There's a lot of questions being asked about using LauncherPro, so here's my FAQ that I hope provides most of your answers.
Android is the operating system (OS) on your phone, yet what most people see on their screen isn’t actually Android – it’s a User Interface (UI, often called a ‘launcher’ or 'home replacement app') that sits between the OS and you and presents the OS in a better looking, user friendly and customisable way. HTC Sence is a UI, so is Motorola’s Blur and Sony Ericsson’s Timescape, for example.
One of the best things about Android is how easy it is to customise just about every aspect of your phone, and replacing the UI is probably the most significant change most people can make. There are a couple of replacement UI’s available on the Market, and this Guide is for one of the most popular, LauncherPro, and is based on using it on a Desire with HTC Sense.
What’s the difference between the standard version and the Plus version?
LauncherPro and LauncherPro Plus are basically the same except that the Plus version includes widgets for People, Bookmarks, Calendar, SMS Messaging, Twitter, Facebook and Friends. They’re generally good widgets and are similar to the widgets from HTC Sense. The Plus version also gives you the option to resize any widget - not actually resize as such, but you can for example make a 2x1 widget sit centrally inside a 3x2 box. It's a useful feature if you need to adjust widget positions outside the standard Homescreen grid layout.
What phones will work with LauncherPro?
LauncherPro works with any phone with Android 2.0 and above, and with custom ROMS too. Earlier versions are not supported and may encounter problems if you try and install it.
When I install LauncherPro, will HTC Sense be deleted?
No. When you install LauncherPro, you don’t lose your existing launcher – nothing is deleted, you’re just using a different launcher to move around the phone and do stuff. You can go back to your old launcher at any time, and it’s easy to switch between different launchers while you’re working out which one you like best.
I’ve installed LauncherPro, how do I switch between LP and HTC Sense?
There’s a couple of options here, and option 1 below is what I used:
1) Download and install Home Switcher from the Market. Open the app and it gives you a list of the available launchers on your phone, including LauncherPro and HTC Sense. You have the option to set or unset each launcher as default, or you can simply start the launcher of your choice. After setting a default, your phone will use your chosen launcher on boot up and when pressing the Home button.
2) Without Home Switcher installed, pressing the Home button gives you the choice of which launcher you want to use. Select HTC Sense for HTC Sense, and ditto for LauncherPro. If the “Set as default” box is unchecked, you’ll get these options every time you press Home. Checking the default box will return you to your chosen launcher when you press the Home button.
I set LauncherPro as default and I want to switch to HTC Sense for a while, how do I do that?
You can open the Home Switcher app if you have it installed, uncheck the default box and start HTC Sense. If you haven’t got Home Switcher then you can do it this way:
Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Running/Downloaded.
Look for LauncherPro and select it, and tap “Clear default”. Then exit your settings menu, press the Home button and select HTC Sense.
What happens to HTC Sense when I install LauncherPro?
Nothing, it’s still there on your phone. The problem is that any widgets and apps that are running, syncing and refreshing on your HTC Sense Homescreens will continue to run in the background while you use LauncherPro, and will use the same data, processor time and battery as when Sense is running as your launcher. So, the solution is to remove all the active stuff from Sense before using LauncherPro long term.
Do this: Menu > Scenes > Clean slate.
This clears your Homescreens and means there’s nothing running in the background after you switch to LauncherPro, except the apps and widgets that you add to your LauncherPro Homescreen setup.
If this guide helps you, don't forget the THANKS! button
Android is the operating system (OS) on your phone, yet what most people see on their screen isn’t actually Android – it’s a User Interface (UI, often called a ‘launcher’ or 'home replacement app') that sits between the OS and you and presents the OS in a better looking, user friendly and customisable way. HTC Sence is a UI, so is Motorola’s Blur and Sony Ericsson’s Timescape, for example.
One of the best things about Android is how easy it is to customise just about every aspect of your phone, and replacing the UI is probably the most significant change most people can make. There are a couple of replacement UI’s available on the Market, and this Guide is for one of the most popular, LauncherPro, and is based on using it on a Desire with HTC Sense.
What’s the difference between the standard version and the Plus version?
LauncherPro and LauncherPro Plus are basically the same except that the Plus version includes widgets for People, Bookmarks, Calendar, SMS Messaging, Twitter, Facebook and Friends. They’re generally good widgets and are similar to the widgets from HTC Sense. The Plus version also gives you the option to resize any widget - not actually resize as such, but you can for example make a 2x1 widget sit centrally inside a 3x2 box. It's a useful feature if you need to adjust widget positions outside the standard Homescreen grid layout.
What phones will work with LauncherPro?
LauncherPro works with any phone with Android 2.0 and above, and with custom ROMS too. Earlier versions are not supported and may encounter problems if you try and install it.
When I install LauncherPro, will HTC Sense be deleted?
No. When you install LauncherPro, you don’t lose your existing launcher – nothing is deleted, you’re just using a different launcher to move around the phone and do stuff. You can go back to your old launcher at any time, and it’s easy to switch between different launchers while you’re working out which one you like best.
I’ve installed LauncherPro, how do I switch between LP and HTC Sense?
There’s a couple of options here, and option 1 below is what I used:
1) Download and install Home Switcher from the Market. Open the app and it gives you a list of the available launchers on your phone, including LauncherPro and HTC Sense. You have the option to set or unset each launcher as default, or you can simply start the launcher of your choice. After setting a default, your phone will use your chosen launcher on boot up and when pressing the Home button.
2) Without Home Switcher installed, pressing the Home button gives you the choice of which launcher you want to use. Select HTC Sense for HTC Sense, and ditto for LauncherPro. If the “Set as default” box is unchecked, you’ll get these options every time you press Home. Checking the default box will return you to your chosen launcher when you press the Home button.
I set LauncherPro as default and I want to switch to HTC Sense for a while, how do I do that?
You can open the Home Switcher app if you have it installed, uncheck the default box and start HTC Sense. If you haven’t got Home Switcher then you can do it this way:
Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Running/Downloaded.
Look for LauncherPro and select it, and tap “Clear default”. Then exit your settings menu, press the Home button and select HTC Sense.
What happens to HTC Sense when I install LauncherPro?
Nothing, it’s still there on your phone. The problem is that any widgets and apps that are running, syncing and refreshing on your HTC Sense Homescreens will continue to run in the background while you use LauncherPro, and will use the same data, processor time and battery as when Sense is running as your launcher. So, the solution is to remove all the active stuff from Sense before using LauncherPro long term.
Do this: Menu > Scenes > Clean slate.
This clears your Homescreens and means there’s nothing running in the background after you switch to LauncherPro, except the apps and widgets that you add to your LauncherPro Homescreen setup.