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.
+1 for Nova
Same. Too lazy to switch to anything else
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.
Wait. What happened?
Since they mentioned backups they might be on the last good version of the launcher pre purchase (I guess)
I've been using Nova for years and I have no complaints.
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.
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
yep Totally, I used to swap launchers frequently but since I tried and then bought Niagara... I just can't use anything else, now a stock phone makes no sense to me anymore.
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 use Niagara Launcher mostly for the minimalist look. But also because Nova was bought by an analytics company a bit ago.
Niagara my beloved.
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?
Devs suggest you use it for 7 says tot get used to it. Couldn't use anything else anymore now 🤷
My nova styling was actually pretty close to how Niagara looks already. So the transition was actually pretty easy for me. Niagara is far cleaner than customizing Nova to look and function that way.
Just switched to Niagara after seeing other comments about Nova being sold. Rip Nova, I only use like 8 apps anyway.
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
Giving it a try now - seems great so far!
Gave it a try and I can see the appeal, but for me the lackluster widget support/customization is a bummer.
I like having a clock widget with two other wildly different timezone clocks shown on my home screen beneath my timezone (makes it easier to know when things in those places are happening in my timezone), and it doesn't support displaying the clock widget
that waywith multiple timezones so far as I could tell, despite allowing the display of the clock widget.Edited for clarity.
NOVA. Every single time I've tried an alternate launcher, I always return to NOVA within 24 hours.
I bought Nova Prime 10 years ago and was using it already years before that. Unfortunately they were bought out by Branch last year. And most of the time this isn't positive for the app. Guess I have yet an other app tracking and sending my data.. 🙄
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.
Yeah I just turned off automatic updates on Nova the minute I found out about branch. I'm just going to stick with the pre-branch version of the app until it doesn't function anymore or I find a suitable replacement.
But you're right, a lot of the alternatives aren't all that much better in terms of their privacy policy. Being owned by a shady data company... It's absolutely discouraging. Obviously something like Microsoft launcher probably isn't that much better in terms of privacy of course.
Nova Launcher Prime. The only one I stuck too, and never managed to leave.
Niagra Launcher, by far. It has totally changed the way I used my phone in a speedy way.
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.
Nice layout! Seeing this makes missing Nova Prime like a fresh wound all over again.
Seconding Nova. It's been a while since I've used it, not since when gesture navigation was added and changing launchers would break it. Prior to that though, I loved it for the customization ability. It was a must-have on every phone.
Also Nova. I'm pretty sure that Google and Samsung copied features from it for their official UI over the years. It's always been forward thinking and extremely customizable for the use experience.
That looks nice. Digging the grayscale look!
Nova too, nice homepage, I have the same icon pack but on a boring 4x4 grid :)
lawnchair
Simple, easy, elegant.
I love Niagara Launcher. simple, yet very effective.
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 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.
KISS
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/
Do you have a link for "Active launcher"? When I search for it I can only seem to find "Activity launcher" but that is a completely different app.
Edit: Reading the the other posts I guess he meant Action launcher.
Yes, I meant Action Launcher. Sorry about that.
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.
Triggering my PTSD from when my trusty LG G4 broke and had to use my brothers old windows phone 😭
I used Niagara Launcher, but it's not free, so I moved to Lawnchair 12.1. I also really like Kvaesitso launcher
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.
Niagara launcher is the one. Once you get used to it it's a game changer.
The one-hand navigation is just....cheff kiss
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 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
Niagara is what I was missing for years. Found it about 6 months ago and couldn't imagine using my phone without it now. It's just so clean and snappy!
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) :)
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
Niagara looks interesting. I definitely get the appeal of having info right on the home screen. Always loved widgets for that reason.
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?
I don't have any issues with scrolling, but it might be because I keep a minimal amount of apps on my phone.
I've noticed this too, especially while swiping up to open the app drawer. Sometimes I notice that it takes a few seconds to load the icons as well. The developer updates if frequently so I hope there is some updates to address the issue(s)
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.
I've been using smart launcher for years, I love it. But I just got a new phone, and they seem to have taken away the "flower" pattern for the homepage? I loved having my home page blank, then tapping the center of the screen and having my folders appear
I think those configurations are under smart widgets now, but to be totally honest, I never used the flower stuff, so Im unsure exacctly what you're describing. Im boring and always just have rows of icons.
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 👍
Kiss supports widgets if you enable the minimalistic UI...
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!
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.
Agree on Niagara. I've been a Nova Launcher user for many-many years. Tried to switch to other launchers with no success. Around year ago, when Nova was bought by Branch (if memory is right) I decided to force myself to use a different launcher. Tested several, but Niagara was best once you understand the simplicity of the design concept. Now I'm a very satisfied user of the PRO version.
Definitely wish I could get the pro version. But I still appreciate that it's usable as a non pro user.
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.
Two bits of info I wasn't aware of! Going to check out MS!
Been using the Microsoft launcher for years after leaving Nova and have to say I've been surprisingly pleased with it.
Thanks for the suggestion!
