This short guide will serve as an introduction to ricing, or customizing, your homescreen, and will lay a foundation for you to expand further.
Most of the recent screens found on the inspiration gallery are made with a launcher and KLWP, which are sufficient tools for ricing. Remember to look through the settings and interface of the apps you download.
The launcher handles the app drawer, icons and gesture controls, while KLWP handles the ‘wallpaper’ part, meaning clocks, music information, papes, etc.
Some of the apps suggested have free versions which should serve most purposes, but “pro” versions unlock several additional features.
Launchers
A launcher is an application that functions in the same way a desktop environment would. It offers a homescreen where you can place icons, display a wallpaper, and access an app drawer. Stock launchers are generally very limited, and don’t offer much functionality beyond icons and widgets. Custom ones allow you to add touch gestures and customize your app drawer.
There are a bunch of different launchers available on the Play Store, so it is encouraged you look at them yourself and find one with the feature set you need.
To replace your launcher, download one of your choice and set it as default after pressing the home button.
Nova Launcher is the most commonly used launcher. For more customizability than what Nova offers, check out Total Launcher.
Icon packs
One of the features of a launcher is to apply custom icon packs. They are a quick way to make your entire homescreen consistent. An icon pack is just what it sounds like, an application that comes with a bunch of icons.
You can apply an icon pack on your launcher by downloading one and selecting it in your launcher’s settings. Almost all third-party launchers support it. You can always look on Google Play for more apps, but here are some of the most popular icon packs seen in the homescreen threads: - Delta - Glyphs by Tokems - Kecil
You can also change icons individually, usually by tapping and holding on an icon (note: dynamic icons, like calendars or weather, will not automatically update when a manual one is set).
KLWP
Kustom Live Wallpaper is an app that allows you to make your own live wallpapers in a fairly simple wysiwyg editor.
KLWP might be daunting for a newcomer. The best way to learn is to tinker with it and by reading or watching tutorials that start from the basics. For that, Craftmath’s KLWP Guide and his YouTube channel, as well as Jagwar’s Guide, are recommended.
You can also find a good listing for the basics on the kustom.rocks tutorial page or under the tutorial section in the app menu.
Communities
Sometimes seeing others’ rice and related discussion can spark ideas. In such case, communities centered around phone ricing are worth checking out. Our own community includes the homescreen threads located on /wg/ as well as its affiliated chatroom.