How to vary the default apps in your Android cellphone

Android offers you with numerous methods to customise your cellphone, from the colour and form of your app icons to your most well-liked technique of system navigation. That customizability extends to your default app for frequent duties like making calls and texting. Maybe you’d want to make use of an online browser with extra privateness options or swap Google Assistant out for Alexa. You’re free to obtain the app of your selection and set it because the default — it simply takes a couple of steps.

For reference, these are the kinds of apps to which you’ll be able to assign new defaults:

• Web browser
• Caller ID and spam blocker
• Digital assistant
• Home app (aka launcher)
• Phone
• SMS (chat)

These are the steps I adopted to vary the default SMS app on the TCL 30 V 5G cellphone working Android 11 that I’m utilizing in the mean time, however the course of is identical for any of the above apps. The steps are additionally the identical on a Google Pixel 6.

• Go to the Play Store and obtain the brand new app you need to set because the default.
• Head to Settings > Apps and beneath “General” faucet Default apps.
• Pick the app you need to change — in my case, the SMS app. On the subsequent menu display screen, you’ll see the present default app together with every other SMS apps you’ve downloaded.
• Select the app you need to use because the default.

These are the identical steps you’ll comply with if you wish to customise your homescreen expertise with a brand new launcher. A launcher like Niagara can rearrange your homescreen and app drawer so it’s simpler to make use of one-handed. Nova is another popular option for its customizability. If you actually need to tinker, then a brand new launcher is a strong strategy to change up the day-to-day expertise of utilizing your cellphone. To make your new launcher the default, search for the Home app choice on the Default apps web page.

How to deal with hyperlinks

And when you’re within the neighborhood, you’ll be able to change how your cellphone handles hyperlinks. For instance, you’ll be able to organize it in order that Google Play Store hyperlinks will open within the app retailer itself, quite than in an online browser. You can see which put in apps are set to open sure hyperlinks and select whether or not the system ought to do that mechanically or ask each time you click on one in every of these hyperlinks.

• From the Default app menu display screen, faucet Opening hyperlinks on the very backside.
• Under Installed apps, choose the app you need to change the habits for.
• Tap (or toggle on) Open supported hyperlinks.
• On some units, you might have further choices to have the cellphone ask whether or not it ought to open hyperlinks or mechanically open them within the app with out asking.

Instant Apps

Finally, you can too alter your preferences for Android’s Instant Apps characteristic. Provided you’re working Android 5.0 or larger, your machine is already enabled to make use of Instant Apps, that are mainly small variations of full apps that can run with out having to obtain and set up them. Certain sport builders use Instant Apps so you’ll be able to check out a sport with out having to obtain the entire thing. You’ll see this in case you set up and run the Google Play Games app. Some video games have an “Instant play” icon subsequent to them that runs the sport with out putting in it.

By default, this characteristic is enabled and also you’ll see it toggled on within the Opening hyperlinks menu web page subsequent to Instant Apps. You can go one step additional and allow Instant Apps hyperlinks in your browser by tapping Instant apps preferences and choosing Upgrade internet hyperlinks.

Android Instant Apps appear to be falling out of favor with builders, so you could not encounter them within the wild, however enabling them through internet hyperlinks doesn’t harm and will prevent the trouble of downloading one other app someday.