How to install custom themes on PSVITA/PSTV
Note from Wololo: This tutorial was initially published by /Talk member pacuer123, as part of our monthly tutorial contest. Pacuer123 won the October tutorial contest for the PS Vita (a $10 PSN code) with this entry – this was a tie with another entry. You can find the original post here.
Hi everyone! Today I’ll be guiding all of you in wololo.net trying to put some sweet on their PS Vita and PSTV. There were some guides about how to put some custom themes on your systems but they were kind of complex. That’s about to end with the tools provided in this tutorial and the hard work done by Red Squirrel.
Requirements:
-PSVita/PSTV DB Theme installer 1.1 Here
-A Custom Theme of your choice
-Thunderbird for Windows Here
-A PSVita/PSTV between 3.00 – 3.52 firmware
-A Windows running PC
1.- Getting the app.db File from your PSVita/PSTV.
For this you’ll need to do the Email trick on your PS system for getting the file (if you’ve done it before you can just keep this tutorial). If this is the first time doing the email trick you can check the forum on how to make the first step. You can use this tutorial to start up: Here
To get your app.db you have send an E-mail to your PS system with this text as an attached URL
email:send?attach=ur0:shell/db/app.db.
Here’s a screenshot using Gmail (sorry for the language but I’m Spanish native-speaker)


Open the Mail app on your PS System and hit it the link on the mail you just received and a window for e-mail writing should be opened, send the email to yourself and open it on your PC. It’s ok if the email app on your PS System closes after hitting send, that’s normal. The attached file in the mail it’s your personal app.db file!
2.- Writing on your app.db file.
In order to activate the themes on your PS system, your app.db must have the info of your custom theme in them. Open the app.db file with the DB Theme Installer and complete the fields.
It should look like this

3.- Transfer your Custom theme to your PS System.
You can use any method you want to transfer the folder with the custom theme, like the FTP file transfer method. Notice that the path you choose must be the one you put in the DB Theme Installer.
4.- Write back the app.db file on your PS System.
Using the Thunderbird send an e-mail to you with the subject:
ur0:shell/db/app.db
Attach the app.db file and rename it “#0” (without the quotes) and send it to your Vita.
Here’s the screenshot

Open the Mail app and search for the mail you just sent. Click on the attached file (should be displayed as a camera icon. If there’s a “?” symbol, repeat the last step and send again the mail). Close your Mail app (DON’T HIT THE OK BUTTON)
5.- Restart your PS System
Restart your PS System and go to Settings to change your theme.
6.-Enjoy! 😀
NOTE: rebuilding your Database will reset your app.db and you’ll have to do it all again.
Thanks to Red Squirrel for the tool used in this tutorial and mr. gas for the writemail method.
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Cool and I’m first he he he
One question, Is a theme installable on a 3.18 Vita ? I don’t have any theme menu in the settings. TY for share it
On 3.30- you have to manually change each icon in the app.db. There are downsides to that though, you can’t change the waves/bgm. The effects will probably disappear after a db refresh, but its not difficult to keep a modified app.db to send whenever that happens.
How does anyone find exploits like these? do they just stumble across them, did they work in PSP, or are they just things that are common bugs in apps?
I can’t even get my email app to work , i try to sign in and it says error C-something with numbers and *** , can anyone please help with this problem , without the email app on psvita im *** out on good themes. i try restart , refresh database , and nothing works. same *** pops up with the error.
happends when I press Sign in button. it loads to 40% and then error happends.
Also you can keep the themes after updating but im assuming they will disappear once a database rebuild is forced until then i can still rock my custom themes and play forbidden games on my vita tv while on the latest firmware
so finally got the app.db of my psvitatv thkx.
so is there a theme site comming for psvita themes ?
is there a difference in comparing psvita and psvitatv themes ?
what about the wave ?
finally but not least
whats the difference in ux0 and ur0 ?