The Android lock screen has come a long way since Android began and the experience differs vastly between devices. One of the best features of Android is the ability to customize almost every element, one of which is the lock screen. There are, therefore, a number of lock screen apps that can be used to replace the stock lock screen available directly from the Google Play Store.
With so many apps contained in the Play Store, we’ve done the hard work and picked out 5 of the best.
DashClock Widget
So technically this one isn’t strictly an entire lock screen replacement but the functionality provides an overlay that could transform your lock screen. It’s actually a widget but provides a list of basic stats such as the weather, time, and notifications. You’ll probably be thinking that this is very similar to what many OEM stock lock screens offer and you’re right – many features have been inspired by apps such as this. It’s free and is worth checking out to give a nice clean look to your lock screen.
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GO Locker
No doubt you’ve heard of GO Locker because, with over 50 million downloads, it is one of the most popular lock screen replacements. There’s a free and paid version that unlocks more themes and you have the option to set a lock pattern.
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Next Lock Screen
This is Microsoft’s entry into the lock screen space and offers a clean professional look. You’ll get a list view of notifications and the ability to customize it to show the weather forecasts and launch apps. The unique thing about Next Lock Screen is it effectively brings an entire home screen one step back onto your lock screen.
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HTC Lock Screen
HTC has even made it on our list with its lock screen offering that allows you to easily check what’s important to you at a glance. What I like about this app is that it provides exactly what you want to see including notifications, weather, time, and media playbacks in a clean way. Content will also be passed over from BlinkFeed directly on the lock screen, which is a nice touch.
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Smart Lock Screen apps
While most of the other lock screen offerings have provided an entire experience with notifications and information, Smart Lock Screen apps is fairly simple. The app provides a PIN lock screen with a number of themes and animations. You can even use pictures instead of numbers, which is a nice touch.
[button color=”” size=”” type=”square” target=”” link=”https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=smart+lock+screen”%5DSmart Lock Screen app[/button]
While these are just some of the many available lock screen apps, these are some of the best designed and well-rounded apps we’ve across. The list is not exhaustive so if you have a lock screen app that you constantly find yourself gravitating towards, please drop us a comment and let us know what you think.
