Customizing your smartphone, or any device for that matter, is something millions of us do on a daily basis.

Whether you're changing your wallpaper, ringtone, icons or organizing your apps, customization makes your device that much more personal and meaningful in your day-to-day life.

Personalization is by no means necessary, but it somehow keeps us in tune with technology and enriches our lives with endless amounts of information.



As a tech-junkie myself, the act of personalizing each of my devices is practically a necessity and serves as a way for me to distinguish myself from others. There's nothing quite as nice as knowing I am in control of what I own while my device, in turn, supplies me with experiences I wouldn't otherwise have.

While all devices are customizable to an extent, Android devices in particular offer a plethora of ways to customize without having to root your smartphone (although rooting your phone does offer you even more possibilities and apps, we'll have to talk about that in a future piece).


Because Android is open-source, many developers have released truly amazing apps to change the look and feel of your phone or tablet.

Here are a few of the many features you can quickly and easily customize to your liking with or without apps:

Change Your Wallpaper

This one's a no-brainer. Changing your wallpaper is a great way to begin customizing your smartphone or tablet and making it your own. It's also very simple and quick to do and can be changed on the fly.

Android: How-To Change Your Wallpaper

Create and Assign Custom Ringtones

If the default ringtone library on your phone just doesn't suit the vibe you're going for, you can always upload your favourite songs and turn them into ringtones. The process takes a bit of time and attention, but it's well worth it if you want a ringtone all your own.

Android: How-To Set Custom Ringtones (Coming Soon)

Change Your Font

By default, you have the option to change the font size, but not the font itself. There are a few apps available that let you change the font to your liking, and offer a wide variety of fonts to choose from.

Android: How-To Change Your Font (Coming Soon)

Customize Your Contact List

While compiling your contact list can seem like a total chore, customizing these contacts with pictures, ringtones and social media links will further personalize things.

Android: How-To Customize Your Contact List (Coming Soon)

Change Your Icons

If your app icons simply don't suit the look and feel of your device, you can always change them to better suit the theme you're going for.

There are several apps and icon sets available that can help you change these icons to your preferred images and make them look aesthetically pleasing.

Android: How-To Change Your Icons (Coming Soon)

Customize Notifications

Notifications are an incredibly handy way of staying on top of your digital life. However, if you want your notifications to focus on particular sources, you can easily customize it to be more useful and personal.

Android: How-To Customize Your Notifications (Coming Soon)

Improve Your Security

Keeping your devices safe and secure is very important if you want to protect your identity. Taking these precautions and customizing your security will help encourage you to play it safe when you need it most.

Android: How-To Customize Your Security (Coming Soon)

Change Your Default Web Browser

If you're partial to a particular web browser, you can customize your device to access it via the Google Play shop. Your favourite browser is simply a click and install away!

Android: How-To Change Your Default Browser

These are just a few of the many features which you can customize. Stay tuned very soon for some basic and advanced tutorials to help you get started.

Until then, think about customizing some of these basic features and discover how much fun personalizing your phone really is.