How to change default apps on your Android phone

Android gives you countless ways to customize your phone, from the color and shape of your app icons to your favorite system navigation method. This customization option extends to your default app for common tasks such as making calls and texting. Maybe you prefer to use a web browser with multiple privacy features or replace Google Assistant with Alexa. You can freely download the app of your choice and set it as default – it only takes a few steps.

For reference, these are the types of apps that you can assign new default settings to:

web browser
Caller ID and spam blocking
Digital assistant
Home app (aka launcher)
telephone
SMS (chat)

These are the steps I followed to change the default SMS app on the TCL 30 V 5G phone running Android 11 that I am currently using, but the process is the same for any of the above apps. The steps are also the same on a Google Pixel 6.

Go to the Play Store and download the new app you want to set by default.
Go to Settings> Apps and press under “General”. Standard apps.
Select the app you want to replace – in my case SMS app. On the next menu screen you will see the current default app along with all the other SMS apps you have downloaded.
Select the app you want to use by default.

*Change your browser, SMS app and more from the standard.*

*Other supported apps that you have downloaded are displayed as default settings.*

These are the same steps that you will follow if you want to customize your home screen experience with a new launcher. A launcher like Niagara can rearrange your home screen and app drawer so that it is easier to use with one hand. Nova is another popular option for its customization options. If you really want to tinker with, then a new launcher is an effective way to change the daily experience of using your phone. To make your new launcher the default, look for it Home app selection of Standard apps page.

How to handle links

And while you’re in the neighborhood, you can change how your phone handles links. For example, you can arrange it so that Google Play Store links open in the app store itself instead of in a web browser. You can see which installed apps are set to open specific links and choose whether the system should do this automatically or ask every time you click on one of these links.

From Standard app menu screen, press Opening links at the very bottom.
Below Installed appsselect the app you want to change the behavior of.
Press (or turn on) Open supported links.
On some devices, you may have additional options to get the phone to ask if it should open links or automatically open them in the app without asking.

*Select an app from the list to change how it handles links.*

*You can decide whether supported links should open in the app automatically.*

Instant Apps

Finally, you can also adjust your preferences for the Android Instant Apps feature. Assuming you are running Android 5.0 or later, your device is already enabled to use Instant Apps, which are basically small versions of complete apps running without having to download and install them. Some game developers use Instant Apps so you can try out a game without having to download it all. You will see this if you install and run the Google Play Games app. Some games have an “Instant play” icon next to those running the game without installing it.

*You can also choose to enable Instant Apps to open from web links.*

By default, this feature is enabled and you will see it turned on in Opening links the menu page next to it Instant Apps. You can go one step further and activate Instant Apps links in your browser by tapping Instant apps preferences and select Upgrade web links.

Android Instant Apps seem to fall into disfavor with developers, so you may not encounter them in the wild, but activating them via web links does not hurt and can save you the hassle of downloading another app one day.