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How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter

Oct 17, 2014 12:52 AM
Smartphone with app icons on screen.

With the new version of Android due out very soon, Android 5.0 "Lollipop" has received a ton of press lately. It's all well-deserved, of course, because the new "Material Design" interface is absolutely beautiful.

While we've covered methods on how to get a little bit of that Lollipop flavor on your KitKat device, none have been as balanced in terms of form and functionality as MohammadAG's latest Xposed Module. It turns Android 5.0's circular home button into a battery meter—and looks great doing it.

Requirements

Install 'Battery Home Icon'

To begin, head to the Download section of your Xposed Installer app and search Battery Home Icon, then tap the top result.

Battery home icon application interface on a mobile device.
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
Battery home icon application interface on a mobile device.
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter

From here, swipe over to the Versions tab, then hit the Download button next to the most recent entry.

How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter

After a few seconds, Android's installer interface should come right up, so tap Install on the next screen.

Battery Home icon installation prompt on a mobile device.
Battery home icon with notification: "App installed."
Battery Home icon installation prompt on a mobile device.
Battery home icon with notification: "App installed."

When that's finished, you'll get a notification from Xposed letting you know that the module hasn't been activated yet. Tap the Activate and reboot button on this notification to handle all of that automatically.

How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter

Install 'Android L Navigation Bar' (Optional)

When you get back up, your home button will already be turned into the Android 5.0-style circular version, and its integrated battery meter will be visible.

Smartphone home screen displaying time, weather, and app icons.
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
Smartphone home screen displaying time, weather, and app icons.
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter

But, if you don't already have an Android Lollipop theme applied to the rest of your navigation buttons, this circular home button can look a little out of place.

Neil covered a great theme that turns the rest of your navigation buttons into the Android 5.0 versions. It's called Android L Navigation Bar, and it's available on the Xposed repository as well.

Android L navigation bar interface on a smartphone screen.
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
Android L navigation bar interface on a smartphone screen.
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter

So if you'd like to complete the look, search and install Android L Navigation Bar using the same method that you installed Battery Home Icon with.

Installation prompt for Android L Navigation Bar application.
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
Installation prompt for Android L Navigation Bar application.
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter

Adjust the Home Button Icon

After you've installed the Android L Navigation Bar theme and rebooted, all of your on-screen buttons will have the Lollipop style. But the home button may still look a little off—perhaps bigger than the other buttons—depending on your screen's pixel density.

How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter

No worries, the Battery Home Button module comes with a few settings that allow for adjusting the size and spacing of this button. Head to your Xposed Installer app once again, but this time take a trip to the Modules section. From here, tap the Battery Home Button entry, and you'll be taken to the module's settings screen.

Settings menu with app configurations for a mobile device.
Battery home tool interface with settings for padding and circle thickness.
Settings menu with app configurations for a mobile device.
Battery home tool interface with settings for padding and circle thickness.

To adjust the sizing of the button in portrait mode, tap the Padding entry. Move the slider towards the right to make the button smaller, or to the left if you'd like to increase its size. The same can be done for landscape mode using the Landscape padding entry.

Settings menu displaying options for battery information, padding, and circle thickness.
Battery home tool interface showing a loading screen with "Loading" text and options to cancel or confirm.
Battery Home Tool settings screen displaying options for padding and circle thickness.
Settings menu displaying options for battery information, padding, and circle thickness.
Battery home tool interface showing a loading screen with "Loading" text and options to cancel or confirm.
Battery Home Tool settings screen displaying options for padding and circle thickness.

Finally, the Circle thickness option lets you adjust the width of the actual line that comprises your home button.

Battery Home Tool interface displaying settings for circle thickness and padding.
Battery home tool interface showing circle thickness adjustment slider.
Battery Home Tool interface displaying settings for circle thickness and padding.
Battery home tool interface showing circle thickness adjustment slider.

With everything set up to your liking, the home button should be looking just about awesome at this point.

Smartphone home screen displaying time, weather, and app icons.
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter
Smartphone home screen displaying time, weather, and app icons.
How to Get an Android "Lollipop" Home Button That Doubles as a Battery Meter

MohammadAG is everybody's favorite Xposed developer, and hopefully now you can see why. His modules add little touches that just feel right, yet bring with them some wonderful functionality. What's your favorite part about this module—the form, or the functionality? Let us know in the comments section below, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

The next big software update for iPhone is coming sometime in April and will include a Food section in Apple News+, an easy-to-miss new Ambient Music app, Priority Notifications thanks to Apple Intelligence, and updates to apps like Mail, Photos, Podcasts, and Safari. See what else is coming to your iPhone with the iOS 18.4 update.

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