What's your favorite alternate launcher?
What's your favorite alternate launcher?
Just got a new work phone: Galaxy S22. Wanted a pixel but it was out of stock in our internal allocation. Already tired of samsung's UI and interested in something new.
So what do you like? Bonus points if it works with android enterprise's profile mode dual app drawers.
I absolutely love Nova Launcher Pro. Easy to get to what I need. Also integrates with sesame and Delta icon pack.
I was a huge fan until their acquisition by the shady company. I keep the pre-acquistion version on older phones.
+1 for Nova.
Been using it since my Pixel 1 XL, on a Pixel 6 Pro now.
I am going to switch back to the default Pixel Launcher for a week to see if anything has changed(and just for fun), but I think I'm going to be on Nova after lol.
Same. Too lazy to switch to anything else
Use Lawn Chair
Been using Lawn Chair for the past year or so. Looks good, does what I want and stays out of my way the rest of the time. Top marks for me.
It's also FOSS and respects your privacy. Also very lightweight.
Long time user of lawnchair (4+ years), never felt like changing it to anything else, it works amazingly well.
Nova Launcher Prime. The only one I stuck too, and never managed to leave.
I've been using Nova for years and I have no complaints.
Since i bought Niagara Launcher my phone(s) feel very fluent and contemporary. I'd say the best piece of software I bought for Android.
Second this. Niagara Launcher allows me so much easier access to apps. Cleaner home page and all apps in an easy to navigate alphabetical list. Super easy
Niagara is the best! Never needed any other launcher
Niagara is so fundamental to me that I simply can't imagine my phone without it. My partner really likes the whole one UI themed experience, and everytime she gives me her phone I'm lost for 5 minutes trying to find anything.
It's a different paradigm and not for everyone (eg. people that rely a lot on widgets) but it really puts you in sync with your stuff. totally worth the buy.
I've been using nova launcher prime since forever. Make a backup on my old phone when getting a new one, and import it on the new phone.
How do you feel about nova launcher being bought out by that data collection company?
:( I used Nova Prime for many years, and I don't like this one bit. I hope that the devs got a good payout, and best wishes to them, but it makes me uncomfortable. Luckily, while it's definitely no Nova, Samsung's launcher has finally on the most recent version gotten to a point of usability. Everything is more awkward to do, and you have to install extra Samsung apps (Good Lock with applets) for a lot of the customization, but most of my favorite features from Nova are finally there. So, for the first time in many years, I'm running the Samsung default OneUI 5.1.
Since they mentioned backups they might be on the last good version of the launcher pre purchase (I guess)
NOVA. Every single time I've tried an alternate launcher, I always return to NOVA within 24 hours.
I love me some Nova
I'm going to piggy back on this comment for all the people who don't want to do the research on Nova and their recent acquisition by Branch. You can opt in or out of usage statistics and all permissions in the app. The new mods on their discord have a FAQ that expresses this also. I have no way to prove otherwise but if all we have is their word then you should take all apps usages disclosures with a grain of salt.
Edit: funny enough I just installed and read the first few paragraphs of Niagra's privacy policy which says it collects and shares user analytics. To each their own I guess.
Protip: If you are somewhat skeptical of the Branch integration, you can disable network permission in Android for the Nova Launcher. It doesn't need to connect to anything to work fine generally speaking. Without network permisson, the launcher can't send anything to the internet.
I love Niagara Launcher. simple, yet very effective.
Niagra Launcher, by far. It has totally changed the way I used my phone in a speedy way.
I use Niagara Launcher mostly for the minimalist look. But also because Nova was bought by an analytics company a bit ago.
Just switched to Niagara after seeing other comments about Nova being sold. Rip Nova, I only use like 8 apps anyway.
I installed it but def need to give it some time. Pretty confusing at first. Seems like a super neat idea though! How long did it take you to get used to it?
KISS
I used Niagara Launcher, but it's not free, so I moved to Lawnchair 12.1. I also really like Kvaesitso launcher
Nova launcher, made this with it
You're on a fediverse app, you should know that Nova was the center of some controversy when they sold to a company that is likely harvesting and selling user data. Many have left Nova.
