My favorite Android launchers

When I used to work in retail selling phones about half of my customers had no idea what Android was and the other half thought they knew what Android was. I would ask them basic questions like, "Why do you like Android?" and they would say something like, "Because it's customizable." Then I would take a look at their old Android phone and it would be completely stock with widgets thrown all over the place with a terrible background of their dog or significant other. That is what customizing meant to them. But the true test to see if anyone knows anything about Android is to ask them what their favorite launcher is. I would bet that if anyone here asked a friend or family member who owns and Android phone what a launcher is for Android that they would have no idea what you are talking about.

So what is a launcher and why is it important?

Let's answer the first question. What is an Android launcher? A launcher is simply the main home screen and app drawer for your phone. It will display all of your apps, widgets, wallpapers, etc. so you can interact with it. Android is set up in a way that if you don't like how the stock launcher looks, is organized, whatever, you can download an alternative launcher to the native one. For example, the Galaxy S3 uses Samsung's Touchwiz launcher. If you were to look in the manage apps list you would find TWLauncher, that's the stock launcher. This is what it looks like:

homescreens

app drawer

All of the icons and widgets are completely stock and haven't been changed. However, you can really customize the way your phone looks and operates by changing your launcher. Here are some examples:

You can change quite a bit with new launchers. This is what customizing Android is and it can be very beneficial. So why would you want to change your launcher?

One of my favorite reasons is performance. Using a different launcher generally increases the speed of your device. The reason is that most stock launchers use much more memory than ones you can download from the Play Store. By decreasing the amount of memory needed to run the launcher, your other apps and games can use the extra memory. Another reason why you would want to do this is to adjust the way your phone behaves. Additional gestures and customized docks and notification bars can really help you do more things faster than with a stock launcher.

There are some things you need to watch out for when downloading a new launcher. Make sure the launcher is compatible with your version of Android. Some launchers require that your phone be rooted for features to work. Make sure you read the description of each launcher to find out if it requires root access. Also, you will want to download icon packs for certain launchers to customize the look even further. Don't be afraid of messing up your phone. You can always restore your original, stock launcher through the "Manage Apps" settings panel.

Experiment with a new launcher and see what works for you. My personal favorites are Nova Launcher, Go Launcher EX, Launcher 7, and Apex Launcher. Just know that any stock widgets will most likely be disabled in the new launcher so you might have to find replacements in the Play Store. Check out all these great launchers in the Play Store and don't forget to check out my How To videos for more tips and tricks.