Unlocked Windows Phone devices get homebrew themes

Besides being able to sideload non-Marketplace apps on your Windows Phone, it looks like unlocking the device has another benefit: more customization options. If only being able to select the background color and the color of the tiles feels too limited for you and you want a more unique-looking Windows Phone device – you’re not alone. And until Microsoft decides to make it an official feature of the operating system, it looks like you’ll have to unlock your device to do so.

The folks over at Windows Phone Hacker have released the Themes for Windows Phone app that lets you customize the way Windows Phone looks on your device. All you have to do is download the app for your PC, set up a theme, hook up your phone to your computer, deploy it and you’re good to go. While you’ll be able to customize any tile you want, bear in mind that it will remove the live functionality of your tiles (if they had live functionality to begin with). Other than that – you can theme your own Windows Phone device to look like no other.

Head over to Windows Phone Hacker for the full instructions. Make sure you have an unlocked device and Mango before you begin.