What This Call Screen App Promises
Color Call Theme, Call Screen is a personalization app that replaces your default incoming call screen with colorful themes, custom accept/decline buttons, and a flash alert feature that flashes the LED for incoming calls. It’s aimed at users who want to jazz up a fairly boring part of the phone interface, the call screen, with photos, avatars, and DIY color schemes. With over 13 million installs, it clearly appeals to a wide audience looking for cheap, easy phone customization.
The Setup Process Is Where Trouble Starts
Multiple users report that the app won’t let you proceed past the initial tutorial unless you grant broad permissions to control things on your phone. One reviewer said flatly that ‘if you don’t select it to be able to control everything in your phone, you cannot go any further in the setup process.’ Another described being unable to choose which data to share, saying the accept button kept reappearing until all options were agreed to, and claimed the app sells data to other companies. That’s a serious red flag for a personalization app that has no real reason to need this level of access.
Ads Are the Single Biggest Complaint
Nearly every negative review centers on advertising. Users call it ‘riddled with ads,’ describe ‘unlimited ads and nothing else,’ and say the ad volume made the app essentially unusable, with one person unable to even get past the opening tutorial because of them. This isn’t a minor annoyance mentioned in passing, it’s the dominant theme across the most helpful reviews, suggesting the ad experience is aggressive enough to overwhelm whatever customization value the app offers.
The Advertised Features Don’t Match Reality
Several reviewers say the app’s own promotional material oversells what you actually get. One user said the ad showed a live wallpaper that turned out to be a static image, calling it ‘completely trash.’ Another said the specific themes shown in the advertisement that convinced them to download couldn’t even be found inside the app, on top of choices being ‘very limited.’ This bait-and-switch pattern between marketing and actual content is a recurring frustration.
Stability and Mixed Experiences
Not every review is negative. One five-star reviewer liked the app but noted their system became unstable the day after installing it, requiring a reset. This suggests that even among users who enjoy the visual customization, there can be technical side effects worth watching out for, particularly around system stability.
Who Should Actually Download This
Given the volume and consistency of complaints about permission demands, data-sharing concerns, misleading ads, and an overwhelming amount of in-app advertising, this app is hard to recommend. If you’re only after a quick cosmetic change to your call screen, the aggressive permission requests and ad load make the tradeoff questionable. Users who are highly sensitive to app permissions or data privacy should skip it entirely. If you still want to try it, go in expecting heavy ads, be deliberate about reviewing every permission prompt during setup, and don’t expect the exact themes shown in the app’s own advertising to be available once you’re inside.
