How do I make my phone look less childish?

[Zoolok]

Hi,

I've made the switch from Windows Phone/Mobile to Android, since Windows 10 just wouldn't work on my Lumia 1520. I though about giving something new a chance (I already used iOS before, not a fan) so I got myself a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ (that's a long name) and I really cannot say I am enjoying the experience. I understand it is Samsung's own launcher (still learning Android terminology) called TouchWiz, and not Android itself, but this is just horrible. It looks very cartoonish and childish, with all the colours and a bunch of icons crammed on one screen.

Can I make the UI look less like that and more... Serious? I tried several other launchers, and while some of them do change the looks completely (of the start (home) screen, at least), they still look like they were made for teenagers. I did those things back in the day of DesktopX for PCs and Symbian phones (am I too old for this?). I remembered that I used to have Samsung phones in the past and how Samsung always struggled with the software part (like, when they released Samsung D600 that had a slot for a memory card, so I thought I could finally listen to my music on my phone, so I put a card in there with a few GB of songs, and it turned out that Samsung made their MP3 player to only be able to play up to 30 songs at a time...).

Anyway, I am really starting to regret ever switching to Android. The UI is too colourful and too silly for me, but is there anything I can do about it? What are the chances of getting used to it? I kept my Lumia and the more I compare it, the more I like Windows 10

 

[the tall guy]

Hi, I noticed you mentioned changing the launcher, but have you tried downloading a different theme from the Samsung Store? you can find mature themes in there that completely change the whole Touchwiz experience.

 

[Zoolok]

I did try other themes for TouchWiz, too, but those mostly just change the icons and the wallpaper? There are some that are not that bad, but I am really missing the elegance and the modern look of tiles.

 

[the tall guy]

I did try other themes for TouchWiz, too, but those mostly just change the icons and the wallpaper? There are some that are not that bad, but I am really missing the elegance and the modern look of tiles.

there are a couple of launchers to replicate Windows 10 on the play store - which might be ideal for you? again, it's only changing the surface of the UI, but it's better than nothing.

 

[Zoolok]

Thanks, I tried them too, though the one I found most intriguing was Buzz Launcher, that one really reminds me of what I used to do to my desktop PC back in the day.

 

[the tall guy]

Thanks, I tried them too, though the one I found most intriguing was Buzz Launcher, that one really reminds me of what I used to do to my desktop PC back in the day.

Never heard of buzz launcher, will need to check that out tonight

 

[Rukbat]

I don't know if you're too old for this, but I ran CP/M, so I'm not young.

I use Nova Launcher on all my phones. My wallpaper is usually something pretty dark because AMOLED screens (the type Samsung uses) use more power to display light images, so I stick with solid dark blue or a dark starry night or something like that, with maybe something holiday-related for the major holidays.

I don't think I'd want a Windows Metro look on my phone - I don't even use it on my desktop. I still use the old desktop with a start button on current Windows.

 

[Javier P]

I think that I understand what you mean by childish A launcher and some different icon packs will help but your settings menu won't be affected, just the home screens and drawer. Even so there are some apps that can help you to have a personal layout and don't use your settings menu very often.

- Nova Launcher (as said previously). With Nova actions and activities you can access pretty much anything with no need to navigate the menus.

- Zooper Widgets. Create your own widgets to display any system information. The Pro version includes "on tap actions" so you can launch apps and access specific settings from the widget.

- Power Toggles. Add switches on your screens or notification bar. Very handy.

 

[BKKunz]

I'm glad you posted this. I thought I was the only one that felt this way.
I may give Windows a try next time.

 

[Javier P]

I'm glad you posted this. I thought I was the only one that felt this way.
I may give Windows a try next time.

Or you could try a phone with a different UI. I personally like stock android (Nexus, Motorola, etc).

 

[Christine Aflak]

I downloaded a theme called Fantasy White and it looks amazing. The phone looks much cleaner and classier. On top of that I use nova launcher with a mix of icon packs. It's like a new phone.

 

[Javier P]

And we are all talking about one of the best things about Android. If there's something you don't like there are lots of different options to change it your way. Even to mimic some other platforms that don't offer that possibility

 

[Zoolok]

So the main advantage of Android over Windows is that you can customize the hell out of it and it has many more apps. I'm not sure I care about either of those. What drove me away from Windows was that Windows 10 Mobile simply isn't finished and even the basic tasks would not work sometimes. I liked everything else about it...

 

[lullabyss]

Zoolook: You are totally true in that point, I mean, seeing thatthere is some unfinished thougths on it does make it less usefull in those aspects therefore - I totally agree and admit i am also not using it.

 

[Ed Briggs]

Thanks, I tried them too, though the one I found most intriguing was Buzz Launcher, that one really reminds me of what I used to do to my desktop PC back in the day.

Give Google Now Launcher a try. It is straight from Google afterall.

