A notes app changed my home screen: how to get it back

Short answer: the app you installed is a launcher, not just a notes app. Go to Settings > Apps > Default apps > Home app, choose your original launcher, then uninstall the notes launcher like any other app.

This is the most common complaint about launcher-style notes apps. One reviewer put it simply: “I just wanted an app for notes. NOT CHANGE MY WHOLE PHONE.”

1. Switch the default home app back

2. Uninstall the launcher

Once it is no longer the default home app, long-press its icon and choose Uninstall, or go to Settings > Apps, find it and tap Uninstall. If it refuses, switch the home app first; a launcher cannot be removed while it is active.

3. Save your notes first

If you wrote notes in it, copy or share them out before uninstalling. Uninstalling removes local data.

4. Pick a notes app that stays a notes app

Before installing, check the listing for words like “launcher”, “home screen” or “theme”. A plain notes app needs no home-app permission and at most the notification permission for reminders.

Doing it with Tickcard

Tickcard opens straight to your color cards and never asks to become your home app. Checklists, a reminder on any note and an optional checklist widget are all inside a normal app you can uninstall anytime.

FAQ

Why did a notes app change my home screen?

Some “notes” apps are really launchers: they ask to become your default home app and replace your icons, widgets and search bar.

How do I get my old home screen back?

Open Settings > Apps > Default apps > Home app and pick your phone's original launcher (for example Pixel Launcher or One UI Home).

Does Tickcard change the home screen?

No. Tickcard is only a notes app. It never asks to be your home app and its widgets are optional.

Get Tickcard, color notes and checklists that leave your home screen alone (Google Play)

← See Tickcard's color cards, checklists, reminders and widget