Business

15 Apps That Will Make Your Android Phone A Whole Lot Better

Posted November 09, 2014 10:00 pm

Lisa Eadicicco

One of the best things about Android is that you can change your phone's theme, add new widgets, and customize your settings whichever way you please.

Android launchers allow you to make your phone even more personal and catered to your specific tastes.

A launcher is essentially a home screen replacement for your Android phone.

You can turn them on or off whenever you like, which means you can change the look and feel of your phone's software at any time.

After playing with a bunch of lock and home screen replacements from the Google Play store, here are our top picks.

<h3>Aviate</h3>

The Yahoo-owned Aviate launcher is an attractive yet simple home screen replacement for your Android phone. You'll get access to your favorite apps directly on the home screen, which you can hand pick when you set up the app.

What really makes Aviate stand out, however, is a feature called Spaces. These are different contextually aware categories that appear in the upper-left-hand corner of your home screen depending on where you are. So, on your way to work, you might see an icon for the Moving space, which would provide travel information and apps like Google Maps.

<h3>Start</h3>

Celltick's Start lock screen replacement adds a list of icons along the left side of your lock screen and a ring toward the bottom. You can pull out these icons to see quick notifications, and sliding your finger over the ring will reveal app categories that you can choose. There are also a ton of themes to choose from.

<h3>Buzz Launcher</h3>

If you're sick of just shuffling widgets and menus around, Buzz Launcher will give your Android phone an entire face-lift. The launcher comes with a bunch of customizable themes that completely change the way your phone looks.

Beyond its selection of themes, Buzz Launcher is extremely simple to navigate. Swiping up from the bottom launches the app menu, and you can press and hold the screen any time to access settings.

<h3>Cover</h3>

Even though Cover is still in beta, it's an excellent lock screen replacement. If you use specific apps while you're at work versus at home, Cover will be helpful. The lock screen replacement learns more about you and the apps you use over time.

It presents different apps on the lock screen depending on where you are. For example, if you're at work, it'll include apps like Gmail, Evernote, and Google Chrome on your lock screen. When you're at home, it may show mobile games or news apps you frequently read.

<b>See the rest of the story at Business Insider</b>

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