Every button on your BIG Launcher home screen can be changed to provide different functionality. This guide explains how to customize these buttons to better suit your needs.
Accessing Button Customization
To begin customizing a button, tap the three dots located next to the clock on your home screen. From the menu that appears, choose "Set buttons". Then, select the specific button you wish to change. A new menu will display all the available options for that button.
Please note: The screens shown in the tutorial video may reflect an older version of Android or BIG Launcher. While the core functionality remains, the visual interface might vary slightly on newer devices.
Available Button Functionalities
Here's a breakdown of the various functions you can assign to a home screen button:
- Contact details: Displays the contact details screen for a selected contact. This is particularly useful if a contact has multiple phone numbers, allowing you to choose which number to call or message.
- Direct call/SMS: Directly initiates a call or sends an SMS message to a chosen contact. During setup, you'll select the contact and then specify which of their phone numbers should be contacted.
- Revert: Restores the original functionality of the button. For example, if you changed an SOS button, this option would restore it to its default SOS function.
- Go to screen: If you've created multiple screens in BIG Launcher, this option allows you to link the button to an existing screen, enabling quick navigation. (For more on multiple screens, refer to our dedicated tutorial video.)
- Wi-Fi toggle: Toggles your device's Wi-Fi network on or off.
- Bluetooth toggle: Toggles your device's Bluetooth communications on or off.
- Applications: Opens a screen displaying a list of all applications installed on your phone.
- SOS: Activates the dedicated SOS screen, which can include automatic calling and SMS sending to a predetermined emergency number.
- Preferences: Opens the BIG Launcher's main Preferences screen.
- External shortcut: Adds an app-specific shortcut to a button. When selected, a list of all available shortcuts from all installed apps on your phone will be shown for you to choose from.
- External widget: Allows you to add a mini-app (such as a calendar or weather forecast) to a button. A list of all available widgets from installed apps will be presented. We recommend using smaller widgets to ensure readability due to limited button space. Tapping the widget usually launches its parent application.
- Website shortcut: Configures the button to open a specified URL address in your device's web browser.
- Clear: Removes all functionality from the button, leaving it blank.
- App: Configures the button to directly run any chosen application installed on your phone.
Customizing Button Appearance
Beyond functionality, you can also personalize the look of your buttons:
- Change Icon: Assign a different icon to represent the button's function.
- Add or Change Text Label: Add descriptive text to the button, or modify an existing one.
- Specify Text Label Size and Position: Adjust these settings within BIG Launcher's Preferences.
- Automatic Text Label Creation: This feature can also be enabled in BIG Launcher's Preferences, automatically generating a text label when an app is assigned.
Expanding Your Home Screen
If you find yourself running out of space for buttons, remember you have two options:
- Add More Screens: Create additional home screens to accommodate more buttons.
- Change Screen Layout: Modify the layout of your current screen to include a greater number of buttons.