Customise Boot Animation on Android Device

What is a Boot Animation?

A boot animation is the visual loading sequence displayed when a device is powered on.

When you turn on a computer, smartphone, tablet, or other electronic devices, the operating system (OS) is loaded into memory, and during this time, a boot animation is shown to provide visual feedback to the user that the system is in the process of starting up.

How to change the Boot Animation of an Android Device ?

Creating a new Boot Animation for Android Device is not as difficult as one might think.

In Android, the boot animation is composed of a series of images arranged frame by frame and stored in a zip file. Accompanying these images is a text file named “desc.txt,” which dictates the animation specifications for the stored images. Typically, the images are formatted in either jpg or png.

We need a directory with all the details and we will name the directory as “bootanimation” and later we will zip this directory as “bootanimation.zip”.

The final structure of the boot animation directory looks like this:

Take note that the file’s structure holds significance, determining the sequence and looping of distinct segments in the eventual boot animation. The images within the folders must follow a sequential numbering, starting from 000.

The desc.txt file is part of the files, and its purpose is to define the resolution, frame rate, and the number of loops for playing back the animation.

The desc.txt file has the following structure:

The custom boot animation in Android consists of a single zip file specifically named bootanimation.zip. Ensure that no additional files are included within the bootanimation.zip file.

Zip the “bootanimation” directory by using the following command:

$ zip -r0 bootanimation.zip bootanimation

Generating Images for an Android Custom Boot Animation

There are tools available for crafting custom boot animations on Android by converting videos into the required JPG and PNG files. Additionally, you can convert GIF files to implement a personalised boot animation in Android.

If you don’t have a particular video to convert, you can use static images or explore pre-made boot animations. Numerous Android boot animation downloads are accessible for selection. Various forums offer their recommendations for the top custom boot animations on Android. Nonetheless, exercise caution when downloading files to avoid installing any malicious content on your device.

Changing Boot Animation in Dolphin

Copy the Bootanimation to a directory inside source code. For Example:

$ mv bootanimation.zip ~/Dolphin/QSSI/device/bootanimation/

Now, copy this Boot Animation to the given location:

$ cd Dolphin/QSSI/bootanimation/

$ cp bootanimation.zip ../../QSSI/out/target/product/qssi_32go/system/media

Compile and flash the source code into the Dolphin Board and let the device power up after flashing.

Enjoy the new boot animation.

Changing Boot Animation in Dolphin via adb

ADB(Android Debug Bridge)

Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a versatile command-line tool that lets you communicate with a device. The adb command facilitates a variety of device actions, such as installing and debugging apps. Adb provides access to a Unix shell that you can use to run a variety of commands on a device.

Follow these simple steps to change the Boot Animation of Dolphin:

Power Up the Dolphin Board and let it boot up properly.
Connect the Dolphin Board via Laptop using a microUSB Cable in “port J30”.
Now open a Terminal and remount the Dolphin Board using the following command Line:

$ adb root

$ adb shell remount

After remounting, reboot the device using “adb reboot”.
Remount the Dolphin Board again using the following command line:

$ adb root

$ adb shell

# remount

Now, push the “Bootanimation.zip” at the given location “system/media/”

$ adb push bootanimation.zip /system/media/

Restart the Dolphin Board and Enjoy the new Boot Animation!

Author: Anand Mohan

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