Here is how to change default launcher in EMUI 9 on your Huawei and Honor phones even if they have not allowed you to do so.
I’m an Android fan; I do really like that kind of OS that allows you to do whatever you want whenever you want, and with the least amount of knowledge required.
Android has always been doing that since it was first launched as an open source operating system, and that’s why it beats iOS in terms of customization.
Huawei prevents users from changing Default Launcher in EMUI9
Six months ago, Huawei and its smaller new brand Honor had announced that the latest version of their exclusive user interface EMUI 9 would not allow users to change the launcher or the theme using third-party launchers.
Luckily, this only is applied on EMUI 9 and above devices, meaning that if you have got a smartphone older than something like Huawei Mate 20, Huawei P30 Pro or Honor Magic 2, you will be able to change the launcher whenever you want.
Although many of us may see that the EMUI launcher is pretty good and satisfying, many others may find it not as great as the other third-party launchers that offer more and more features and ways of customization.
And for the latest mentioned people, in this article, I’m going to teach you how to change your default launcher if you are a user of EMUI 9, and I will also show you how to rewind everything.
Change Default Launcher via Google Play Store
Before we head into the backdoor way of installing a third-party launcher on your Huawei or Honor smartphone, let’s first learn how to install it legally by downloading it through Google Play Store.
This one doesn’t require almost any knowledge, as all you have to do is opening Google Play Store, looking for the launcher you want to download and then download and install it.
After installing the new launcher, open your phone’s Settings, Apps, click on the three dots in the upper- right corner and select Default Apps, Launcher and then select the newly installed third-party launcher to make it the default launcher in your phone.
If you don’t find Launcher as an option in your default Apps menu, you can easily click on Default App Selection so you can add more and new default Apps options to this menu.
Change Default Launcher via ADB
The above method is for those who do have the permission to change default launcher whatever they are using Huawei phone or any other phone.
The above method is for those who do have the permission to change default launcher whatever they are using Huawei phone or any other phone.
Now, and after knowing that the above one will not work with you, we will go for the backdoor to let you change default launcher on Huawei and Honor phones.
Before we start heading to the steps, first, you should better know why we are using this method.
The reason for you not being able to install a third-party launcher or change default launcher on your Huawei or Honor phone is the new EMUI 9 that now doesn’t let you change default launcher if you have selected to use Huawei Drawer Home which is the default launcher on your phone.
For that, and in this method, we are going to get rid of the original launcher of EMUI 9, which is the user interface on both Huawei and Honor phones.
Unfortunately, the original launcher of Huawei and Honor phones is pre-installed with no ability to remove or uninstall it via the Application Manager on your phone, and that’s why we are going to prompt some commands to your phone through ADB.
If you don’t know, ADB or Android Debug Bridge is a tool that’s used to send commands to the system of your Android phone through your PC, and that’s after permitting your PC to apply some modifications to your phone by enabling USB Debugging.
Enabling USB Debugging On Your Phone
So, the first thing we need to do is to enable USB Debugging in your phone, and you can easily do that by following these steps.
You can find the USB Debugging option on the Developer Options on your phone, and if you haven’t enabled it yet, you can do that by heading into your phone’s Settings, click on About Phone¸ and scroll down until you find Build Number.
After finding Build Number, tap it continuously for seven times until you get a message telling you that you have become a developer.
Now, and after enabling the developer options on your phone, it’s the time to activate USB Debugging by opening the Settings and then scroll down until you find Developer Options.
Once you open Developer Options, open it and you will find an option called USB Debugging, check it and you are now ready.
Uninstalling Default Launcher on Huawei and Honor
The second step is to uninstall the default launcher on your phone. You cannot uninstall pre-installed Apps -AKA Bloatware- directly via the Applications Manager on your phone as I have said before, that’s why we are going to use the ADB.
To use ADB, first, you need to download ADB on your PC, and you can download it from here.
After then, extract the downloaded file and open the folder where you have extracted it.
Right-click on any space on that folder, and you will find a new option on the menu called Open PowerShell Window Here, click on it.
Now, connect your phone via USB cable, and it’s the time to type the first and execute the first command that checks for the connectivity of your phone.
adb Devices
If you have found that the system has recognized your device, now start typing the second command:
adb shell
After typing and executing the command above, type and execute this command:
pm list packages | grep '<OEM/Carrier/App Name>
Don’t forget to change the OEM, Carrier and App Name terms with those that suit your phone.
Note: You can also identify the name of the package by heading into your phone’s Settings, click on Apps Manager, and click on the application you want to remove so you can find the package name under the application name in its menu.
Now, after knowing the package name, type and execute this command:
pm uninstall -k --user 0 <name of package>
And remember to change the <Name of Package> term with the package name you want to uninstall.
Now, you have uninstalled the default launcher of Huawei and Honor phones, and you will be able to install and use any other third-party launcher by downloading it from Google Play Store or by installing it as an APK file.
How to reinstall the original EMUI 9 Launcher
If you have changed your mind and wanted to reinstall the older and original launcher of your phone, you can easily do that by following the same steps above but you just need to change the commands you use.
The new command is”
adb shell cmd package install-existing <name of package>
And here, you will need to know the name of the package of the application you want to install by yourself.
Conclusion
By reaching this line, you now have learnt how to change default launcher on EMUI 9 that you can find on Huawei and Honor phones.
The good news is that even if they have removed that permission from you and added some restrictions, you still have a chance.
Don’t forget to take a backup of all of your data before performing any of the above steps as you might do or type something wrong.
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