Android themes: make your smartphone look incredible

There are so many ways to make your look and feel awesome, but one of the easiest is by downloading an  theme. Below, we've put together a list of what we believe to be the best Android for a number of different launchers, all of which are free to install and use.

1. Ocean Dream for ZenUI Launcher

ZenUI is a strong launcher for theming because it doesn't require any extras and doesn't supply much in the way of bloatware. Though its themes aren't the most comprehensive – its icon packs generally cover only the most basic apps (and often not even all those that come pre-installed) – they are nonetheless considered and consistent.

The icons within Ocean Dream are all cleverly designed to tie in with the theme. The icon for messaging app for example, looks like a message in a bottle. The icon for the browser app, on the other hand, is a radar.

It's beautiful stuff, I just wish its icon packs were more extensive. Be sure to take a look at the Autumn theme too.

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Ocean Dream was created by the ASUS / ZenUI team. / © Tech News 

Like the look of Ocean Dream? Get it on the Play Store.

2. Glasklart for Apex launcher

Glasklart has many unique icons, even for slightly less common apps such as Anututu and Greenify, and the overall design is fantastic. Even those which aren't built from the ground up don't look out of place here.

The apps in the app drawer are like ghosts, drawn in a single shade of white. Their names are hard to see against the gray background, but pull them out of the app drawer and onto the homescreen and they'll really look delicious.

The app icons are subtly, but expertly shaded, which gives them a soft and chic appearance. With its white and silvery icons against a palette of purple, Glasklart is highly recommended.

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Glasklart is a highly polished theme. / © Tech News 

Glasklart – Icon Pack Install on Google Play

3. White for CM Launcher

White for CM Launcher is gorgeous. There is real confidence shown in the minimalist background wallpaper; a simple winter scene of a tree and a person walking away from it. But it's the postcard-like app icons – the namecard style address book icon in particular – that steal the show.

You can also get a lot of themes for CM launcher, ranging from the garish to the restrained. In my opinion,  it's White's two-tone winter scene below that is most beautiful, though.

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Simple, elegant, White.  / © Tech News CM Launcher 3D – Theme, Wallpapers, Efficient Install on Google Play

4. Pinko for APUS Launcher

Pinko has been an Android favorite for a long time thanks to minimalist icons with high attention to detail. Pinko turns all your apps into circles which have all been colored and designed with care. The dialer app looks like the mouthpiece of an old-fashioned telephone, and the messaging and all apps icons are just groups of circles.

It doesn't make the interface look a whole lot different, and it doesn't use any fancy animations, it just creates an almost retro style which looks neater and more sophisticated than many other competing themes.

pinko

Slick and clean. / © Apus (screenshot) Black simple business -APUS Launcher free theme Install on Google Play

5. Cute Rabbit Theme for APUS Launcher

So far, most of the themes on our list have been clean and minimalist. Yet, there are some among us that enjoy the occasional over-the-top theme – especially if it's cute. The Cute Rabit Theme is exactly that. Quirky, sweet and colorful, it offers a variety of cute icons or surrounds your existing ones with a rabbit shape. The theme's pastel colors are sure to brighten up your day, and the adorable wallpaper will definitely make you smile every time you unlock your phone.

apus android theme cute

One of the cutest themes you can find! / © Tech News (screen

shot) Cute lovely Rabbit-APUS Launcher theme Install on Google Play

6. Windows Mobile 95 KLWP theme

Many nerds of a certain age have fond memories of Windows 95, the OS that adorned our first home computers in all its majesty. Now you can relive the glory days on your smartphone with this fantastic theme from redditor ThemeThief, complete with old-school icons and visuals for all your smartphone's modern functions, and even the dreaded blue screen of death for crashes.

To use this theme, you'll need KLWP, a live wallpaper maker at allows you to edit and run custom Android themes. Then you can grab the Windows Mobile 95 theme here.

KLWP Live Wallpaper Maker Install on Google Play

7. Make your own theme

Although there are many great themes out there, if you want something truly unique and yours, the best way to get it is to create it. We should also mention that one of the most popular launchers – Nova, for example, doesn't have have theme support, while others that do can have annoying ads or unwanted “extra features”. So a self-made theme is never a bad idea.

So how would you go about creating it? The easiest way is to find a wallpaper and icons with a matching aesthetic. Nowadays, that's quite easy since most icon packs come bundled with wallpapers. However, you can experiment with apps like Muzei, which offer live wallpapers or Tapet, which generates them. A personal favorite of mine is taking screenshots from the Monument Valley game and using them as my background.

If you are still not happy with what you made, you can also check the Android themes subreddit, in which users post a screenshot of their home screen and of course share what launchers, wallpapers and icon packs they are using.

Tapet Install on Google Play

 

Muzei Live Wallpaper Install on Google Play

 

What do you think is the best Android theme? Let us know in the comments below.

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