So, anybody know a good launcher to use once Nova goes offline?
Been using KISS over at F-droid for a few years now after moving on from Nova Launcher. It isn’t for everyone but it isn’t run by goons.
I’ve been working on a launcher for a while now, do help me test it out!
Features include:
- Widget stacks (with auto scroll)
- Swipe up and swipe down to launch different apps
- Display app drawer icons as tiles or a list
- Individually resize home screen icons, for mixed-size icon layouts
- Freely position and resize a widget or icon
- Frosted glass background for widgets (experimental)
- App drawer folders
- Fade a widget
- Separate layouts for different screens for foldables
- Tap a folder to launch its first app (swipe to open folder)
- Assign a nickname to an app for instant app search and launch (e.g. searching “ff” launches Firefox instantly)
- Lots of custom animations and haptics
Planned features include:
- Profile switching with Tasker support
- Square tiles for app drawer
- Swipe to open a widget pop up
Not open source, a little disappointed. I’ll give it a try when it is
Removed by mod
Its insane that custom launchers are even needed. I gave the base Samsung version a try and it wont even let me move the app drawer button, its glued to the bottom right. I’d expect an android to let me customize more than windows. Never understood the big tech companies need for this much control. Some brand manager will have a heartattack if I change an app icon, a basic feature in any version of Windows.
They keep things locked down for the 50% of the population with below average intelligence. It makes things easier to trouble shoot when you can’t move the important stuff. Also that group is usually the loudest complainers when they can’t find something, or something goes wrong.
It was the “end of an era” when they were sold off to a data-mining company years ago.
PSA: Nova Launcher’s owning company sells their user data. It was a good launcher when it first came out, but it’s been nothing but a downward spiral from there.
Edit for clarity: I don’t mean the app itself. It is owned by an entity that exists to sell consumer data.
I’ve been using Nova for ages, probably back from the KitKat days on a Samsung phone running Touchwiz, i.e. when everything from the vendor side was crap.
I just switched back to my Moto G5’s stock launcher. Honestly, it already does everything I did with Nova. It supports theming, adaptive icons, you can configure the density of its grid, etc. So I uninstalled Nova. Fuck it.
Realistically I think most stock launchers are probably perfectly adequate for everything normal users want to do these days.
Are there any launchers that have Nova’s 2 best features?
- Swipe-to-open folders (with tap to open the first item in the folder)
- Set any icon you want as an app icon?
I’ve tried Lawnchair and it was missing these 2 features. I will switch to any launcher that supports these!
Action Launcher has this I think.
Novalauncher 6.2.19, before they added telemetry
I really like Fast Draw. I wanted the app pages like Nova has, and personally didn’t really need any more than that. This one works like a charm!
https://github.com/peterfajdiga/FastDraw
Use an Open Source launcher, here my recommandations :
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Lawnchair, basic launcher to replace stock launcher
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Kvaesito, search based browser and a lot of customization
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Mlauncher, fork of Olauncher, minimalistic and text based
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My recommendation is Niagara Launcher. It’s more minimal than other launchers. I like the reduction in clutter.
Looks nice, whats your icon pack?
I’m using icons from the Anycon pack. It’s the Niagara Launcher’s “collection of icon packs specifically developed for Niagara Launcher”.
After getting a replacement phone, I had to redo everything. I decided to check out some new options. I have nova prime and have loved it.
I am now using Niagara Launcher. It’s different. Very different. The team recommends using the app for at least a week to give it a true test run. I did have my doubts because it’s so different but dang do I love it. I haven’t switched back and I don’t mean this to throw shade on nova. Nova is great, but I like this better.
Instead of thinking of ways to change the launcher, they created a whole new launcher as if they didn’t take into consideration the current way we do things.
Give it a shot.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bitpit.launcher
I second that! Been using it for ~4 years now and I so much prefer it to the old launchers. After installing it I completely stopped testing new launchers.
Does anyone still remember the old (2010) launcher called slide it. Unfortunatly it was discontinued and I have always been searching for an adequate replacement. In Niagara I have found it.
Anyway, back to why i like Niagara so much. With every other launcher the workflow is like this:
- swipe up for menu
- swipe 2-5 pages left or right till you reach your app
- click your app icon
which takes ages and is tedious.
On Niagara I just swipe along the left or right edge until the letter my apps name is starting with appears and click the icon. That’s it.
Having notifications beneath your favorite apps and an included media control app when audio is playing is superb. (I’m using the pro version). Calendar is aCalendar btw.
Best few bucks I have ever spend for some android app.
Oh man I wasn’t prepared with the price. I think it’s either like a few bucks per month OR $30 for life. I did the trial for the full version and canceled it so it wouldn’t reoccur. I got to keep my calendar on the home screen but every other premium feature is locked out… I’ve been OK with it.
Wow, thats expensive, wasn’t aware it got that expensive. I bought it for 5 bucks or so a few years ago.
To be honest, I would still pay, if I hadn’t already, it’s that good.
Just wondering, but why isn’t it possible to just use something like the RethinkDNS app and block all internet access Nova has? That’s what I’ve done at least. Haven’t found a launcher I like as much, and don’t see why a launcher would need internet access constantly. I already use RethinkDNS to block other apps too, like Gboard
GrapheneOS
I like for my bank apps to work.
You can take a look at that list: https://privsec.dev/posts/android/banking-applications-compatibility-with-grapheneos/
A lot of banking apps work.
Why do you need a new launcher? You’re good to go for several years until (if) Android implements some completely new feature. Right now Nova has pretty much everything.
When I found out how scummy they were with user data I moved to KISS launcher. It took a few days to get used to but I’m very happy with it now.
KISS launcher is exactly what I was looking for in a launcher. 5 always used apps at the bottom calendar and weather widgets on the home screen, search for everything else. It seems like it used to have a lot of problems with custom icons but lately it’s been pretty much perfect.
I’ve been using KISS for a couple years now very successfully and I love it.
Should you decide to stick with it, here’s two tiny tips:
- Should the custom icons ever actually give you trouble, most issues can be fixed by going to the KISS Launcher options → Advanced → Restart KISS. It will reload all items from scratch.
- You can actually have a couple more ‘quick access’ apps set by going to KISS Launcher options → User experience → Gestures and defining ‘Launch…’ actions. For example, I launch my messaging app with a right swipe, my e-mails with a left swipe and note-taking with a long hold anywhere on the launcher.
