Huawei has been making some impressive smartphones like the P20 Pro and the Mate 20 Pro. However, the company’s EMUI leaves a lot to be desired and for some reason, Huawei has a knack for not being too kind towards third-party launchers. While on other Android devices, switching to a third-party launcher is a relatively easy process, it is not so simple on Huawei and its sub-brand Honor phones.
This does not mean that one cannot switch to a third-party launcher in EMUI. It is just that the process is more complicated than it should be. If you are confused as to how you replace the default EMUI launcher on your Huawei or Honor phone, follow the steps mentioned below.
How to Change Default Launcher in EMUI 9 on Huawei Mate 20, P20, Nova 3
Step 1: Download and install a third-party launcher of your choice. My recommendation would be to try out Nova Launcher or Action launcher if you have not tried a custom launcher before.
Step 2: Once installed, you will have to set it as the default launcher. For this, head over to Settings -> Apps -> Default Apps -> Launcher. Select Nova launcher from this list.
The above steps will only work on non-Chinese variants of Huawei phones like the Mate 20 Pro, P20 series, Nova series, and more. The Chinese version of Emotion UI makes it even more difficult to switch to a third-party launcher for safety and security reasons.
Do note that using a third-party launcher will create some issues with navigation gestures on your Huawei phone. There’s not much you can do about but I guess using a third-party launcher with navigation bar is better than using the stock Emotion UI launcher which offers a very poor user experience.
Apart from Huawei phones, the steps will also work on Honor phones like the Honor 10, Honor View 20, Honor 10 Lite, and more. If you are still facing issues while changing the default launcher on your Huawei or Honor phone, drop a comment and we will help you out.
