XDA’s piece on Android launchers reviving Windows Phone’s design landed at exactly the right moment: a quiet but persistent corner of the customization scene still misses the Metro tile layout that Microsoft killed off in 2017. Live tiles, two-column home screens, Segoe-style typography, and the swipe-up app list all live on as Android launchers. We tested seven, looking at how faithfully they recreate the Metro UI, how well they replace the Pixel default, and how they hold up on a 2024 phone with foldable form factors. These are the best Windows Phone-style launchers for Android in 2026.
What to look for in a Windows Phone-style launcher
Pick the trade-off you can live with. Most of these launchers do one thing well and stumble on the rest.
- Live tile fidelity. A live tile is a home-screen icon that flips between an icon and dynamic content (weather, news, calendar). The picks that actually animate beat the ones that only resize.
- Customization depth. Color accents, tile sizes, transparency, and notification badges separate a working clone from a tribute act.
- Replace-the-default reliability. A launcher that crashes back to the default home screen is unusable, no matter how it looks.
- Battery and resource cost. Some Windows-style launchers run heavier than the modern minimalist competition.
Quick comparison
| Launcher | Best for | Live tiles | Pricing | Light or heavy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Home | Most faithful Metro clone | Yes | Free with optional Premium | Light |
| Launcher 10 | Polished WP8 recreation | Yes | Free with optional Premium | Light |
| Metro UI Launcher 10 | Windows 10 tile aesthetic | Yes | Free with ads | Medium |
| 10+ Launcher | Tablet-friendly Metro grid | Yes | Free with ads | Light |
| Microsoft Launcher | Microsoft ecosystem hookup | Limited tiles | Free | Medium |
| Win-X Launcher | Windows 11 transparency look | Limited | Free with ads | Medium |
| WP Launcher | Pure Windows Phone 8 throwback | Yes | Free with ads | Light |
The 7 best Windows Phone-style launchers for Android in 2026
1. Square Home, the most faithful Metro clone
Square Home is the closest a phone running Android can get to feeling like a Lumia 950 in 2017. The two-column tile grid, the swipe-right app list, the Metro typography, and the live-tile animation on apps that support it all replicate the Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows 10 Mobile home screens with a level of detail nothing else on this list approaches. Tile colors, sizes (small, medium, wide, large), transparency, and accent colors are all per-tile rather than global, which is exactly how the original system worked.
Recent releases added Material You-aware color matching and an optional dock for the most-used apps. The free version covers all of the layout features. Premium unlocks live tiles for stock apps, custom tile images, and a few advanced color tools.
Where it falls short: The settings menus are deep, and onboarding takes a focused half hour. The live-tile feature works best on apps that have a Windows Phone-era equivalent (calendar, weather, news), with mixed results on modern apps that never built tile support.
Pricing:
- Free.
- Paid: optional Premium unlock.
Platforms: Android.
Bottom line: The right pick when fidelity to the original Metro layout is the priority.
2. Launcher 10, the polished WP8 recreation
Launcher 10 is the launcher most former Windows Phone owners install first. The home screen is a clean tile grid in the style of Windows 10 Mobile, with the modern accent-color palette and the app list lined up alphabetically with jump-letter scrolling. The defaults are more conservative than Square Home, which makes it the better choice for users who want the look without spending the weekend in a settings menu.
The developer ships regular updates, and the launcher integrates with the system notification panel rather than building its own.
Where it falls short: Live-tile support is shallower than Square Home. Some animations stutter on lower-end hardware. The free version places small ad banners in the launcher settings, never on the home screen.
Pricing:
- Free.
- Paid: optional Premium upgrade.
Platforms: Android.
Bottom line: The right pick when “looks like a Lumia again” is the goal and you want sensible defaults.
3. Metro UI Launcher 10, the Windows 10 tile aesthetic
Metro UI Launcher 10 leans on the Windows 10 desktop start menu rather than the Windows Phone aesthetic. The tile sizes match the Windows 10 grid, with the same hover-style flip animations on supported apps and the Cortana-era frosted-glass background. Settings include color accents, background images, and a vertical tile arrangement that scrolls rather than paginates.
The launcher ships with weather, news, and clock tiles that update in the background, which closes the gap with the most-missed parts of the original Windows experience.
Where it falls short: The free version shows ads on the app list, and the settings menus are translated unevenly. Animations are heavier than the simpler entries on this list, so older phones feel it.
Pricing:
- Free with ads.
- Paid: optional ad-removal purchase.
Platforms: Android.
Bottom line: The right pick when the Windows 10 desktop start menu is what you actually miss.
4. 10+ Launcher and Theme, the tablet-friendly Metro grid
10+ Launcher and Theme scales the Metro tile grid for tablets and large-screen phones in a way the others on this list do not. The home screen can show four to six columns on a Galaxy Tab, with the same Windows Phone-style layout language scaled up. Themes include both Windows 8 and Windows 10 looks, and the live-tile support covers weather, time, and a small bank of system tiles.