I really enjoyed Lawnchair for some time. Been trying Niagara for a few months as well. Lawnchair is my favorite for it's simplicity.
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 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
Themeable in that you can change colors and icons and sizing to your liking. But inherently it's just a search bar and an app drawer basically. The screenshots do a bad job of showing the variety of looks you can achieve though. I've been pushing for a custom color hex picker for a while but it hasn't made any releases so far though.
Here's an example of mine below...
Can also set favorites to float above the search bar like more traditional if you're into that.
This is the one that I use. Don't know if it is appealing for people who like to tinker with themes and stuff though. Not much of a themes guy myself. You can tweak colors and use icon packs at least.
Maybe this screenshot of the UI settings can be helpful for you:
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
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!
Nothing too fancy on the surface, but what's hidden is that every folder has 4 swipe actions so I can launch a different app or action with each - 48 in total, plus other desktop gestures.
The clock, music, charge, weather widget is my own design, in KLWP. When I swipe into my second screen (a full page calendar widget) they slide off the screen (up, down, left, right) so as not to obscure the calendar. Also, two other info panels hidden behind invisible touch points - one for international timezones and one showing fixtures and useful links for my football team, Dunfermline Athletic.
T-UI. Probably not everyones cup of tea, but its hard to go back.
I use nova. I haven't shopped around but it's solid and does what I ask it to
I still have nova prime from like 8 years ago... Time to give it another try I guess
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. 👍🏻
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
Yeah, AIO is great, a lot like having Rainmeter on Android. Extremely customizable and functional. Gets me the information I need quickly and then gets out of my way. The dev is constantly adding new features too!
I have an S22+ and I've been using one UI for years now. What do you find inadequate about it if you don't mind my asking?
I have found samsung's software to be the most feature complete android experience so far.
In earlier versions of the past, OneUI was slower than something like Nova Prime (on the same hardware). In earlier versions, you also could not customize icon sets, you could not drop a widget into the dock, widgets were less flexible in how you could resize them, you could not customize the animation styles the same way. Plus tons of other details of customization/layout/scaling combined with speed (or lack thereof). The last 2 versions were huge improvements on these areas, and as a former Nova Launcher Prime power user, I consider OneUI 5.1 to finally be usable if you install and make extensive use of Good Lock. I've been using Samsung devices since the Note 2, btw. We won't even talk about "Samsung Experience" or the even older and kinda terrible TouchWiz. TouchWiz drove a lot of people to other brands of phones and to use other launchers.
It's a fair question. I don't feel like it's missing any feature per se. Maybe the issue is too many features. I want something minimal and easy to use.
I also spent a lot of time with early Samsung Android phones and to be honest that probably somewhat permanently ruined Samsung ui for me. There's just an... ick factor or something. Hard to put my finger on it.
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.
Kiss launcher all the way! It basically works like the windows start menu. Type the first few letters of the app name, press enter and it starts.
You can also add keywords to apps and those will get searched as well.
It's purely awesome. And it combines really nicely with my Fairberry physical keyboard attachment.
Smart launcher for me. The automatic app sorting along with its ambient theme is super awesome. Highly recommend it.
Switched to it after Nova sold their guts to satan. Been pretty happy ever since
Niagara, Lawnchair, Kvaesitso, Olauncher
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
You could try Niagara Launcher or Nova, my current one and see how you like it
No root needed. You can just uninstall it or set the default launcher preference in settings back to something else. It's no more difficult than setting any other default app on Android.
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.
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
I use the Windows launcher, it's really smooth.
I'm using CalyxOS's default launcher, but on regular Android I pretty much always use Nova launcher.
Dunno. What do CalyxOS use? Quickstep? That one.
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?
Yep ! That's precisely wy I don't stay on other launchers for long . However i wish it supported Discord
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!
Haha totally get it. I'm there too....
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).**
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!
SimpleLauncher. Does everything I need it to and nothing more.
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.
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.
T-UI
It's so minimalistic I love it
I've been rocking OLauncher for a few months now, I love it. Cutting down the extra noise on my home screen felt good.
I also use Niagara Launcher. Went pro about two years ago.
I like the minimalistic look and the alphabetical drawer. Also the widget for calendar and clock is neat. And the media widget only shows up when needed, as well as the chosen media apps.
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.
If you're into minimalism, you can try Mere Launcher. I created it to declutter my phone, use on older hardware, and have an option that doesn't use any swipe gestures (for my wife's aging grandmother, who gets thrown off my such things).
I have been using Action Launcher for yeeeears. my favorite feature from it is cover: it's like folder, except the first item is the "cover" that opens itself instead of the folder, and you can swipe down to open the folder, useful to put some web apps under the cover of chrome for example.
I am using smart launcher 6
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
What's happening with Nova? I use it in all my android devices
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.
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).
MLauncher, sadly no option to sort alphabetically once you add the apps to the homescreen, or at least I haven't found it
Got my Pixel 7 yesterday and love the stock launcher, but I just can't stay away from Niagara. It's just too efficient
