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In the Android world, there are many smartphone manufacturers, and each manufacturer creates their own Android interface to provide users a unique experience. At first glance, these user interfaces may seem to be just themes, but some Android interfaces pack their custom UI with true unique features.
Google releases Android as open source, and smartphone manufacturers make retouches to the stock Android. Many Android interfaces are available out there, but we believe that the most customizable user interface is the One UI.
One UI customizations
While One UI presents lots of customization options, Good Lock application takes the customization to the next level. In this article, we will take a look at the One UI’s customization options and show you what you can do with some Good Lock modules.
Home screen
The launcher of One UI has maintained a relatively consistent appearance since the initial release, though it comes with a lot of customization features. Many Android OEMs don’t allow landscape mode on the home screen, Apple is known for their restriction on customization options on iOS but even Apple has offered landscape mode on home screen with the Plus models of iPhone, but then they ditched it on modern iPhones however, Samsung still offers landscape mode on the home screen.
Whether you find Landscape mode useful or not, many smartphone manufacturers skip offering this simple feature, plus home screen landscape mode can be turned off in the home screen settings. Here’s the home screen app settings on One UI.
The app grid on the home screen can be modified through home screen settings, but if you want to go beyond the limits, you can get the HomeUp application from Good Lock and choose the grid you want.
Google introduced Monet theming with Android 12 and this adaptive theme system determines the dominant color in the wallpaper you apply and sets it as the main theme color. However, some Android user interfaces do not allow this designated color to change.
You can long press on the home screen and tap on the “Wallpaper and style” page to select a different color under the “Color palette” option instead of the color preapplied by Android. You can also apply the theme color to the apps.
The pop up folders could be attractive to some users due to the fact that, unlike the typical procedure of launching a folder that brings an entirely new page and hides the apps on the main screen, the pop up folders won’t show entirely new page and keep showing the apps in the background and the apps in the folder. Furthermore, the folder’s color, transparency and even the font color of the folder name can be customized.
If you want to keep rocking the good old folder style, Samsung has got you covered. You can change the grid size of a folder, and even the folder’s icon.
Recents screen
One UI’s HomeUp app has many more customization options, so much so that even the recent apps menu can be customized.
The List mode comes as the default recents style, and the stack mode closely resembles iOS’s recents menu.
Additionally, there is also a mini mode available, which displays apps in a smaller format, though we can’t really say it’s all that useful.
Lock screen
One UI offers tons of lock screen customizations; you can change clock faces and clock colors in various styles. Here’s the lock screen that comes as the default.
Samsung’s default lock screen also appears quite simple and modern, but let’s break free from the stock wallpaper and set a new clock face.
You can not only install a custom clockface but also change the position of the items on the lockscreen. This happens with the LockStar app on Good Lock.
LockStar app allows you to change the position of notifications, clock and anything else present on the lock screen. Here is the default lock screen and our new customized lock screen.
We opted for a wallpaper according to our preference, selected an alternate clock face, repositioned the clock and changed its color to align with the wallpaper. We changed the location of notifications and adjusted the clock’s placement. By default, the clock is at the middle.
Status bar, quick settings
You can modify the theme of the quick settings without altering the system’s main theme through QuickStar app. For instance, if the system is set to a blue descent theme, you can use QuickStar to change the quick settings theme to green or anything you can imagine, all based on your preferences. Additionally, you can make icons in the status bar invisible; we removed the battery icon while the battery percentage still remains visible.
Additionally you can increase or decrease how much of the quick settings tiles are visible on the screen, a narrower grid allows you to see more tiles on the screen.
Routines
Modes and Routines might be one of Samsung’s most powerful applications. It is very similar to the Shortcuts app on iOS and is very useful.
You can set predefined actions to automatically perform tasks when a condition is met. You would otherwise have to do manually. Many people find notifications annoying when watching a video on YouTube, so they may prefer to turn on DND mode to prevent notifications.
When a routine is created, it will run in the background and you can assign a specific action to take place every time YouTube is opened. As in the example above, do not disturb mode will now be turned on every time YouTube is opened.
This isn’t limited to just the YouTube app. For example, when you put on your wireless earbuds, you might want Dolby Atmos to turn on, and when your earbuds disconnect, you want Dolby Atmos to turn off. You can easily set this up.
We believe that One UI is the Android interface that provides the vast majority of the best customization choices compared to other Android user interfaces. There are no restrictions on what you can accomplish thanks to the customization options built into the system and Good Lock app.
