Is This Even My Phone?

Many enjoy the iPhone for its simple user interface and smooth features, but for someone who needs their smartphone personalized to suit them, Android is the way to go. Not only do Android phones come preloaded with everything you need for a fully functional phone, but in the Google Play Store, there are many more options to completely customize your phone to optimize your user experience. You can change things such as your home interface, your internet browser, your notifications system and much more.

There are so many different home interfaces or launchers out there. Each launcher is unique in their own ways such as Arrow having notifications, a to-do list, and contacts all on your home screens. Google Now Launcher allows you to utilize the “Okay Google” feature to search anything up using just voice commands from your home screen. Aviate Launcher has a very useful sidebar that includes local and world news, weather, and local restaurants.Tousib Sarker said “I had my phone set to default because I didn’t know the launchers had any different features. I just thought they looked different.”

As for web browsers, there are various options such as Firefox for the plugins like flash player, Google Chrome, Apus Browser for a light and fast browser and even the independent browsers like Tangram Browser specifically suited for productivity.Link Bubble Browser is especially extraordinary as it opens my link as a side bubble which can be opened from any page.  “Tangram sounds interesting. I still use my default browsing app on my iPhone 6 and I don’t even have access to Tangram,” said Syeda Anjum.

The way you receive notifications on your phone is also very important for many users. Snowball allows notifications to appear on the top of your screen and lets you reply straight from the notification bar. Snowball also allows you to deem certain notifications important and unimportant. Important notification sources are given priority and unimportant notification sources are hidden. Drupe is an app that lets you access your contacts and dialer from anywhere in a very unique way by just swiping on any screen. Arashdeep Singh said, “I need Snowball because little notifications pop up on my phone from games and make noise when I’m in class sometimes.”

Android gives you an opportunity that Apple doesn’t to express yourself through your mobile device and make your phone work the way you want it to. The different launchers and internet browsers make Android appealing to even the most diverse of users.

Drupe Dialer in action

Drupe Dialer in action

Arrow Launcher Notes page

Arrow Launcher Notes page

 

Tangram Searches

Tangram Searches

Aviate Launcher sidebar

Aviate Launcher sidebar