I appreciate you sharing this. I had no idea. Time to find an alternative.
Nova too, nice homepage, I have the same icon pack but on a boring 4x4 grid :)
lawnchair
Simple, easy, elegant.
Okay, so I really really like KISS launcher. KISS stands for keep it simple stupid and that should tell you all there is to know about the launcher. It is a search based launcher, you can do quick calculations, one click call/text your contacts, configure additional search engines (eg: you can search directly on YouTube, Maps, Google or just open an url directly). No matter what I try it never satisfies as much as KISS, I find it an hassle to go through the icons searching fot your app. It is available on F-Droid
Oh interesting. I use Linux on my PC and love just hitting super + typing the name of a program.
I'm using Nova, but your reply convinced me to try it out. Sounds like a cool launcher for someone who likes to tweak around (me basicly) :)
KISS Launcher for me. Minimal UI so you can see your wallpaper, decent search and open source. I'm surprised there aren't more mentions of it here actually.
I second this
Same here, fast, clean and simple.
Giving it a try now - seems great so far!
T-UI. Probably not everyones cup of tea, but its hard to go back.
Niagara Launcher. It's a very clean and simple launcher and perfect if you have around 8 top apps with the way it's designed, but still very easy to navigate all other apps. Definitely recommend you give it a go
I use Action Launcher, great for doing things from your home screen without needing a bunch of widgets. Also Samsung's One Hand Operation app is a lifesaver, no need to awkwardly shift my plone down to reach the notification shade.
Another vote for action launcher. Switched back to it after Nova was sold off. I have had the same basic home screen for years now, and because everything is so easily accessible using covers/folders etc, most of my single home screen is a picture of the cat
Haha perfect!
I use the KISS launcher. It's on both Play Store and F-Droid.
Stupid simple and really nice looking imo
The screenshots look kinda outdated, how themeable is it? the global search looks great
Niagara launcher is the one. Once you get used to it it's a game changer.
Square Home is utterly fantastic. For those that have a Fold like me, it's compatible with that too :D I made it look a lot like Windows Phone because I loved that vibe.
Wow that looks nice! Neat that it works so well with the fold form-factor.
I like Kavaesito a lot. Found Here
Kvaesitso is soo good yet so buggy while scrolling. I wish it was a bit snappier. Do you face the same issue?
OLauncher, it's FOSS, minimalist, simple and available on F-Droid.
Finally a launcher that won't be bought by a data telemetry company
Neo Launcher, it's the closest think to Nova, but there is still a lot of bugs.
I just replaced Nova with Neo after trying several from this thread. The only bug I've seen has been renaming folders. But other than that it has been smooth sailing. Thanks for the recommendation. 👍🏻
Neo launcher for me. it's on fdroid.
it's not perfect and can get buggy, but once you set it up, and don't mess with the settings too much. it's acceptable replacement for Nova launcher.
Had nova prime, but switched after the buyout
... what buyout?
Branch, an analytics company.
Yeah... What buyout? I have it in Graphene, with no permissions granted and only as a secondary launcher while i was considering my options, since Neo sometimes doesn't update new installed apps for a while...
https://www.androidpolice.com/nova-launcher-acquired-by-branch/
It was bought by a data analytics company last summer, unfortunately.
Branch, an analytics company.
I like the look of Neo but it seems to crash once or twice a month for me, and resets my home home screen layout every time.
None since Nova went and got telemetry'd up.
Wait, what now? Nova'a been my go-to, what happened?
Last year they got acquired by Branch, an analytics company. Android Police article about it here.
I use neolauncher Not quite nova but okay once you set it up
You can grab it on fdroid or directly on GitHub https://github.com/NeoApplications/Neo-Launcher
Thanks. I was looking for a Nova replacement.
Huh... Looks very nova-esque.
Currently using and have used the Niagra launcher for years. To me, ease of use and getting to the apps I need quickly and efficiently is the most important thing about a launcher. I've tried many of the "minimalistic" launchers over time, and this is the only one that truly felt useful. I'd highly recommend it to people who just use their phone as an app launcher, as opposed to having a bunch of widgets on the homescreen or something.
