Android is widely preferred by consumers from all over the world, especially because of the level of customization it offers. In this respect, the theme plays a very important role. We previously covered how it is possible to theme your Android device using Substratum. While the tool works really well, it was recently reported that built into its apps, the app has analytics that allow the app to share user-specific data with developers. Fortunately, there is an alternative to this – LibreSubstratum. While we’ve already covered what LibreSubstratum is and how it differs from the original Substratum app, let’s take a look at how to actually install and use LibreSubstratum on your device:
Install and Use LibreSubstratum on Your Android Device
note: The following method only works on Android Nougat (7.xx) ROMs with full OMS (Overlay Manager Service) Support. Stock ROMs are not currently supported. I tried the following method on my Moto X Play running AOSP Extended ROM based on Android 7.1.2 and the method worked just fine.
- The first step is to install “LibreSubstratum” (Free) from Play Store like any regular app.
- Now, even though LibreSubstratum is actually an alternative to the public interface of the original Substratum app, you’ll still need to install it for it to work properly. Therefore, the next step is to do the installation. “Substratum Theme Engine Root” (Free) from Play Store.
- Before you start installing any themes, go to: Settings -> Developer optionsand scroll down “Debug” section. Here, enable the toggle next to “Force authorization every theme app”.
- Next, install any Substratum theme You choose from Play Store. For this guide, gray theme (Free). Alternatively, you can also try these themes.
- After installing the theme on your device, Open the LibreSubstratum app. Here, tap on the theme you just installed. It will now present you with a list of overlays.
- Select the overlays you want to apply by ticking the box next to it. When you’re done with this, Tap the “+” icon in the lower right corner select and “compile, install and activate”.
- And that’s it. The skins will now be compiled and then installed on your device. Once complete, simply reboot your device to see the changes. As you can see in the screenshots below, I chose the pink accent skin for my SystemUI.
SEE ALSO: How to Install Theme on Android Oreo Without Root
Theme Your Android Device Using LibreSubstratum
While the Substratum app itself is technically open source, it was recently reported to use certain trackers. Also, the original app does not allow you to install any themes through 3rd party sources like APKs or alternative app stores. Therefore, LibreSubstratum comes as a boon. It is simple, fast, not bloated and has no anti-competitive features. I’ve been using it for the past few days and I think it’s much better than the original app. But what about you? Which do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below.
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