Samsung Galaxy S10 customization: Try these apps and mods

NOTICE: We’ve created an archive of all major developments related to the Samsung Galaxy S10 lineup. We are continuously updating that page with latest S10e/S10/S10+ news so that you don’t need to search for information related to the device on daily basis. Head here to access that page.

Before the monopoly of iOS and Android, BlackBerry OS and Symbian OS were the de facto options for casual smartphone seeking users. Windows Mobile was intended for ‘professionals’, and it was not even popular among the first time smartphone users.

Theming was common feature between Symbian and BBOS. There were official tools to create native themes on both platforms that could give a fresh new quote of paint to the user interface.

Before the age of messaging groups, there were huge user communities, forums and dedicated web sites to deal with these theming goodies.

Call it a coincidence, but neither iOS nor Android supports theming out of the box. Apple locked down iOS so hard, that the urge of modding actually played a prime role in jailbreak research. In fact, the terms ‘jailbreaking’ and ‘theming’ are almost synonymous for a large chunk of Apple users.

The story of theming in Android is somewhat different from iOS. Let me come up with an ideal analogy: Schrödinger’s cat.

As a matter of fact, we discussed the Android theming situation in one of our previous articles. In short, there are several implementations, thanks to the open source nature of the operating system.

Fortunately, Google is really close to define a universal theming platform in Android. Samsung’s own theming engine is basically based on the same ideology, that’s why applying custom themes on Samsung phones is comparatively an easy task using Swift Installer or Substratum.

With the release of Galaxy S10, Samsung is probably closing down that opportunity. As it turns out, the Android Pie based One UI does not allow unsigned overlays to be applied without root access. Previous gen flagships should also be affected after Pie based One UI update.

Custom themes from Samsung’s own Galaxy Store still work, which is rather dreadful sign for non-rooted users.

The S10 user community quickly discovered a simple alternative. They decided to make fun of the quirky display cutouts with creative wallpapers.

Initially started as a hobby for some, now there is a separate genre for these wallpapers to embrace the punch hole displays. We are maintaining a curated list of such wallpapers – don’t forget to take a look.

If you’re a fan of KUSTOM widget and live wallpapers, then someone has already got you covered. u/isaysomestuff has decided to create a circular battery indicator around the punch hole front camera using KLWP.

All you need to do is install KLWP, download the preset shared by the guy and import it. The end result should look like the following:

Head over to the reddit thread to know more about the mod. Remember that the mod only works on the homescreen and lockscreen, but not inside other apps.

Samsung’s own Good Lock suite of apps have been updated recently. Android Pie based One UI are now officially supported with the 2019 version.

The modules can be useful to tweak the UI elements and customize them. There is a small hiccup though; Samsung decided to put regional restrictions on Good Lock, which means the customization suite may not be available in every country.

NiceLock is an alternate launcher of native Good Lock plugins. XDA senior member xantrk created it to replace the now-defunct Badlock, which itself was an alternative to Samsung’s Good Lock.

This app is only an alternative to main Good Lock app for the regions that it is officially unavailable. This app only acts as a launcher for modules. Goodlock modules has to be installed separately.

Looks interesting? Visit the official XDA thread to report bugs and request new features. You may also buy the ad-free version to support the developer.

Moving on, XDA Recognized Developer jagan2 came up with a special edition of his theming app Energy Bar to support Galaxy S10 lineup. The new version is called Energy Bar – Curved Edition, which is also compatible with Galaxy S8/S9/+.

Energy Bar puts a thin line on top of your Status Bar whose length corresponds to your device’s current Battery level.

Got a full charge? The line will cover the whole width of your screen.

Battery depleting? So will the length of Energy Bar.

Currently S10 support is in beta, as the dev can only test it on S9. Preliminary user feedback are positive, and we do urge users to share their experiences with the developer.

We have also covered an app called Always On Edge – Edge Lighting today, the latest version of which adds camera cutout notification support for Galaxy S10.

The lack of a dedicated notification LED is a deal breaking factor for many. Samsung may bring a similar feature via camera hole coloured animation support in future. Until then, you can use this app.

Oh, and the app can bring user configurable edge lighting functionalities as well.

Want us to cover your favorite mod and/or theming tool as well? Let us know by commenting below.

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