications, in the subsection or in the menu of default apps.


The default application settings allow you to choose a web browser, a messaging application, a call, and a home screen application (such as the launcher) from those installed.

Tap on Home screen and you can change the default launcher to the one you like best. Again, remember that the names and locations of these menus can change from one Android device to another.

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