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10 Ways to Customize the Samsung Galaxy J7 With Your Personal Touches

The Samsung Galaxy J7, not to be confused with its exploding cousin, has plenty of ways to fine tune, or customize your experience, especially if you’re already rooted. I’m going to mostly focus on how to customize your J7 without rooting first, but if you aren’t rooted already, you should definitely take the plunge.

If you’ve customized any Android phones before this, or any Samsung phones before this, you’ll be happy to know that things aren’t any harder here. The Samsung Galaxy J7 is easy to customize, easy to root, and easy to make it your own with a flair of personality that can only come from you.

1. Change and Customize Your Lock Screen

If we’re talking about internal customization, what’s the first place you see every time you pick up your phone?

The second you press a button, or if your phone has certain features enabled, the first thing you see is your lock screen. Depending on the phone, you have different options for your lock screen, and with the Galaxy J7, you have plenty.

personal j7 custom

I’m not just talking about changing your wallpaper, but about changing displays, adding the weather, making shortcuts, and even putting your Twitter handle on screen. All of this is possible straight from your settings, so no additional downloads are required. Just go to your Settings, look under Personal, then tap Lock screen and security to see all of your options.

Related: Great Launchers for Samsung Galaxy J7

lock screen settings j7 custom

Your options don’t stop there, if you go back to the Personal section, and select Wallpaper, it’s easy to change your Lock screen wallpaper. This is separate from your home screen wallpaper, and there’s even more than one way to change it.

2. Change Your Home Screen Wallpaper

Let’s focus on the home screen for a minute. Like I mentioned for the lock screen, you can play around with this using your Wallpaper settings, but that’s not all. If you long press any blank space on your home screen and then tap the wallpaper option, you get to change your wallpaper right then and there.

home screen wallpaper j7 custom

This is a much easier way to change your wallpaper if you don’t feel like swimming through your Settings.

3. Add Widgets and Folders

Folders and widgets aren’t only a great way to customize your home screens, but they’re amazing for organization and utility. Let’s start with widgets first.

Adding a Widget

To start, tap and hold any empty space on your home screen. Now select Widgets and swipe through your options until you find the widget you want to use. When you find the one you want, press and hold it, then drag it into position on your home screen. Your widget is now all ready to go, and stays there until you remove it.

Creating a Folder

Making folders is even easier. On almost any recent version of Android, all you need to do is drag one app over another to combine the two into a folder. Now add any other apps you want in that folder using the same method.

folder j7 custom

Your folder won’t look the same as mine, but the concept and functionality are still the same. At any time, click the name of the folder and give it a new one. This is a great way to keep track of similar apps or apps that work well together.

4. Swap Out Your Default Keyboard

I’ve tried plenty of other Android keyboards besides the default one, and despite the jumps in quality and personalization, I keep coming back to my old Google Keyboard. I don’t represent everyone, and if you want to change your keyboard, it’s easy to do on the Samsung Galaxy J7.

Must Read: How to Change Your Android Keyboard

One Android keyboard I recommend is GO Keyboard, which has a pro version, but still has plenty of customization options for your J7 for free.

GO Keyboard Download

5. Ditch TouchWiz and Try a New Launcher

TouchWiz has a pretty bad reputation for being slow, bulky, and generally unattractive. If TouchWiz had a heart, it’d be broken by now, but since it doesn’t, it’s easy to switch your old launcher for a younger, eye grabbing model.

nova j7 custom

To make sure you personalize your Galaxy J7 as much as possible, there are two launchers you need to try. First up is Buzz Launcher which has plenty of options to keep any Android user happy.

Buzz Launcher Download

Next is a tried and true launcher that’s been around for a long time, but still has plenty of kick left in it, Nova Launcher. Nova Launcher has both a free version, and a prime version that might just be worth your money.

