26 replies to this topic

[khstars82]

so im new at this.this is my first smart phone so i realize its gonna take some time and im a total noob. no clue why i find droid so harder when if you give me a apple product and i can jailbreak it in minutes but yet setting up a theme im just not getting. anyway ive been wanting to change the whole theme to my phone since i have an eye condition the whole black background isnt doing it for me so i need something a little more mellow that will change the dialing pad the texting titles and even the scroll menu when im in settings. i was instructed that my themes werent working due to the fact i needed to dl go launcher ex first i did so then redownloaded the app theme and no change. tech support also kept telling me that after i download these apps that i must first open them click the home button go to setting click the app and hit apply. well that is totally wrong. i dl the app open it hit the menu button but not settings menu comes up for me to hit apply. the apex launcher and themes also confuse me as well. can anyone please explain these to me in a very basic noob way cause this is my first droid n im totally lost lol.ive litterly never felt so dumb on an electronic device in my life till now lol.

 

thanks

kayla

[khstars82]

im assuming that if these theme programs dont change the dialer font,color and settings menu that i would have to make changes to the stock rom which i have no idea how to do im not an encoder. And im assuming though im a newbie that to modify the stock rom i first have to root my phone. is this correct?

[jl90]

Go launcher apex launcher or Nova launcher are 3 good choices but.... they will not make systemic changes to your phone. To truly theme your phone you will have to root it first. The custom launchers can provide a facelift to your phone such as icon changes different screen transitions even new menu interfaces(go launcher) they also usually include extra wallpapers and such. Rooting has a ton of Benefits and some risks. You will void your warranty. With that said once rooted you can install a custom recovery and "flash" custom Roms. Usually there are themes available for these custom operating systems. This would be your best option to truly modify the appearance of your phone without making changes to your "stock" system. Some people in here are more than comfortable modifying the stock rom I tend to leave it alone and go for the custom ROMs. Given that you are new to this I recommend the custom roms. PS welcome to the friendly world of android!

[khstars82]

thanks "just here for the beer" lol. sadly i had a feeling that the answer you provided would be the result but in any case i dont know how to root my phone and i dont want to void my warrenty since i cant afford to possibly turn my phone into an expensive paper weight, i tend to not be able to afford to upgrade being on the budget i am on so i hang on to my phones till they literally break and thats around about 4 years or so.as well i dont know of anyone that can help me with something like that. in any event can you at least tell me what im doing wrong on trying to load these themes for the other apps to get them working on the phone? i get the whole apk file app thing on using my sc card but not sure why im having so much trouble applying a little theme lol. and thank you for the welcoming gesture. 

[jl90]

OK so pick a launcher you like. go launcher is the one i like so let's go with that. Download it from play. Then press home button on phone it will show up in a pop up menu. Select it. then select always. this is now your default launcher. Then go back to play store and search for go launcher themes. Download one you like. After it installs go back press menu button on phone. you should see an option for themes. Press it then you will see a bunch of available themes. ignore those. Swipe from right to left and you will see installedthemes Your theme from play should be there along with some default themes. Select your theme press apply and you should be good to go! any questions just respond here and I will clarify my instructions.

[khstars82]

see this is where i have a problem when i dl it normally i will click open first then exit but when i hit the menu button which the manual says it the double layed square key all that shows up is a litst of places i have been to recently on my phone.like where i was on google or that i was just in the settings menu things like that.that is the part that is confusing me big time. it isnt just this way on the razt m i tried it on the lucid 2 at the store does the same dumb thing. i mean your instrustions seem very simply so it should be easy to install this but the phone doesnt seem to follow the instructions i have been give by anyone. does it matter that its been updated to jelly bean?

[khstars82]

o by the way i did try hitting the three little dot button to the far right when it pops up because i read somewhere that was the home button but when i hit it it does nothing but vibrate and set on the home screen. i have also noticed that they have gotten rid of the search button as well that kinda stinks. not much a fan of how they reviced what buttons are available but ill have to put up with it

[jl90]

Hmm I have a RAZR not the m. go into your app drawer and press the go launcher icon this should get you where you need to be then follow the rest of the steps

[khstars82]

so i actually brought up the user manual online and i guess the mneu button is in the center of the phone above the navy buttons. i thought that was the app button considering the teck ppl at verizon and at the store call it the application button cause when you hit it it goes to all the app tiles on the phone. so i guess i found the menu button but still a little lost on the directions cause i was looking through there and all i get is app buttons. clicked on the appl and it just opens it up but nothing really happen its kinda odd. i know its gotta be something so simple that im just missing.

[jl90]

The three dots should be the menu button home button looks like a little house

[khstars82]

i dont blame you for being confused a little. my cushion has the razr as well and he doesnt understand why it wont work. he said they should be set up the same but yet they work different in a way it is as puzzled as i am and the kid is a super tech lol. also i noticed there are two three dot buttons on that has two rows of three dots that has a circle which i thought was the app button but the manual says is the menu button and one that is just three vertical dots to the far right that only shows up sometimes that ppl have said is the menu button. lol ive never had a more confusing phone lol 

[jl90]

Well I rooted strapped and unlocked an m in about a half hour but I will take your word for it. Lol

[khstars82]

omg you did all that in a half an hour,gee i need you to live near me so you can help me with my phone. sure having a pimped out phone is cool but im just happy if i can get the dam backdrop to be different for my eye condition. i want to learn all this stuff but reading doesnt help me since i have a read disability and im a visual learning and with my eyes being on the computer is a challenge and it takes alot of time online to research to learn something like that. you have been very nice to help me out. i will be back on later i have to go to physical therapy and run to the store i will try your tips again later and see if i can get it to work and let you know. you have been way more helpful then the tech support at verison lol . wish i knew how to root a phone that sounds like some techy fun i would love lol

[khstars82]

btw you seem extremely good at this,when my eyes get better and if i can get ahold of a cheap razr n hook it up to like a prepaid service that way i got nothing to loose if i brick it you could teach me?if ya rooted and unlocked a m in a half an hour it probably wouldnt take long to teach me.i pick up things very fast well when im learning visually a little longer if im reading lol.

[jl90]

I talked to my friend with an m he says to access apps press the middle icon above the home screen button. ( sorry for the confusion) it looks like a circle with dots in it.At that point you should be able to access go launcher app. I would be glad to help you get a RAZR rooted and strapped it can't be unlocked like the m but still a lot you can do

[khstars82]

well i just said razr cause i probably can buy one on ebay thats beat up that still works that i can fool around with. though id love to get a m so it is something that i could actually use since the screen is small which is what i need.one question to root your phone does it have to be set up on a cell network? if not it would cost me less money.if it does ill try to get my hands on a razr m from verizon then so i can actually use it if i dont brick it lol. im on my way to the store now ill try those instructions when i get back and see if i get the app to work. thanks for helping ill let you know how it goes.

[khstars82]

well on the upside i got the go launcher theme to work as well as the go sms themes but i couldnt get the dumb keyboard one to work. lol man so many apps just to change the look lol 

[jl90]

Lol! Glad you made some progress!

[khstars82]

lol yea some is better then none at all. i pick things up fast if i play around with something long enough lol 

[jl90]

lol yea some is better then none at all. i pick things up fast if i play around with something long enough lol

That is my attitude. I hate to let problems beat me. I am in the process of learning to build themes for ROMs. It is very humbling! i Hope you get your phone set up how you want it! Best of luck!!