Everyone agrees that Windows Phone is a gorgeous operating system. Microsoft achieved a truly attractive and unique look, even though it hasn’t taken off as hoped because of its obvious lack of applications, where Android and iOS devices win by a landslide. For those who are in love with its look, but don’t want to take the risk of being without certain apps, we present this tutorial on how to get the Windows Phone display on Android devices.

Cómo hacer que tu móvil Android parezca un Windows Phone

For those who don’t know, Android is a very customizable operating system, so much so that each company releases its own version. As users, we can also change the appearance of the Android app launcher, and if you get into things such as firmware and modified versions, you can do some pretty amazing things. But in light of the complexity of this, which presents a lot of risks, we won’t go there, but rather talk about how to change the app launcher.

So, the most important thing when it comes to getting the Windows Phone display is to choose a launcher that mimics its appearance and its animations. I have found two that work very well, which have the same name: Launcher 8, created by Timo Kujala, and Launcher 8, from QiHang Dev Team. Both are free, while the former has a paid version without ads. Personally, I prefer the first one, which on my Galaxy Nexus is more fluid, and the images that accompany this tutorial are from Launcher 8 by Timo Kujala. But, I repeat, the other one is practically the same.

windows_phone_android

Once you have downloaded either of the two, the effect is almost immediate. Your cell phone will ask you which launcher you would like to use. (If you want to use the one that comes installed on the device by default, or the new one that you have downloaded, and if you want to use it by default.) Don’t be afraid to click on Launcher 8 because the other one won’t ever be deleted, and will automatically be restored if you delete the other launcher. You can always choose which launcher to use if you change the default setting under settings/applications. Once you choose the new launcher, the phone will look completely different.

Now, all you have to do is change the tiles on the home screen. I’ll leave the order and size up to you, but all you have to do to change it is long press on any of them for the editor to appear. Pinning apps to the new background is as easy as swiping to the left, opening the list of applications. Long press on one of them, then create the new access. Next, you can personalize these new apps, which occasionally requires some trial and error.

android_windows_phone_tutorial_2

Both of the launchers include several stock icons for many apps, but some of the logos aren’t updated (Twitter), and others that aren’t the official ones. We’ll leave it up to you to choose the ones you want, or to make your own, as the launchers allow you to different images as an icon, or as the background to the app in question. For example, I made this Facebook icon that you see in this capture below. You can do this with any app.

android_windows_phone_tutorial_3

The icons for the different apps are saved on the device, and it is easy to create new ones, some of which can have special functions. For now, and this is something that’s missing that I hope gets fixed, there is no live notification for emails that arrive, but there are for calls and SMS. There are also live animations for favorite contacts and the calendar.

If you want a beautiful display that really looks like a Windows Phone, we recommend you apply backgrounds with the app’s logo, and a background color such as the one selected by default. All you need is a little bit of Photoshop, make some transparent .png’s with the app’s logo, then copy it to your device so you can later search for it with the app. The process can take a while, but the result is spectacular, as you will see here below.

android_windows_phone_tutorial_4

There are still some details missing to make it exactly like a Windows Phone. Obviously, the apps will still have an Android look – you can’t change that – and because my phone is a Nexus, it’s impossible to delete the bottom quick-access bar, but other Android models don’t have that. However, you can hide the notifications bar, and even substitute it for another one similar to that of Windows Phone. The two launchers have an option to do so, there are external apps that do the same thing. Personally, I don’t like how it turns out, so I left the Android bar, but others might like it more. It just depends.

Finally, and to make your life a little easier, we’ve made a compilation of icons of your everyday apps, which obviously many of you will want to use on the home screen of your device if you try out this new look. I use it daily, and the phone doesn’t slow down, nor use more battery life than normal. It’s true that at times you miss having widgets, and other Android features, but there’s always time to go back to the original look.

Download Launcher 8 on Uptodown | http://launcher-8.en.uptodown.com/android

Download Launcher 8 (Windows Phone) on Uptodown
http://launcher-8-windows-phone.en.uptodown.com/android

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