For a Z Fold or a Tab S9 user who wants a Windows Surface-flavored layout, this is the best fit on the list.
Where it falls short: Ad load is higher than the premium picks. The animations stutter occasionally on smaller phones. Some of the included themes are dated and feel like decade-old desktop wallpapers.
Pricing:
- Free with ads.
- Paid: optional Premium for ad removal.
Platforms: Android.
Bottom line: The right pick for tablets and foldables that benefit from the wider Metro grid.
5. Microsoft Launcher, the official Microsoft ecosystem hookup
Microsoft Launcher is the closest first-party experience Microsoft still offers on Android. The home screen leans on Android conventions rather than Metro tiles, but the system integration is what earns it a spot on this list. Calendar, To Do, OneDrive, Bing wallpaper of the day, and Cortana-replacement task hooks all wire into the launcher. For a Surface owner who lives in the Microsoft ecosystem, this is the launcher that keeps everything in one place.
The Microsoft Feed pulls news, weather, calendar appointments, and Sticky Notes into a left-swipe panel that recreates the right-side Windows 10 sidebar.
Where it falls short: This is not a Metro tile launcher. The tile aesthetic is mostly gone, replaced by Android-default icons with optional Microsoft widgets. Power users miss the fidelity Square Home and Launcher 10 deliver.
Pricing:
- Free.
Platforms: Android.
Bottom line: The right pick when the Microsoft account is the reason you are here, not the visual nostalgia.
6. Win-X Launcher, the Windows 11 transparency look
Win-X Launcher updates the aesthetic to Windows 11. The home screen drops the bold Metro tile grid in favor of Windows 11’s centered icons, rounded corners, and frosted-glass transparency. The start-menu animation pulls from the bottom of the screen like the Windows 11 taskbar. For users who never used Windows Phone but enjoy what Microsoft is doing with the desktop in 2026, this is the closest match.
The launcher integrates a notification panel that looks like Windows 11 Action Center and a search drawer that imitates the start-menu search.
Where it falls short: Live tiles are minimal, in keeping with Windows 11 dropping them. Ad load is moderate. Some Windows-style animations chew battery on older phones.
Pricing:
- Free with ads.
- Paid: optional Premium upgrade.
Platforms: Android.
Bottom line: The right pick when Windows 11 desktop, not Windows Phone, is the look you actually want.
7. WP Launcher, the pure Windows Phone 8 throwback
WP Launcher strips back to the early Windows Phone 8 look with the smaller tile sizes, the original color palette (purple, cobalt, magenta), and the unkerned Segoe typography that defined the first Lumias. The launcher is light on settings and heavy on nostalgia: install, pick a color accent, pin your apps, done.
It is the lightest launcher on this list by file size and the easiest to recommend to someone who wants the throwback without the configuration weekend.
Where it falls short: Customization is limited to a small set of accent colors. There is no Windows 10 layout option, no tablet grid scaling, and the live-tile support is shallow.
Pricing:
- Free with ads.
Platforms: Android.
Bottom line: The right pick when 2013-era Lumia is the exact mood you want and you do not want a settings menu in the way.
How to pick the right one
- If you want the most faithful Metro experience: pick Square Home.
- If you want the WP8 look with sensible defaults: pick Launcher 10.
- If you miss the Windows 10 desktop start menu: pick Metro UI Launcher 10.
- If you have a tablet or a Z Fold: pick 10+ Launcher and Theme.
- If Microsoft 365 hookups matter most: pick Microsoft Launcher.
- If Windows 11 is the look you actually want: pick Win-X Launcher.
- If you want the lightest WP8 throwback: pick WP Launcher.
FAQ
Can Android really run Windows Phone live tiles? Yes, when the launcher supports it. Square Home and Launcher 10 deliver the closest live-tile experience. Modern Android apps without a tile API show static icons that the launcher animates only on size changes.
Is Microsoft Launcher a Metro tile launcher? Not directly. Microsoft Launcher leans on the Microsoft ecosystem rather than the Windows Phone aesthetic. Square Home is the pick for the tile look.
Will a Windows Phone-style launcher slow down my phone? Most of these launchers are lighter than modern animated launchers. Square Home and Launcher 10 use minimal background resources. The heavier picks (Metro UI Launcher 10, Win-X Launcher) chew more battery on older phones.
Can I get the Lumia camera back too? The launcher does not affect the camera app. Several third-party camera apps mimic the Lumia Camera viewfinder, but the original Nokia-tuned algorithms are gone for good.
Do these launchers replace the system home button? Yes. Android lets you choose a default launcher in Settings. The first time you press Home with one of these installed, the system asks which launcher to use; pick the new one and set “Always” to commit.
