THE BEST APPS TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR ANDROID FOR A UNIQUE LOOK

One of the best things about Android is how easy it is to customize, modify and otherwise set up your smartphone or tablet exactly as you want it. With a little know-how and the right apps, you can make your phone truly unique. If you're not sure where to start, our list of the best apps to customize Android will set you on the right path.

1. Nova Launcher

Replace Your Home Screen with a Launcher
Guess what? You don't have to use the home screen and app manager that's built into your phone. Without rooting, you can easily download and install a third-party Android launcher that cleans up your interface, and lets you customize your home screens beyond app shortcuts. Added features include resizing icons, setting up personalized gesture controls, and changing the color scheme. Read about the best Android launchers.

While Nova Launcher isn't necessarily our favorite launcher, it's widely-regarded as one of the most customizable, and there's a free version that doesn't skimp on features too much either.

You can pretty much set up everything on your Android to behave the way you want with Nova, from appearance to animations to app icons to gesture controls. You can even import previous launcher settings from another Android device, which makes Nova a good long-term option.

The paid Nova Launcher Prime version of this launcher adds a few more features, but check out the free version first because it might not be necessary for you to pay for the app in order to get what you want out of your phone.

2. Icon packs

With a custom launcher installed, and your phone is already taking on a new look, it's time to delve into the expansive world of icon packs to mix things up a bit. As you'd expect, installing an icon pack replaces the current app icons on your phone with different (and presumably better) ones.

While there are lots of different icon packs to choose between, when you settle on one (or two, or five), you can then either apply them individually (many packs have thousands in each app) or you can set an icon pack theme to give everything a more streamlined look.

Icon packs are available from the Play Store and work with most major custom Android launchers, but you will need to pay for many of the best packs. There are free ones (with in-app purchases) too though. Don't forget to check out exactly what icons each pack contains though, as it's always annoying to add an icon pack and then you don't have new icons for some of your favorite apps, particularly if you paid for the pack.

3. Wallpaper Apps

Zedge
If you want to customize more than just the look of your phone or your home screens, but don't want to install three or four different apps to achieve your goals, Zedge is a solid option for a single app that allows you to modify a whole lot of your phone.

In addition to wallpapers and icon packs, you can add custom ringtones and notification sounds - and given that there's such a huge number to choose between, you can also just set them to automatically update periodically, whether that's each day or every hour. You can even download games from directly within Zedge, if you want to.

Images scale to your phone’s screen dimensions, and you can set specific ringtones for every contact you have, so you know who's calling before you even see your screen. Zedge also includes four different widgets that allow you to set a custom clock or quickly launch games, among other things.

Zedge has a huge number of different ringtones, wallpapers, notification sounds and more. It also has ads.

4.Install a Better Keyboard
Again, if you're not happy with your built-in keyboard, try another one. There are so many third-party keyboards available via Google Play, including the top-rated Swype and Swiftkey, as well as any number of GIF keyboards and other specialty apps. And while you're at it, whether you keep the stock keyboard or install a new one, be sure to customize the autocorrect settings to match up with your personal lingo to avoid awkward interactions and general frustration.

5.Customize Your Lock Screen

Like everything else, you're not stuck with the out-of-the-box lock screen on your Android device. In addition to choosing the unlock method, you can also opt to show notifications and designate how much information you want to display to protect your privacy. Third party apps let you add widgets to the lock screen and add to the variety of unlock options. If you've set up the Android Device Manager, you can also add a message and a button that calls a specified number, just in case a good samaritan finds your lost phone.

6. Root Your Device

Of course, rooting your Android smartphone opens up a host of options. When you root, you can access the latest Android features first, and update your OS whenever your want; you're no longer at the mercy of your carrier and manufacturer. That also means that you can use stock Android, without any skins your manufacturer might build in, or any of that annoying bloatware from your carrier. Rooting can be intimidating, but if you follow the instructions carefully, the good definitely outweighs any drawbacks.

7. Flash a Custom ROM

When you root your Android smartphone, you can opt to install aka flash a custom ROM, though it's not required. Custom ROMs are essentially modified versions of Android. The most popular are CyanogenMod (now LineageOS) and Paranoid Android, both of which offer added features beyond stock Android, such as custom button configuration and the ability to hide screen elements that you don't like or use. Each also tends to offer bug fixes at a faster rate than Google, and sometimes the best features show up in official versions of Android.