Show only the apps you need on an Android home screen

Choose the actions you actually use. You do not need to install every companion app for this setup; add BIG Phone or BIG SMS only when you need their calling or messaging functions. This changes the BIG Launcher home screen and app list only; it does not uninstall apps or lock the Android system.

Assign the buttons you will use

From the BIG Launcher home screen, tap ⋮ → Set buttons, select a button, and choose App to assign an installed app. For a person you call often, use Contact details or Direct call/SMS instead.

The free BIG Launcher edition lets you customise only the right-column buttons. Put the essential buttons in that column, or use the full version when the needed button is elsewhere. Keep labels literal, such as Phone, Messages, Camera, or a person’s name.

BIG Launcher also shows a large battery indicator above the home-screen buttons. You can check the battery level without relying on the tiny icon in Android’s status bar.

A button can do more than open an app

You can build the screen around what you want to do, rather than a list of app names. In Set buttons, the useful choices include:

• App: open an installed app, such as Camera or a music player.
• Contact details or Direct call/SMS: open a person’s details, or set up a call or message action for a chosen number. Contact details is useful when you need to choose between several numbers.
• External shortcut: open a specific destination supplied by an app, such as a WhatsApp conversation, instead of starting at the app’s main screen.
• External widget: display a small weather forecast, calendar or another widget from an installed app directly in the button area.
• Website shortcut: open a saved web address in your browser.
• Go to screen: open another BIG Launcher screen—for example, a Family screen with contact buttons.
• Wi-Fi toggle and Bluetooth toggle: provide quick access to these connections. What the control can change directly depends on the Android version and phone.

Buttons can also open BIG Launcher’s Applications list, Preferences or SOS screen. You can change the icon and text label to make the action clear, or use Clear to leave a button empty.

Widgets and shortcuts depend on what the installed apps provide. Choose a small widget that remains readable in the available space; not every widget will fit well. A shortcut opens its destination in the original app—it does not turn that app’s controls into BIG Launcher controls. For a conversation button, see the WhatsApp shortcut guide.

For example, keep a family contact, Camera and a weather widget on the first screen, with a More apps button for everything else. Adding a shortcut or widget should save a step or make useful information visible, not fill every available button.

Use another screen for less-used choices

When the home screen is full, open Preferences → Customise buttons and screens → Add screen. Then return to Set buttons, choose a button, select Go to screen, and choose the screen to open. Put secondary apps there instead of adding a long list of choices to the first screen.

Hide unwanted app entries from the applications list

For selective cleanup, open Preferences → Applications → Allowed applications. Tap an app to hide it; the hidden app appears as disabled in this list. Use Disable all or Enable all only for a deliberate bulk change.

If you want only your chosen shortcuts on the home screen, use Set buttons to replace the Applications button with an app or contact. Keep the individual shortcuts you need rather than a button that opens the full list.

Protect the prepared menu

After the buttons and app list are ready, open ⋮ → Preferences → Preferences menu, enable Protect menu and set Password. This protects BIG Launcher configuration, including Set buttons, and requires the full version.