Android themes are in a transition phase. Before, you basically had to root your phone if you wanted to change the colors of your settings menu, for example, or make the Google Play Store dark. Today, many OEMs support system-wide themes with dedicated theme stores, or at least dark modes that affect every possible app on your phone, depending on the app developer allowing it.
However, many of the old methods still work today including icon packs, third-party Android launcher programs, various wallpaper apps, and even some more hardcore things like widget and live wallpaper makers. There are a ton of things you can do and frankly it takes multiple app lists to name them all. In this case, we are going to talk about the best Android themes from a customization standpoint. We’ve linked other app lists below for even more topic ideas.
Here are some more Android themes and apps that you might like!
15 best Android widgets for your home screen!
10 best icon packs for Android (from the developer)
Action launcher
Price: Free / Up to $ 12.00
Action Launcher is a great starting point for themes. It contains some basic thematic elements. It can automatically adjust the launcher’s colors based on the colors on your background image. In addition, it offers a wide variety of customization options to make everything look the way you want it. This includes Android 7.1-style app shortcuts, a quick bar, smart icons, and items from the Google Pixel Launcher. It’s a solid launcher app too. With this one and a little elbow grease, you can create all kinds of fun Android themes. Evie Launcher is another great launcher with lots of customization options.
Energy Bar (or Energy Ring) apps
Price: Free / Up to $ 24.99
Energy Bar (or Energy Ring) is a series of apps that allow you to do fun things with your screen. In the original energy bar there is a battery meter at the top of your screen. It’s going down as your battery goes. The notch and pinhole cameras made things a little complicated, but the developer has the Energy Ring line of apps for those obstacles. The apps work on any phone with a flat top screen, most devices with a pinhole, and about half a dozen devices with a notch. You’ll need to check the developer page to see which one works best for you. However, this allows you to make the top of your phone stand out.
Facer and WatchMaker
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Wear OS has an extensive system of themes. Facer and WatchMaker are probably the highlights of it. Either way, you can create custom watch faces for your Android Wear device. You can also find thousands of other people’s watch faces. You can upload your designs and contribute to this number too. Facer also supports Gear S2 and S3 devices. Wear OS users can use themed apps like this to make their watches look just as good as their phones with a little work.
Gboard and SwiftKey
Price: Free
Gboard and SwiftKey are two of the most popular Android keyboards. They’re also great on the subject. SwiftKey has more unique themes along with seasonal themes and things like that. Gboard’s theme is a little more basic. However, custom themes are available for both keyboards in addition to the preset functions. There are other keyboards with this functionality. Gboard and SwiftKey are simply the two best in terms of actual usability and theme. Plus, they’re both free with no in-app purchases or ads. Many thanks to Google and Microsoft!
KWGT and KLWP
Price: Free / $ 3.49
KWGT and KLWP are currently two of the most popular theme apps. KWGT is a custom widget maker. It offers a variety of different functions to create the widgets you want. The app supports Google Fit, most sensor data, the weather, and even things like customized countdown timers. It also has Tasker support for even more functionality. KLWP is a live wallpaper manufacturer. It has a WYSIWYG editor that you can use to create whatever you want. It also shares many functions with KWGT. These are great for Android themes. There’s also KLCK Kustom Lock Screen if you want to go further and add a lock screen to the mix.
We still have some recommendations for you!
The 15 best Android apps right now!
The 15 best Android launcher apps will make your home screen perfect
Nova Launcher
Price: Free / $ 4.99
Nova Launcher is probably the best launcher app out there. It’s also great for Android themes. It has a ton of customization options. You can make it look pretty much any way you want. It supports icon packs, sub-grid positioning, color control, a scrollable dock and much more. There are also Nova Launcher themes in Google Play that add a little more to the mix. The paid version offers some additional functions. You can also get a plug-in that adds notification badges for apps. This is a good place to start.
Price: Free / $ 3.99 per month / $ 29.99 per year
Reddit is an excellent place for topics. It’s not an app that gives you themes, but you can find lots of ideas in the right subreddits. We recommend starting in Android themes and working your way out. People publish their home screen layouts and then (usually) any apps they need to get there. You can find icon packs, wallpapers, KWGT and KWLP themes to import, and all sorts of other things. Here’s a great example of what we mean. Either way, Reddit is free to use, or you can pay monthly to remove ads and get some extra features.
Wallpaper
Price: Free / $ 1.99
There are tons of wallpaper apps out there with some really cool stuff. Wallpaper is not one of those apps. Instead, this app randomly generates wallpapers with one of its many patterns. There are almost 100 patterns to choose from and the colors are 100% customizable. Everything is generated on your device so it works offline too. This one has a certain learning curve. It’s not exactly easy to navigate when you’re used to how other apps work. However, this is a very small and temporary sucker. You can find some seriously cool, unique stuff with this one. The free version gives you access to a few samples. The premium version unlocks all patterns. Some other excellent apps in this area are Minima and Vectorify da Home.
UCCW
Price: Free / $ 4.99
UCCW is one of the most popular custom widget apps. It has a WYSIWYG editor. This way you can see how your widget will look as it is created. You can add all kinds of features including calendar events, weather, battery, missed calls, various notifications, location and more. It also has support for Tasker. You can download additional skin packs as apps in Google Play. You can also import widgets created by other people. It has a few flaws here and there. There is also a certain learning curve. Other than that, it’s good.
Walli
Price: Free with in-app purchases
Walli is an above average wallpaper app. It has a number of random images and artwork from a number of random artists. This is a bit like Etsy, but for your wallpapers. You can find tons of unique things here that you won’t find anywhere else. Walli is also doing the right thing by giving its artists the income from the app itself. It rounds off the experience with a user-friendly interface and a neat playlist function that lets you discover new wallpapers. We also like Google Wallpapers, Abstruct and WallPix for wallpapers.
Bonus: OEM issues
Price: Free / Varies
Android has no native theme. That’s part of what makes Android themes so difficult. However, many OEMs have issues on their own. Samsung, HTC, LG, Huawei, MIUI, and others have theme engines. You’ll need to check your settings menu or the individual OEM app store to find them. These can change the color and theme of your icons, background, quick settings, settings menu, and other items that normal theme methods cannot normally achieve. They are not overly diverse and some cost money. It’s a good place to start if you don’t have a standard Android, however.
Bonus: root theme options
Price: Free
Rooted devices offer many more theme options than non-rooted devices. Those who dare to break the guarantee and become rogue have tons of options including the Xposed Framework for various UI tweaks, Substratum and Synergy for overlay themes, and some custom ROMs allow for various theme elements as well. This is one of the few good reasons to root your device as it allows you to dive into the system instead of being locked like normal non-root devices. We linked Substratum, but you may need to do some digging to find all of the different options for a rooted device.
Thank you for reading! Here are some definitive app lists to check out!
10 best 4K, QHD, and HD background sources for Android
10 best live wallpaper apps for Android!
Thank you for reading! Here are some definitive app lists to check out!
10 best 4K, QHD, and HD background sources for Android
10 best live wallpaper apps for Android!
If we missed any great Android themes, let us know in the comments! If you are a little new to this field there is a wide variety of tutorials on Reddit and XDA developers. Both sides have some pretty hardcore themed threads! You can also click here to see our latest Android app and game lists!