What is GO Launcher EX?
GO Launcher EX is an Android utility app, which allows users to customize their Android’s launcher interface. The launcher interface is pretty good, as far as vanilla launchers go, and it greatly improves the convenience and user friendliness of your device. Not only that, but GO Launcher EX enables you to customize that interface with a variety of different themes. I think that this is a really nice feature because, so often, you find yourself having to compromise between either fashion or function. Plus, aesthetic is subjective, and with a lot of themed launchers, opinions can vary on how good they actually look. GO Launcher EX gives the user a lot of choice, and it does so in an effective way.
However, this choice can be kind of overwhelming. This app has thousands of themes available for your use, and it can be difficult to determine which theme is right for you. In this article, I’m going to talk about some of the best free themes that GO Launcher EX has available. In this article, you’re also going to see quite a few icon packs. Icon packs are nice, because although they don’t really change a launcher’s appearance, they enhance it, and enable you to create a more fine-tuned overall look for your device’s interface. There are a ton of icon packs that are compatible with GO Launcher, and in this article, I’m going to talk about some of them.  If you’re looking for a new theme, I hope that, by the end of this article, you are able to make an informed decision during the theme choice process. Without further ado, let’s get right into it.
1. Bond Icon Pack
Bond Icon Pack, as you could probably discern from the name, is an icon pack that reskins different icons to match a darker, more reserved theme. This icon pack includes over 1,000 different icons, and each one matches a really nice overall aesthetic. It’s all relatively neutral, so I think that even if you aren’t a Bond fan, you’ll probably like it. This icon pack has a really broad appeal, and so I think that it’s a good bet for someone who isn’t entirely sure what they want out of their Launcher theme. The icon pack matches a general sort of aesthetic, but it’s nothing too specific to where only a small niche of users may want to use it. It’s a safe pick, for sure.
2. Blackboard Icon Pack HD Theme
Whereas the Bond Icon Pack is more serious and mature, the Blackboard Icon Pack is for someone looking for a more cartoon-y, silly overall aesthetic. This icon pack was published by the same folks who published the Bond Icon Pack, so the overall set-up is pretty similar. You have over 1,000 different icon skins, which you’re able to tweak and configure from a dashboard. Although I think that this theme may not be quite as sophisticated or adult looking as the other themes on this list, I think that it’s cute, and I think that some people might get a kick out of it. A lot of people install these kinds of themes with the intention of separating their device’s interface from a crowd, and this icon pack will definitely do that for you.
3. Neon 2
I like to think of Neon as a GO Launcher EX themes that kind of sits between Blackboard and Bond. It’s pretty sleek, but it also has a certain degree of silliness to it. The entire theme is meant to give your device a more futuristic look, complete with over 1000 icon skins, HD backgrounds, and different clock widgets. Although I think that this theme looks a little gaudy and overly flashy, I think that it’s looks pretty good when paired with darker backgrounds. It’s one of the most popular themes on this list, and that’s for a reason. This theme is well-supported, it looks nice, and it does everything that you would expect a GO Launcher theme to do.
4. White Soul
One of the biggest issues that I have with most custom theme repositories, on any platform, is that the mass majority of themes that you’ll find are really dark. Even if you just look back at the last three themes on this list, they’re themes that work best when used with a darker background or overall color palette. This is nice and all, but I think I speak for most Android users when I say that it’s nice to brighten things up every once in a while. White Soul does exactly that. It’s a theme that contains a nice little selection of reskinned apps, and it contributes to a gorgeous, white, minimalist feel.
5. Xiaomi Redmi Note Pro
All of these themes are great, but I don’t think that any of them are particularly subtle. I mean, they basically completely change the appearance of your interface, which is something that some people may be put off by. Maybe you just want to highlight or accentuate certain features of the vanilla Android interface. Xiaomi Redmi lets you do exactly that. The theme is basic, and it doesn’t look to do anything that strays too far from standard Android design principles. It doesn’t look too flashy, and it regularly updates its icon pack based on public feedback. This isn’t exactly the most exciting theme in the world, but I really like it, and I think you probably would, too.
6. Sweet Pea
I
think that this theme may be one of the more unique themes on this list. It’s colorful and fun, without opting for the standard “bright colors and minimalist icons” thing that most colorful themes tend to go for these days. The general aesthetic reminds me of early 2000s punk pop, and I think it’s kind of cute. The app supports a fairly wide variety of icons, and I think that the skinned icons look great paired with a darker background. Even if you aren’t a fan of the overall look of this theme, you have to admit that it’s all very cohesive. I like this theme as a theme that’s not afraid to set itself apart from the crowd in a more bold, flamboyant, yet trendy way.
7. Purple Charm
Purple Charm reminds me a lot of Sweet Pea, but I think that it’s more subtle design means that it packs a broader appeal. Purple Charm has a nice selection of reskinned icons, and the wallpaper and icons come together to create a theme that feels pretty hip. There’s a general motif of purple, dark blue, and black, which makes for a really nice looking overall aesthetic. It’s like they took the standard 80s color scheme of purple, light blue, and black, and cleaned it up for a more modern audience. It reminds me of old sci-fi themed video games, and I think it’s a theme that’s fun and more classy at the same time. Purple Charm skillfully manages to feel both retro and modern, and I can really appreciate that.
8. Fake iPhone 5 Launcher
This theme is more of a novelty than anything else, but I think that there are a couple of people who might genuinely like this theme. As you can probably tell from the name, Fake iPhone 5 Launcher is a theme that basically skins your entire Android interface to mimic that of iOS 6. (Which, by this point, is a pretty old operating system.) This theme even adds Apple’s signature spotlight search to your Android device. It’s pretty cool how well this theme emulates the old iOS 6 interface, and if you were a fan of that particular iteration of iOS, then this is the perfect theme for you. This app only skins a medium-sized selection of apps, but it’s also moderately compatible with every other app that you might have downloaded on your device.
9. Galaxy G
I don’t think that this is really the most cohesive theme on the list, but I think it’s pretty charming. Galaxy G combines space-imagery with stitch-style, round icons. (Kind of a weird combination, right?) This doesn’t sound like it would really work, but somehow it does. The overall theme feels very understated — it’s stylish without feeling like too large of a difference. Space-themed HD backgrounds are very popular these days, so they manage to fit right in with pretty much any kind of icon pack you throw at them. Speaking of, the stitched icons look really, really nice. I think that this is another theme with a really broad appeal, and that a lot of people might enjoy playing around with. It’s a lot less popular than some of the other themes on this list, and I think it deserves a lot more recognition than it has gotten at this point.
10. Magnetica
Finally, to round out the list, we come to Magnetica. I’ve covered most of my bases, in terms of the most popular kinds of Android themes. We’ve talked about the more novelty ones, the colorful ones, the minimalist ones. Magnetica belongs to one last category: black-and-white themes. Magnetica is interesting, because it balances a more sophisticated, artsy aesthetic and pairs it with more industrial-looking icons. This theme’s icon pack supports a ton of icons, but if an app that you download isn’t supported, it still puts a nice looking border around it. So, all of your icons will match, to an extent. I really like that little touch. This theme is stylish, it’s simple, and I think that it appeals to a lot of people. Like Galaxy G, Magnetica isn’t really as popular as some other GO Launcher EX themes, but I still think it’s worth talking about.
