If you use an Android smartphone made by HTC, Samsung, LG, or another manufacturer, you’ve probably considered installing stock Android. While Android skins like TouchWiz, Sense, and others can add a lot of functionality, sometimes they can be too much. There are also other reasons why we find stock Android to be appealing. The no-bloat, smooth experience of stock Android, or pure Android as some of us prefer to refer to it, has always been adored. Additionally, thanks to the Material Design UI language, standard Android now looks gorgeous and cohesive, unlike earlier versions of Android.
It follows that it is natural for you to choose a stock Android experience on your device. Although installing custom ROMs is always an option to get the stock Android experience, not everyone is ready to go that far. However, you can follow these steps to give your Android device the stock Android appearance and feel:
1. Install Google apps and disable similar apps
Installing Google apps on your Android device is the first step towards getting the stock Android experience. While some default Google apps, such as Google Camera, Contacts, Clock, Phone, and others, are exclusively compatible with Nexus devices, others, including as Maps, Photos, Play Music, and Google Keyboard, are accessible to everyone on the Play Store. If so, you may quickly visit APK Mirror, download the Google app APK files, and sideload them onto your Android device.
After that, you can alter the default apps to ensure that you utilise them more frequently. To do so, select Default apps under Settings->Apps in the top right-hand corner of the screen. The default phone, browser, and SMS apps are then available for selection. However, keep in mind that this function is only accessible on devices running Android 6.0 Marshmallow.
After installing these apps, you should disable their Android skin equivalents. By heading to Settings->Apps, you can disable some of the apps, although not all of them will have a Disable button. To disable system programmes, you will then need to instal a third-party app like EZ Package Disabler (works just for Samsung) or you may utilise the app Hide Apps, which lists the apps that can be turned off. You can utilise Google’s app selections in place of the ones that came with your smartphone once you’ve disabled these apps.
Not all Google apps will function on your device, please note. For instance, we successfully loaded Google apps like Contacts using APKMirror, but Google Camera and Google Phone aren’t compatible with our HTC Desire 820.
2. Use a stock Android launcher
The next step is to instal a launcher that restores the stock Android appearance. Your best option is the Google Now launcher, which puts the Google Now service only a swipe away on the left of the homescreen and is the official launcher from Google. Make sure to set the Google Now launcher as your default launcher in Settings after you’ve installed it.
You can try out other well-known launchers like Nova, Apex, etc. if you want more customization choices and control over your launcher while maintaining the basic Android aesthetics.
3. Install Material Themes
You should have no trouble finding some attractive Material themes to instal because the majority of Android skins from manufacturers come with their own Themes store. These Material themes include wallpapers, menu bar icons, icons, ringtones, and more. They are designed for users that adore the basic Android aesthetic.
4. Install Icon Packs
You can use Google Now launcher to access the stock Android screen, but it is devoid of icons. Thankfully, there are several icon sets that provide Google-like icons, but the Moonshine icon collection is our favourite. While Moonshine does provide icons that closely resemble those found in vanilla Android, it has also made certain adjustments to further hone Google’s design aesthetic. You must use a third-party launcher, such as Nova, Apex, or another one of the many excellent launchers available on the Play Store, if you want to use the Moonshine icon set. You can also use the Nova launcher in place of Moonshine if you like icons that are identical to those seen on vanilla Android.
5. Change font and DPI
The Roboto typeface is used in the stock Android interface, thus if you want your skinned Android device to look like stock Android, you must utilise the Roboto font as well. You may easily accomplish so by downloading a font switcher app like HiFontoriFont and looking for the Roboto font within it. Once downloaded, the font must be installed before being used in the Settings section of your device.
Although you can easily instal and use fonts on the majority of devices, some of them need root access. Therefore, everything depends on the gadget you’re using.
Skins like TouchWiz and Sense incorporate substantial interface elements, and not only the fonts, in contrast to stock Android. However, you may alter it by lowering the interface’s DPI. On Samsung devices, lowering the DPI is simple. Just pick Condensed under Display Scaling options. However, this option is not available in the ROMs of devices made by manufacturers like HTC and LG. Therefore, you’ll either need to hack your device or put up with the same DPI.
6. Use a Stock Android lockscreen app
You must purchase a lockscreen that resembles stock Android in both appearance and functionality to complete the stock Android look. You can download theL lockscreen software, which replicates the functionality and brings the stock Android lockscreen’s aesthetics. You get lockscreen notifications and the same kind of stock Android-style notification opening with it.
You must make the new lockscreen app available after installing it. You must grant the app notification access in Settings->Notifications & sounds before you can see the new lockscreen that looks like stock Android.
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All set to give your Android device a stock Android look?
These techniques guarantee that your smartphone will resemble stock Android much more closely. Install one of the many modified ROMs, though, if you really want the authentic stock Android experience. These ROMs offer the vanilla Android appearance combined with a tonne of awesome features and excellent performance. However, if you don’t want to risk rooting your device, following these instructions is your best bet for installing pure Android.