I’ve tested a wide range of smartphones over the years, including models fromAsus,Google,Samsung, andApple. However, one type of phone I never had the opportunity to test, which I deeply regret to this day, is aWindows Phone.
The last Windows Phone to be released before Microsoft gave up on them was theWindows Lumia 650in 2016, which was powered by Windows 10 Mobile, an operating system developed by Microsoft for its smartphones. One of the standout features of Microsoft’s mobile OS was its unique tile design for its home screen. Was it the fanciest design in the world? No, but it was simplistic and eye-catching, and I found it particularly interesting as someone who has primarily used aWindows PCall their life.
With Microsoftending support for Windows 10soon, it got me suddenly thinking about the Windows Phone again, and its unique square home screen. Then the thought occurred to me, there must be a third-party Android launcher available that resembles the Windows Phone in some capacity, right?
The answer is yes, and the one I’ve been enjoying using the most is calledSquare Home. Over the past few days, I’ve been experimenting with it to transformmy Galaxy S25+into a Windows Phone-like experience. While I love the look and feel of One UI 7, something is charming about the simplistic tile design that Square Home offers, which is a nice throwback to the Windows Phone era. Here’s how to set up Square Home on your Android device, and why you might not want to switch back to your default launcher after using it.
Square Home
Square Home is a third-party Android launcher that makes your home screen look like a Windows Phone with a unique tile design.
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Square Home gives you the Windows Phone experience
You can customize all the tiles to your liking and add widgets
To get started with Square Home, you can download it for free from the Google Play Store. After installing, you’ll see two apps: Square Home and Home options. When you tap Square Home, it immediately opens the launcher, allowing you to start customizing your tiled home screen, similar to a Windows Phone (as seen in the image above).
To add different apps, tap the plus button at the bottom of the screen. From there, you can add apps, shortcuts, launcher actions, dividers, tile groups and more. To rearrange or resize the app tiles already on your home screen, simply tap and hold them, just like you would on the default Android home app.
What I like about Square Home is that you can customize the color of the tiles to match your style and make each app tile stand out.
I chose to keep my calendar and the time at the top of the screen, and I placed the apps I use most often throughout the day – such as Gmail, Google Messages, Spotify, and Chrome – near the top as well. What I like about Square Home is that you can customize the color of the tiles to match your style and make each app tile stand out. Widgets are also supported, so you can add an indicator for your battery, a photo collage, or any other Android widget if you wish. Square Home also features a unique app drawer, located under Applications, which organizes all apps into tiles. A search bar is included for easily finding any app on your device.
Square Home also offers another unique feature, similar to what the Windows Phone had, called Live Tiles. These are a type of tile that automatically displays notifications from its corresponding app. For instance, I have X (formerly Twitter) on mine, and with Live Tiles enabled, it automatically displays notifications from the app, such as direct messages I’ve received. It also works for many other apps, like the Phone app, where you can view any missed calls through the Live Tile.
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How to set Square Home as your default Home app
When you download Square Home, you also get another app called Home Options on your device. Opening this reveals additional customization options for Square Home, including adjusting tile sizes and styles, setting up gestures, selecting your wallpaper, and more. At the top of the Home Options screen, you’ll see an option calledSet default home, which automatically directs you to the Settings menu on your device to set Square Home as your default Home app. Alternatively, you may change your default launcher at any time on your Android device by going toSettings > Apps > Choose default apps > Home app.
While I have never had the chance to use a Windows Phone personally, I’m happy that Square Home gives me a chance to experience what it would have been like.
Although Square Home isn’t a 1:1 remake of the Windows Phone, it is a faithful adaptation, and its tile design genuinely evokes its nostalgia. Unlike some other third-party Android launchers, Square Home is completely ad-free, so you won’t be seeing intrusive ads all the time if you set it as your default launcher.
That said, it offers an option to pay annually for $2 or a one-time lifetime fee of $6 to unlock additional premium features (marked with green icons in the settings). These include the ability to set up more gestures, different tile animations, change the font, and much more. When you first set up Square Home, you do get a 14-day free trial to test out the premium features, so you may at least try them and see if you like them or not without having to pay.
Although I have never personally used a Windows Phone, Square Home allows me to experience what it might have been like to use one. Its tiled design provides a refreshing alternative to the typical home screens on Android and iOS. After using it for the past few days, I plan to keep it as my default launcher for the foreseeable future. If you’re a Windows Phone fan, you might feel the same after testing it out. It’s straightforward, and I’ve had no trouble accessing all my apps and going about my daily routines with Square Home. It would be great to see Microsoft release an official Windows Android launcher someday, but that’s probably a long shot.
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