F-Droid @lemmy.ml guttermonk @lemmy.ml 1y ago

Best FOSS alternative to Nova Launcher?

Would really love a launcher that can format icon shapes so that they're all uniform in shape, like Nova Launcher ...but open source.

49 comments

I really like Lawnchair
- Looks like the stable channel hasn't received an update in years, and the alpha channel hasn't received an update in over a year. Is this launcher abandoned?
  
  Someone commented previously that the main devs are busy with other things and are hoping to return to it some other time
  
  I mean, does it matter? Some code needs to be maintained, some really doesn't. A launcher, once it's built it keeps working. I'm still using lawnchair 1, won't update to 2 because it's missing features I need. Been using it since before 2 was released, at some point things are just done and that's a good thing.
  
  It seems to be working just fine. I've been using it for years with no updates.
  
  Probably. Please let us know what you discover.
- Lawnchair is good enough, but it still lacks many features and hasn't been updated in too long.
Been using Neo Launcher since Nova sold out. Yes, it can format icon shapes.
- Hmm, the first review on the Play store says it serves ads and has annoying popups. That's too bad, because it looks cool, but there's zero chance I'll install an ad delivery network as my phone launcher.
  
  Well, it's not released in the Play store so you're likely looking at a clone or something else.
  
  You sure it's the right neo launcher?
- Thats a different neo launcher. The one he's talking about isn't available on the google play store.
  
  Lemme find you an f-droid link
  
  Edit: here you go https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/com.saggitt.omega
  
  Its on izzydroid. You'll want to use an f-droid client to download it and keep it updated. There are a bunch, the official one is an easy place to start, but I really like droid-ify. There's also neo store which is developed by the same person/people who make neo launcher, but personally I find neo launcher pretty clunky
  
  The github page I've linked includes a link to F-droid
  
  Abandonware?
- How'd Nova sell out?
  
  If I remember correctly they got bought out by an analytics company at some point. So you know, ads and data collection.
- Definitely keeping an eye on this one - no release in over a year but Dev looks super active and edging towards a major update
- Can I create a folder in the dock, and make the background transparent. That's all I want, dock folders with no background.
  
  Unfortunately the background of folders doesn't seem customisable.
It's not like Nova Launcher, but I've been really enjoying Kvaesitso. It does support icon transformations (better than Nova does IMO) but provides a very different interface that's focused on search.
- On a similar note, I have been enjoying the KISS launcher and made it work for me. Had I looked at Kvaesito before that may have been my choice instead. Its a weird concept at first but works well.
- I love Kvaesitso! It's my current pick as well. I like that it does its own thing and provides a very different UX from the rest of the Android launchers, which are always variations on either AOSP or the iPhone launchers. And it does it very well, with a very good looking UI!
  
  For these reasons though, it is not similar to Nova at all.
- I've been on this for a couple months and have enjoyed the experience as well. I imagine some of the overall issues encountered are more about my phone being nearly 6 years old than the launcher itself, but is the default weather widget broken for you as well?
  
  I wasn't a fan of the built-in weather widget so I immediately replaced it, so I have no experience with it being nonfunctional, sorry.
- Can it reformat icon shapes?
  
  Yes
Big fan of Nova, but it's wonky under Android 14... So I switched to the Lawnchair alpha. Icons can be square, rounded, circle, Squircle... I like it!
- Squircles!?! I'm sold. Downloading now. Thank you for the info.
Have been using nova in the past, but now I'm using a combinaton of KISS launcher and Delta Icon Pack (both available on F-Droid).

KISS lets you adjust the shapes and with delta you'll get an uniform icon appearance (for most apps). The thing is that the KISS works a bit different , so it's not a direct replacement for nova, but maybe you'll enjoy it anyways.
- That was fun and different. Thank you for the suggestion.
Once you try KISS you don't come back.
- i used to use lawnchair and tested kiss for a friend who never used smartphone before. old school. i played for few hours and kept using it myself.
  
  widgets: clock, jtx board tasks and simple calendar pro. the rest of the home is the empty space for gestures, favorites bar/line and search.
  
  black background.
  
  kiss after a while disappears as the launcher should. i stopped thinking about launchers. but remember it swiftly once the discussion about launchers start. obviously.
  
  This is my clean setup: https://lemmy.ml/post/1450404
The lynx launcher has been my go to, they advertise as "Sleek - Fast - Unobtrusive" and have zero trackers according to Exodus. Not 100% if they're FOSS but I love the launcher and here's their website: https://www.lynxlauncher.de/
Im looking for the opposite, something that can keep the icon shape without changing it... But I want too much :'(
- You are brave. Good luck lone traveler.
I use Lawn Chair and really like it
- Can it reformat icon shapes?
  
  It can! You can also download icon packs to change your icons with different styles (e.g. a minimal version of your apps design)
Niagara. Full disclosure: it's the first and only one I've tried.
Hang on a minute, what is Nova Launcher? I really have no idea 'bout it
- It's a closed source luancher on Google Play. It works really well, but the developer recently sold out according to someone in this thread and it now contains trackers according to the Exodus app.

49 comments