Nova Launcher Setup Tutorial
Hi,
My name is Jack, and I’m the newest addition to the team of writers at Android Circle. I’m extremely excited about writing articles here, as well as the future of AC.
Here is my first article, enjoy!
One of the characteristics of Android that sets it apart from other mobile operating systems (*cough* iOS *cough*) is that it is extremely customisable. A big part of that customisability is the ability to change the home screen completely. Not only can one arrange icons of the home screen however they want, but they can even change the look of the icons themselves.
In this article, I’m going to show you how to make the following home screen setup that I’ve designed myself:
In order to do nearly any customization, however, we’ll need to install a custom launcher. (Some stock launchers do have customization capabilities, but most do not.) The home app we’ll use is called Nova Launcher. Click here to install it.
While it is a free app, there are features that require a small purchase. Normally, I don’t do in-app purchases, but in this case I did, and I have never regretted it.
After Nova is installed, set it as your default launcher. Now, long-press on the home screen, then hit the gear icon (Settings) on the bottom-right. Your screen should look like this:
From here, hit Desktop, and change the Desktop Grid to 7x6. Turn off “Persistent search bar” and “Page indicator.” Verify that the Height and Width padding is set to “none.” Go into “Icon Layout” and turn off “Label.” If you opted to buy Nova Launcher Prime, adjust the icon size to 125%.
We’re done with the Desktop settings, so let’s go back to the main Nova Settings page.
To make your icons look like the ones in the final product above, download Delta Icon Pack, located here. It’s a free icon pack. Once that has installed, go to Nova Settings, then to Look & Feel>Icon theme>Delta.
Alright, now return your home screen, and remove every icon from the dock. The app drawer icon can also be removed if you hold down on it long enough.
Now, swipe down with two fingers on the desktop; this will open the App Drawer. Next, find eight apps that you would like to have on the desktop, and drag and position each, one by one, to your home screen.
Note: The developer/designer of the Delta Icon Pack may not have made custom icons for some of the apps you have. Selecting apps that you use often and that have custom icons is preferred for a cohesive look.
At this point, your home screen should look something like this:
Next, we’ll install that lovely widget. Here, I’m using KWGT, one of the best widget apps out there. It’s a free app, located here. After that’s installed, add the KWGT 4x2 widget to your home screen.
You’ll be confronted with a prompt. This is normal. Hit the checkbox, then “Allow.”
Now tap on the newly created widget. Then select Base Pack>DateAndAlarm, and hit the save icon on the top right corner of the screen. If this is your first KWGT widget, you’ll have a few prompts to go through. Now hit your home button, and you should see something like this:
If you would like to have the wallpaper I used, download Wxllpaper, a free wallpaper app, found here. I used Wallpaper #382 from that app.
Nova Launcher and KWGT are two fantastic apps that allow for worlds of customization of the Android home screen. KWGT Pro and Nova Launcher Prime, the paid versions of these apps unlock their full potential. I highly recommend that you spend some time with each app, fiddling with the many features and settings found in each. Pair them with a few icon packs, and you’re golden.
We hope you enjoyed this tutorial on a Nova Launcher setup. Let us know in the comments if you want to see more tutorials by the team at Android Circle!