Niagara, Lawnchair, Kvaesitso, Olauncher
I use the Windows launcher, it's really smooth.
I loved using Nova, but they got bought by a data mining company. I'm using Active Launcher now.
Oh what? Damn I've been using only Nova for years and years. Who bought them?
According to this article, an analytical giant by the name of Branch last year?
https://www.makeuseof.com/nova-launcher-branch-is-it-still-safe-to-use/
Despite the privacy issues after the buyout, I'm still using Nova Launcher.
On the work phone I'm using the Microsoft one and it's surprisingly good too. It's not quite as customisable as Nova but it does a fair amount as well. I like the configurable leftmost screen, it's like a powered up widget viewer.
I'm using CalyxOS's default launcher, but on regular Android I pretty much always use Nova launcher.
AIO launcher.
Looks nothing like a regular launcher, but works great for me, can have calendar, news, tasks etc all in one convenient scrolling home screen
If you want to try something alternative check out "niagara launcher". You need some time to get used to it, but the UX is really clever IMO
I've never tried an alternate launcher, do you need to root your phone to do it? And can you easily go back if you change your mind?
No need to root and you can always switch back to your previous launcher / uninstall the launcher. It's pretty much an alternative homepage and app drawer.
Then just customize it the way you like it and grab some icon packs, most of them are free or at a symbolic price
I've been using smart-launcher for years now, and it's what I'm used to, gestures and a nice app menu that automtically categorises applications is nice.
Seconding Smart Launcher. Automatic categorization beats pretty much every other feature I can think of in a launcher.
I try to treat my devices as commitments as far as spending but disposable as far as usage habits and not having invent my own categories helps me just USE my phone instead of playing with it.
I use ADW because when I switched phones my new version of Android didn't have the carousel home screen and it was the first one I found 😅
I always end up sticking with the stock one. It's usually the only one where widgets work properly.
I use Kvaesitso, and have used it for a while now. I like it! https://kvaesitso.mm20.de/
I don't think it gets bonus points though
I second Kvaesitso! It takes a while to get used to since it is not home screen based, but it is super quick plus the major advantage over KISS launcher, you can add widgets 👍
Smart Launcher. It feels more polished than Nova Launcher, and has most of the features I'd expect from an alternate launcher.
With that said tho, I'm actually using the stock Pixel launcher because... Why not, it's not really bad.
I really enjoyed Lawnchair for some time. Been trying Niagara for a few months as well. Lawnchair is my favorite for it's simplicity.
SimpleLauncher. Does everything I need it to and nothing more.
before I got a pixel I used Action Launcher to have a clean, stock-enough, look no idea if it's still getting any updates but it would still be my go-to anyday
After many years with Nova, I dumped it after the sale, and tried a few. MS Launcher was pretty good, but I settled on Total Launcher.
Very, very customisable, although a bit of a learning curve. I have a feeling I'm only scratching the surface of what it can do, but that's enough for me :-)
I'm using nova but now I feel out of the loop. What sale do you mean, and why did it make you dump nova?
Not that guy, but last year they got acquired by Branch, an analytics company. Android Police article about it here. The same company also acquired Sesame of Sesame Universal Search.
To clarify, I'm unaware if they've done anything suspicious since the acquistion, but potentially giving an analytics company launcher level access raised eyebrows for more than a few people, myself included.
Let's see that home page!
SmartLauncher, no contest.
Tell us why. I've never used it. What's the feature that keeps you there?
Probably the app drawer is my favorite feature. It automatically sorts your apps into catagories (Contacts, Games, Internet, Media, Communications, Utilities and Settings, although you can change any categories or create your own). In addition to the categories, you can search alphabetically or find apps via a universal search. The widgets and widget stack handling is great, icon Pack Studio to design your own icons if you're into that sort of thing. Fun little features like blur and parralax 3D if you choose to enable it. Overall, its a really slick launcher and mature product that's actively developed with devs that interact with the community. I've been using the paid version for years and its the best $ value for anything I've ever purchased on Android. It's this very first thing I put on a new phone. I love playing with new launchers and I try out pretty much every launcher I come across, but this is always my daily driver.
