How to install and activate an EMUI 9 theme on your HUAWEI or HONOR phone

The great thing about Android is its level of customization, though some companies go a step above and allow for even more ways to personalize your phone.

Huawei and sub-brand Honor both offer a full theme engine on all of their smartphones. There are a few different routes you can take to install themes on your HUAWEI or HONOR phone, and we’ll walk you through the steps here.

Option A: Use the Themes app

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding, downloading, and installing an EMUI 9 theme, you don’t have to. Every HUAWEI and HONOR device comes with a pre-installed Themes app and preset themes in the app.

To activate a preset theme, scroll down to the Preset themes section, select a theme, and tap the Apply button at the bottom. You’ll then get automatically sent to the home screen, where you can see the wallpaper and icons that accompany the theme.

Keep in mind that you can pick from more themes if you sign in with your HUAWEI ID. Also, you can change the icons, wallpapers, and lock screen without changing the theme itself — tap the Customize option in the Themes app’s main screen to change them up as you see fit.

Option B: Third-party EMUI theme app

Another option is to download a third-party EMUI theme app from the Google Play Store. For reference, we’ll use an app called Themes for HUAWEI and HONOR. The app is seemingly updated often and has been downloaded over 1 million times.

Once you find a theme you like from either searching for a query or just picking one from the main screen, tap the Download button. Once the theme is downloaded, open the Themes app and tap on My Themes. You should now see your downloaded themes in its own section below the preset themes.

If you don’t see the theme you downloaded in the Themes app, make sure to close the app and open it again.

Option C: Finding and installing an EMUI 9 theme from the internet

The third option is a bit more involved, since it requires you to find and install an EMUI 9 theme from the internet. Places to search include the Huawei and Honor subreddits on Reddit, XDA-Developers‘ forums for HUAWEI and HONOR devices, and websites like HUAWEI Themes and EMUI HUAWEI Theme that are dedicated to EMUI themes.

For reference, the file we’re using is the HUAWEI P30 Themes file that XDA-Developers uploaded to Android File Host. Also, we’re using a Windows PC for this example. Alternatively, you can download an app from the Google Play Store that can extract ZIP files on your device.

Once you connect your device to your PC, make sure to select Transfer files when the prompt shows up on your device. Once that’s done, open your computer’s files manager, click on your device from the This PC section on the sidebar, and open Internal storage.

From there, open the Download folder and extract the HUAWEI P30 Themes file. We’re using WinRAR to extract the file, though you can also use 7-Zip or any other program that can extract ZIP files.

Extract the ZIP file to your desktop. Open the extracted file to see a list of .hwt files. These are the EMUI themes you’re looking for. Copy all of the .hwt files, then open Internal storage. From there, open the Huawei folder and then open the Themes folder. Paste the copied .hwt files in the Themes folder.

Unplug your device, open the Themes app, and tap on the My themes section. You should now see the HUAWEI P30 themes available in the Downloaded section.

Keep in mind that these steps only apply if you have a ZIP file to extract — you don’t have to do much if you manage to download an .hwt file from the get-go. Just copy the .hwt to the Themes folder and you’re set.

Also keep in mind the files you’re downloading. Scan the files to make sure they’re what they say they are — the last thing you want is to download something on the internet that turns out to be a virus or malware.

That’s it! It’s relatively easy to get an EMUI 9 theme on your HUAWEI or HONOR device. Let us know in the comments if you’re still having trouble installing an EMUI 9 theme. If you are using a theme on your HUAWEI or HONOR phone, show us in the comments!