Nova Launcher Download

Nova Launcher Prime Download

6. Replace Your Default Apps With Better Ones

As much as I get used to default apps when I can’t be bothered to change them, they have a lot of steep competition. Chances are, there’s going to be an app out there on either Google Play, or Samsung’s own app store that beats your old apps in appeal and functionality. Apps like your standard camera, your default messenger, and even your clock have better versions.

messenger j7 custom

Take a moment to browse the Play Store for a version of an app you already have installed on your phone. You don’t have to download them, or even replace them right away, but you need to see what all of your options are. If you want to customize your Samsung Galaxy J7, one of the best ways is to fill it with better, more personal versions of your already existing apps.

7. Use Your Samsung Account to Download Galaxy Apps

If you don’t already have a Samsung Account, you need to make one. Not just so you can use the Galaxy App Store, but because of the bundle of extra security features that come packaged with it.

services j7 custom

Out of all of them, besides getting access to the Galaxy App Store, Find My Mobile is the most important service out of the lot. I take Android security very seriously, and remote security options are essential for any Android user that wants to make sure their J7 is safe no matter where they are, or will be.

You have two options to make a Samsung Account. Either make one on your device or follow these instructions to make an account online. To create an account on your device, please:

  • Go to your Settings.
  • Go down to Accounts.
  • Look for the Samsung Account option on this screen, and then tap it.
  • Follow the directions and enter your personal information on all screens requested.

Once all that is done, confirm your information, and you’re good to use your Samsung Account for any Samsung service you want.

8. Fine Tune Your Quick Settings

Quick Settings are meant for one thing, to give you quick access to everything you need with just one swipe, and then a tap. If your Quick Settings aren’t fulfilling this basic service, it’s time to change them to suit your needs.

quick settings j7 custom

This menu isn’t going to be nearly as blue on the J7, but the icons and layout is more or less the same. To reach this menu, and then edit it:

  • Swipe down from the top of the screen to bring up the status bar.

Not everything is here just yet, so you need to dig deeper.

  • Tap the MORE button in the top right corner of the screen, this expands the menu.
  • With the menu expanded, tap EDIT.

Now hold and drag any icon to any place you want on the menu. Icons in the dark grey section of the menu get show while using Quick Settings, while icons in the light grey aren’t used.

When you’re done moving things around, hit DONE and enjoy your customized Quick Settings menu.

9. If You Haven’t Already, Root Your Samsung Galaxy J7

It’s hard to talk about customizing any Android phone without bringing up rooting. That’s like talking about flavors of ice cream and only mentioning three flavors of soft serve; it’s an injustice to the broad world of ice cream. If you want to experience every flavor the Samsung Galaxy J7 is capable of, you need to root it.

Must Read: Everything You Should Know about Android Rooting

Rooting does have its dangers, but the rewards are well worth it. Once your J7 is rooted, so many more possibilities, and customization options open up. Sick of stock apps being forced on you? That’s not a problem when you’re rooted. Want to personalize your device completely from the inside out? It’s possible after a root.

If you want to know how to unlock all of your J7’s potential, follow our guide to get the job done.

10. Add Custom ROMs (Needs Root)

If your device is rooted, you’re already good to go to install some of the best custom ROMs possible on the Samsung Galaxy J7. If you don’t know what a ROM is, it’s a brand new way to run your phone from the ground up. Think of a custom launcher, but super charged, almost like your phone is running on a different operating system.

rom j7 custom

Usually, there aren’t that many custom ROMs for phones like the J7, but in this case, there are at least three that you need to try. Switching to a custom ROM is easy, and if you try one of these, you’ll never want to go back to the stock experience.

Conclusion

Customizing the Samsung Galaxy J7 doesn’t take very long, but with what little time you invest, you get a highly personal, and quality return. If you want to make sure that your J7 will never be mistaken for another, and suits your everyday needs, customize it to your heart’s content.

Do you have a great way to customize your J7 that you didn’t see up here? Please share it with us, we greatly appreciate it!

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One Comment

  1. Hey there, I just went from my old galaxy Luna to the j7 crown. Is there any way to change the email deletion to a swipe that’s fast and efficient instead of the tedious task of opening an unwanted selection and deleting with the trash can and redundantly confirming said deletion? I really miss that feature and feel like it’s a decline in the technology. Any solutions? Thanks.

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