 

[DJCBS]

Anyway, I am really starting to regret ever switching to Android. The UI is too colourful and too silly for me, but is there anything I can do about it? What are the chances of getting used to it? I kept my Lumia and the more I compare it, the more I like Windows 10

I feel your pain. I suffer them too and Lollipop and Marshmallow just made everything worse. It's not a Samsung problem any more, it's a Google problem. Material Design as shown by Google on "stock Android" is equally horrible. The OS looks like a circus. Only the OnePlus X has a fix for that by having added themselves a Dark Theme to Android. From the design point of view, Windows Phone 8.1 and prior were vastly superior to Android's designs.

To answer the "will I get use to it"? Probably not. I still haven't and I jumped ship from WP over a year ago.

As for what you can do...I'll tell you what I did on the G4 and I hope it helps:
(0 - go to the Samsung Theme store and get a dark theme. LG's themes don't touch notification trays and system UI but Samsung's do, which is positive).
1 - Get Nova Launcher (If you can, pay for the Prime version. It will be worth it). Nova allows you to basically create a home screen to your liking, change all the icons, gestures, fonts, etc. It will also allow you to create folders with dark backgrounds. Oh and it rids you of TouchWiz.
2 - Get icon packs. I use "Dark Glow" and "3K SR BLACK - Icon Pack". And if you want to go a step further and create your own, "Icon Changer" will help you create your own.
3 - Time to replace the stock apps.
a) "Truedialer" (also available on WP) can replace your phone app on Android. It has a dark theme.
b) "Textra" can replace your sms app. It's an amazingly designed app with a dark AND a full black theme (ideal for AMOLED) and that will sort of remind you of the sms app on Windows Phone.
c) "BlueMail" is a great email client. It's similar to the Outlook app but has more functionality and...you guessed it. A dark theme
d) "File Commander" is a great app for managing folders etc (think microsoft's "Files" on WP). It has a dark theme.
e) "QuickPic" is a great app to replace your stock photos app.
f) If you want a music player, I definitely recommend "BlackPlayer" (again, if you can, the premium EX version is absolutely worth it).

The only major app I haven't found with a proper dark theme in it is a Calendar app. All calendar apps I've tried keep white backgrounds.

And you're done. Your Android is now more sober and less childish. I just hope Google smells the coffee and eventually puts a dark theme on Android N.
The UI on Android phones is pretty diverse but anything that uses "Material Design" is a disaster. If other OEMs don't take a page out of OnePlus' book, I'll seriously have to take UI in consideration when I buy my next Android phone (hopefully not...I expect Nokia to not go along with the childish UI colours on their phones...but we never know)

 

[Zoolok]

Thanks, I'll try all those out when I get the time. I like that it can be customized a lot, but it looks like all ways are equally silly.

Asides from that, the battery life on Edge+ is terrible. I got up today at 11 (yaaay weekend!), and not it is 6:30pm and the battery is at 52%. I took a few pictures, made two phone calls, and chatted on Viber with two people.

 

[jakeuten]

You'd probably like the material dark theme.

AT&T Galaxy Note 3

 

[torbach1]

Thanks, I'll try all those out when I get the time. I like that it can be customized a lot, but it looks like all ways are equally silly.

Asides from that, the battery life on Edge+ is terrible. I got up today at 11 (yaaay weekend!), and not it is 6:30pm and the battery is at 52%. I took a few pictures, made two phone calls, and chatted on Viber with two people.

Once the phone gets updated to Marshmallow, the standby battery life will be a lot better because of Doze.

I'm also an ex WP user. Started with the Samsung and WP7 and switched after my Lumia 1020 kept freezing while being charged (and stopped charging) once 8.1 was out, and even after 3 replacement phones, the problem would still be there.

Over time I've come to appreciate a lot about Android that so far you probably haven't had time to do. Firstly, the apps that are in both WP and Android are so much better on Android, there is no comparison. Secondly, of course there are far more apps, and then things like quick charge, the speed of launching the camera and the speed with which the camera processes photos is far better than the Lumia 1020/1520.

Hopefully with all the customization mentioned above you can get past the UI issues. For me, I never felt that it looked childish. I just miss live tiles, the MS default keyboard and calendar. If you don't, In confident MS will resolve the WP10 mobile teething issues in the next month or two and then you can probably sell your S6E+ on swappa.com for about the same price as the 950XL.

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[torbach1]

So the main advantage of Android over Windows is that you can customize the hell out of it and it has many more apps. I'm not sure I care about either of those. What drove me away from Windows was that Windows 10 Mobile simply isn't finished and even the basic tasks would not work sometimes. I liked everything else about it...

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There are many other advantages. The quality of the existing apps, and rate at which they get bug fixes is also way higher than that on WP. Google Now has many advantages over Cortana, and once MS has resolved issues with Cortana for Android, you'll have both. Android flagship phones get updated once a year at a minimum, while MS has at least in the last 2 years taken 2 years to replace their flagships. Android has many more choices when it comes to fitness devices, banking apps that support fingerprint recognition and mobile check deposit, and more. That's no to say that there aren't a lot of things that are nicer in WP, but it's not just customization and apps that are advantages of Android.

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