I turned my Android right into a Home windows Telephone, and I do not suppose I will return

I’ve examined a variety of smartphones over time, together with fashions from Asus, Google, Samsung, and Apple. Nonetheless, one sort of cellphone I by no means had the chance to check, which I deeply remorse to at the present time, is a Windows Phone.

The final Home windows Telephone to be launched earlier than Microsoft gave up on them was the Windows Lumia 650 in 2016, which was powered by Home windows 10 Cellular, an working system developed by Microsoft for its smartphones. One of many standout options of Microsoft’s cellular OS was its distinctive tile design for its house display. Was it the fanciest design on the planet? No, but it surely was simplistic and crowd pleasing, and I discovered it significantly attention-grabbing as somebody who has primarily used a Windows PC all their life.

With Microsoft ending support for Windows 10 quickly, it acquired me immediately enthusiastic about the Home windows Telephone once more, and its distinctive sq. house display. Then the thought occurred to me, there should be a third-party Android launcher accessible that resembles the Home windows Telephone in some capability, proper?

The reply is sure, and the one I have been having fun with utilizing probably the most is named Square Home. Over the previous few days, I have been experimenting with it to rework my Galaxy S25+ right into a Home windows Telephone-like expertise. Whereas I really like the feel and appear of One UI 7, one thing is charming concerning the simplistic tile design that Sq. House presents, which is a pleasant throwback to the Home windows Telephone period. This is methods to arrange Sq. House in your Android system, and why you won’t wish to change again to your default launcher after utilizing it.

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Sq. House provides you the Home windows Telephone expertise

You possibly can customise all of the tiles to your liking and add widgets

To get began with Sq. House, you’ll be able to obtain it at no cost from the Google Play Retailer. After putting in, you will see two apps: Sq. House and House choices. While you faucet Sq. House, it instantly opens the launcher, permitting you to begin customizing your tiled house display, much like a Home windows Telephone (as seen within the picture above).

So as to add totally different apps, faucet the plus button on the backside of the display. From there, you’ll be able to add apps, shortcuts, launcher actions, dividers, tile teams and extra. To rearrange or resize the app tiles already on your property display, merely faucet and maintain them, similar to you’d on the default Android house app.

I selected to maintain my calendar and the time on the high of the display, and I positioned the apps I exploit most frequently all through the day — reminiscent of Gmail, Google Messages, Spotify, and Chrome — close to the highest as nicely. What I like about Sq. House is that you would be able to customise the colour of the tiles to match your model and make every app tile stand out. Widgets are additionally supported, so you’ll be able to add an indicator in your battery, a photograph collage, or every other Android widget if you want. Sq. House additionally contains a distinctive app drawer, situated below Functions, which organizes all apps into tiles. A search bar is included for simply discovering any app in your system.

Sq. House additionally presents one other distinctive characteristic, much like what the Home windows Telephone had, referred to as Stay Tiles. These are a kind of tile that robotically shows notifications from its corresponding app. For example, I’ve X (previously Twitter) on mine, and with Stay Tiles enabled, it robotically shows notifications from the app, reminiscent of direct messages I’ve acquired. It additionally works for a lot of different apps, just like the Telephone app, the place you’ll be able to view any missed calls via the Stay Tile.

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Learn how to set Sq. House as your default House app

It is an ad-free expertise, however you should buy premium options

While you obtain Sq. House, you additionally get one other app referred to as House Choices in your system. Opening this reveals extra customization choices for Sq. House, together with adjusting tile sizes and types, organising gestures, deciding on your wallpaper, and extra. On the high of the House Choices display, you will see an choice referred to as Set default house, which robotically directs you to the Settings menu in your system to set Sq. House as your default House app. Alternatively, you’ll be able to change your default launcher at any time in your Android system by going to Settings > Apps > Select default apps > House app.

Though Sq. House is not a 1:1 remake of the Home windows Telephone, it’s a trustworthy adaptation, and its tile design genuinely evokes its nostalgia. Not like another third-party Android launchers, Sq. House is totally ad-free, so you will not be seeing intrusive adverts on a regular basis in the event you set it as your default launcher.

That mentioned, it presents an choice to pay yearly for $2 or a one-time lifetime price of $6 to unlock extra premium options (marked with inexperienced icons within the settings). These embody the flexibility to arrange extra gestures, totally different tile animations, change the font, and far more. While you first arrange Sq. House, you do get a 14-day free trial to check out the premium options, so you’ll be able to at the least attempt them and see in the event you like them or not with out having to pay.

Though I’ve by no means personally used a Home windows Telephone, Sq. House permits me to expertise what it may need been like to make use of one. Its tiled design supplies a refreshing various to the everyday house screens on Android and iOS. After utilizing it for the previous few days, I plan to maintain it as my default launcher for the foreseeable future. When you’re a Home windows Telephone fan, you may really feel the identical after testing it out. It is easy, and I’ve had no bother accessing all my apps and going about my each day routines with Sq. House. It will be nice to see Microsoft launch an official Home windows Android launcher sometime, however that is most likely a protracted shot.

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