Installing a Substratum theme is the best option if you want to give your Android device a personalized touch. This in-depth tutorial will walk you step-by-step through the entire installation of a Substratum theme on your Android device.

We’ll walk you through the process of installing Substratum Themes on any Android device in this tutorial. We will outline all of the steps, from choosing the overlay to creating and then activating them. Any Substratum Theme can be used with this guide, regardless of the Android version or device you are using. To see the entire installation process, keep reading.

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An open-source operating system like Android immediately makes a plethora of customizations possible. Custom launchers and icon packs mostly keep regular users in check. The techies, however, go one step further. They flash custom ROMs after installing a custom recovery like TWRP and unlocking the bootloader on their devices. Similarly, you could root their devices using Magisk to grant you administrative rights to them.

The options are endless once you have gained access to the system partition. You could set up the Xposed Framework, for instance, as well as numerous other mods, ZIP files, and IMG files. However, in my opinion, Substratum is the unsung hero who doesn’t receive enough recognition. On that note, let’s first examine what Substratum is. The process for installing Substratum Themes on any Android device will then be listed.

What is Substratum?

With the help of the theme engine Substratum, you can customize the appearance of every part of your Android device. You could customize every little detail of your device, from the quick settings toggle to the entire Settings page.

Well, this is only the start. The capability of this app to theme every user-installed and system-installed app well is one of the main reasons why people choose it. While Force overrides Dark Mode is built into Android 10 devices, it isn’t as effective as one might have hoped. However, things are different with Substratum, and for the better.

Initially, people mainly used this theming engine to enable dark mode in a variety of unsupported apps. Substratum was the preferred mode when Google Apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and others didn’t have a toggle for the dark theme. Well, even today, a lot of users (like myself) favor using this theming engine. The users’ dissatisfaction with the OEM’s Dark greyish shade is the primary factor.

A completely black theme is available through Substratum, which benefits the AMOLED Screen. You could use this app in addition to dark mode to give your device an MIUI, OneUI, Realme UI, ColorOS, OxygenOS, or other OEM look.

You only need to find a compatible theme in the Play Store to get started. Speaking of which, there are already numerous themes available, all of which are of the highest caliber. Let’s look at how to install Substratum Themes on your Android devices now that you are aware of this app. Observe along.

Why Install Substratum Themes on Android?

You can install Substratum themes to give your device a brand-new, distinctive look and feel. They can be used to completely change your device’s color scheme, change the way your device’s icons look, and even alter how your device’s user interface (UI) functions.

Installing Substratum on Your Android Device

There are a few things you’ll need before we begin the installation process: an Android device with root and a unique recovery, like TWRP’s Current iteration of Substratum

Installing Substratum Theme Engine on Android

Substratum Theme

  • The scenario is straightforward. Simply visit the Play Store to Download the Substratum Theme engine.
  • After installation, launch the application.
  • Then you will be presented with the Magisk Superuser Request. Ensure that the setting is set to Forever, and tap Grant. It will now be integrated automatically with Magisk. After that, your device will restart.
  • Launch Magisk once the system has booted and verify that the Substratum toggle has been enabled.

Substratum toggle has been enabled.

  • You will be taken to the Welcome Screen at this time. You can navigate the 6-7 menus if you wish, or you can click the Skip button in the bottom left corner.
  • Now that the Permission overview dialog box has opened, tap Accept to grant the app all required permissions.
  • This will take you to the Substratum Home screen with the message No Themes Found displayed.

However, this is not a problem because we have not added any until now. Therefore, proceed to the subsequent STEP to learn how to install a theme.

No Themes found

Installing a Substratum Theme on Android

Installing a Substratum theme of your choice is the next step. To do so, click the Showcase icon located in the top right corner (just before the overflow menu). Then, tap the icon to the right to access the filter menu. You could now choose from among others the Featured Collection, Dark Themes, Light Themes, Samsung, Team Themes, and Light Themes.

Substratum Theme on Android

After selecting the desired theme, you will be directed to its Play Store page, from which you can download it as you would any other app. Alternatively, you could navigate directly to the Play Store to download your preferred theme. I typically favor this option.

Enter “Substratum Themes” into the Play Store’s search bar [DIRECT LINK] and choose one that you like. Regarding my own opinion, I employ the Swift Black Substratum Theme. Although it is a paid app, it is well worth the cost (after all, where else could one use the free money from Google Opinion Rewards?).

However, since this is your first time using the Substratum theme, you could also proceed with a free theme (there are plenty of free themes available on the Play Store). After installing the desired Substratum themes, proceed to the section below to build and apply them to your Android device.

Building and Customizing the Substratum Themes on Android

Now is the time to construct and customize the theme you just downloaded from the Play Store. Here’s how it could be accomplished:

No longer must the installed Substratum Theme be launched manually (if you want to get more knowledge on that theme, then you could open it and go through its feature list).

Instead, you should launch the Substratum Theme engine, and the installed theme’s icon should appear on the homepage. To open the functionality menu, tap it.

Depending on the installed theme, you will now have access to various options. The first option for themes that support multiple third-party applications (such as Swift Black) was to select your OS version. For stock Android One device, you should choose Pixel and AOSP. The option to select the operating system may not be available if the theme is primarily focused on system applications.

Pixel and AOSP

Moving forward, it is now time to choose the applications to which you will apply the themes. If your theme supports a large number of apps, you should enable the switch on the right. This will select all applications (see the below image).

Then you could manually disable the app that does not require customization. I have already installed the YouTube Vanced app with the Black Theme, so there is no need to override it with another theme, so I leave this option unchecked.

Black Theme hence

The next step is to style the device’s System UI. To do so, select the Android System option and expand the color by tapping on it. Select the desired color from the list that appears. Since I have a black theme installed, I typically choose a red or blue system UI color. Choose the one that corresponds to your theme and preferences.

red or blue system UI colo

Now that we have completed the steps required to install Substratum Themes on your Android device, it is time to apply and activate them. Follow the steps below to achieve this:

Applying and Enabling the Substratum Themes on Android

Now that you have created and modified a theme to your liking, it is time to apply it to your device. Here are the necessary steps to finally install and activate Substratum Themes on your Android device.

  • Ensure that you have selected the apps that will require theming.
  • Then, tap the icon located in the bottom right corner. From the resulting menu, choose the Build and Install option.

Build and Install option.

  • The construction and installation of the overlay will now commence.
  • It may take a few minutes, depending on the number of apps you’ve selected and the number of customizations that are currently taking place.
  • Once complete, restart your device. It is required. Launch Substratum Theme again when your device reboots and navigate to the installed theme.
  • This time, you should see the Message: Up-to-date (version number) directly beneath all the apps you’ve themed. See the screenshot below.
  • However, the process is not complete. Again tap the icon in the bottom-right corner, and this time choose Enable Selected. Wait for the process to complete, and then reboot your device (compulsory).

Wait for the process

The procedure for building and installing the overlay will start at this point. It could take a few minutes depending on the number of applications you select and the number of customizations that are being applied to it at the moment.

Once that is finished, you will need to restart your device. It is required of you. When your device finishes restarting, launch the Substratum Theme again, and navigate to the theme that was installed. At this point, you should be able to see the message “Up-to-date” (version number) directly beneath all of the apps that you have themed. Please see the attached screenshot. However, the process has not yet reached its conclusion.

Tap the icon located in the bottom right once more, and this time choose the Enable Selected option from the drop-down menu that appears. You will need to restart your device once the process has been completed, so please be patient (compulsory).

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