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Android’s default home app is the launcher that opens when you press the Home button or use the Home gesture. It controls the home-screen interface you see; changing wallpaper or icons alone does not change which app is the default launcher.
What “default home app” means
“Home app” is Android’s name for the selected launcher. Android recognizes launcher activities through the CATEGORY_HOME intent category. As the Android Developers Dedicated devices cookbook puts it, “All home apps handle the CATEGORY_HOME intent category—this is how the system recognizes a home app.”
In practical terms, Android sends the Home action to the selected home app. A different launcher can therefore replace the layout and functions of the home screen, rather than merely changing its appearance.
How to find the default home app
On many Android devices, open Settings → Apps → Default apps → Home app. This is a common route, not a universal one: manufacturers and Android versions may use labels such as “Choose default apps,” “Home screen,” or “Launcher.” If the path does not match your phone or tablet, search Settings for “Home app” or “default apps.”
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Once you reach the setting, the selected launcher is the current default. The available choices depend on which home apps are installed and exposed by your device.
How to tell whether it changed
- Press the Home button or use the Home gesture.
- Look at the interface that opens. A different home-screen layout or launcher indicates that the selected home app is handling Home.
- If you are unsure, check the app drawer and repeat the check after locking and unlocking the device.
A wallpaper change, icon rearrangement, or theme change by itself does not prove that the default home app changed; those may be settings within the same launcher.
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How a specialized home app differs
A general-purpose launcher is designed to provide a home screen and access to the device’s apps. A specialized home app may instead make one dashboard or application the main interface. Home Assistant documents its Companion app as an example for wall-mounted tablets, kitchen or bedside displays, kiosk setups, and digital signage.
In Home Assistant’s setup, enabling Use as Home app (launcher) in the Companion app settings lets the user select it through the system’s home-app screen. Home Assistant says this configuration has no usual app drawer or traditional way to launch other apps from the home screen; pressing Home returns to Home Assistant, and the app opens automatically after a restart. These are behaviors of that Home Assistant setup, not of every Android launcher.
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That focused behavior can suit a dedicated dashboard, but it may be inconvenient on a device that still needs to serve as a regular phone or tablet. A tablet is one possible device for a wall-mounted dashboard, not a requirement for changing Android’s default home app.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why device instructions can differ
Android’s Settings chooser is the ordinary route for personal devices, but the exact wording and available options vary. For example, a DLT-V72 manual describes a device-specific chooser between Advantech Launcher and Launcher3 for Android Nougat 1.06. That example applies to that device and software version, not to Android devices generally.
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There is also an administrator mechanism for managed dedicated devices. Android’s developer guidance explains that an app can declare a MAIN activity with CATEGORY_HOME and CATEGORY_DEFAULT, and a device policy controller can use DevicePolicyManager.addPersistentPreferredActivity() to set a preferred Home handler. This is a device-management method for developers and system integrators, not the normal Settings procedure for a personal phone.
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