Even for its non-standard layout, I've really fallen in love with Kvaesito. Maybe it's because I now don't have to work out which widgets I want to have on my main screen and how to lay them out.
Smart launcher for me. The automatic app sorting along with its ambient theme is super awesome. Highly recommend it.
I have been using Niagara for a couple of years now, and I have absolutely fallen in love with it since.
I went to check it out and was so happy with the idea and the first impression that it gave me that I went ahead and bought the lifetime premium for it hoping to customize it to my tastes, only to quickly learn they are very anti-customization.
Damn I really hate opinionated software.
While I don't customize my Niagara experience that much, but yeah, their customiztion options is very limited. I really wish they could improve that in the future though
Exactly what I did and went back to Nova after a couple months
Trying to pivot to an alternative since Nova was sold but I just can't find anything that matches it feature for feature. Like Niagara but not something I want to use always. I just really depend on the app swiping functionality on Nova and the customizable gestures like double tap to prompt my remote.
But there is a cool launch aUG. lets you swipe a letter of an alphabet with a stylus or your finger and all your apps with that letter pop up. If it had landscape mode support and search function in the app drawer I would use it a lot more
Yeah I tried switch to Niagara too and it just can't beat Nova
Currently, Smart Launcher. I've used Nova for over a decade, until it was filled with spyware that phones home almost 2 thousand times a day. I don't really like the pricing model for Smart, however I've subscribed for a month, set it up how I like it, and canceled the sub. Everything still works, you just can't change it until you resub
Smart Launcher for me. I've been using it since the Smart Launcher 3 days, and it's really still a launcher with no-nonsense UI that doesn't change a lot, for example you can still modify it to feel just like SL3 with the left side app menu and gestures. Plus the design language used in SL6 is just beautiful to me.
Liked it so much I bought the pro version of SL3 and later on, get the full license for SL5 (and onwards).**
MLauncher, sadly no option to sort alphabetically once you add the apps to the homescreen, or at least I haven't found it
Sadly 3rd party launchers don't work well with widgets, at least on One UI. I found Nova Launcher to do well with gestures and animations, but it's not there yet for me. The One UI launcher works as expected but lacks the ability to change stuff like the icon shape which I don't like very much (Theme Park doesn't do it well).
It used to be posidon launcher, but it was glitchy and laggy as hell, also used neo launcher, it was fine, but not really what I want. I use Lawnchair from the izzyondroid fdroid repo nowadays.
I use productivity launcher. Its very barebones, works well, quick access to my apps and it's not bright and colorful so my phone is a little less appealing to look at and might reduce my screen time a tiny bit.
Haha 😂 I'll check it out, thanks!
Ratio Launcher ! Nothing compares, i always end up going back to it . Not most customizable but it being well designed more than makes up for it . I hope they open source it
Looks interesting, I'll check it out! Do you like the combined messages / conversations feature?
Got my Pixel 7 yesterday and love the stock launcher, but I just can't stay away from Niagara. It's just too efficient
Lawnchair Launcher. But the version they have on GitHub.
I would use Pixel Launcher if it was possible to remove this silly, oversized, search box from the home screen.
Says not available on the play store... So I see what you mean. I'll try to grab the GitHub version
I've been rocking OLauncher for a few months now, I love it. Cutting down the extra noise on my home screen felt good.
Since gestures don't work with 3rd party launchers, I am stuck with the default one. Hope Google fixes this issue.
Gestures have worked fine with all the ones I've tried so far... Maybe it's fixed? I do notice app switching takes holding the up Swype a half second longer than stock but other than that everything is fine.
Because recents recent screen is still handled by the stock launcer even if you use a 3rd party one. And you will always notice more frame drops in animation when using 3rd party launcher.
I'm this weird person who loves the pixel but at the same time tries to degoogle myself. Meaning I have a Pixel 7 Pro with Nova launcher. I think it works okay!