this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2023
441 points (98.2% liked)

Asklemmy

43963 readers
2387 users here now

A loosely moderated place to ask open-ended questions

Search asklemmy πŸ”

If your post meets the following criteria, it's welcome here!

  1. Open-ended question
  2. Not offensive: at this point, we do not have the bandwidth to moderate overtly political discussions. Assume best intent and be excellent to each other.
  3. Not regarding using or support for Lemmy: context, see the list of support communities and tools for finding communities below
  4. Not ad nauseam inducing: please make sure it is a question that would be new to most members
  5. An actual topic of discussion

Looking for support?

Looking for a community?

~Icon~ ~by~ ~@Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de~

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Maybe something for the Pixel phones? I've been using ADW for a long time now, and was wondering what some frequently used launchers are. (I used Cyanogen for a long time, too.)

There are lists all over the internet, but I'm interested in what the Lemmy crowd likes. Thanks!

Edit: Thanks guys - a few of these were on my radar, some I hadn’t heard of or seen in the Play/f-droid lists. Having the reasons why you like each of them helps me figure out what I want from a launcher (for instance, the purchase of Nova by a company known for its data collection is a big turn-off even though it seems loved) - since you guys laid out some pros and cons of a bunch of launchers, it gives me a better picture!

Edit 2: You guys, this is a great resource for figuring out which launchers look like something worth trying (for me), and which ones are in the stores but not what I'm looking for. Without just trying them all, that is... And considering that I hadn't even heard of all of them...

This has been a huge help for me, and I hope some others out there got something out of the post! I should be replying to everyone, but I'm not ... Sorry. But I did read everything and have already started compiling a list in my head, and started tagging and categorizing. And those who included screen shots and links and lists and opinions and FOSS alternatives/forks - they helped! This whole thing helped!

(page 3) 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] sag@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Olauncher .It is very minimal and less distracting.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] fstrelok@midwest.social 5 points 1 year ago

I'm using Lawnchair, have been for a few years now. It does everything I need it to without getting in the way.

[–] dave31175@lemmy.film 5 points 1 year ago

Total Launcher -- I didn't see this mentioned anywhere in the comments. When Nova sold out, I tried out a handful of launchers and landed on Total for the customizability.

[–] scorpiosrevenge@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago

I've used ton of diffefent ones over the years but always come back to Nova

[–] howdy@thesimplecorner.org 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I use smart launcher. Have for probably 7 or 8 years. Never paid for it... Free version is perfectly functional. Pixel 6 pro.

I have six icons on my home screen, I love the double tap feature that can launch another app from those home screen apps. The app pages take no more than 3 buttons to find any app since it is sorted by letter or category.

It's easy. I haven't even really thought about using anything else.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] yabow@feddit.de 5 points 1 year ago
[–] weepingSomnambulist@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

For non FOSS i use Niagara, for FOSS i use Kvaesitso

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Zebov@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I seem to be like most and while I've tried tons, I've always stuck with Nova (at least since I switched from Apex).

My main sticking point and the reason it'll be a long time before I switch? I NEED to be able to assign up/down swipes on icons. Tap opens app/folder, up swipe opens another app/folder, down swipe opens another app/folder.

At this point my homescreen has 6 icons and within 2 touches I can get to any of my 500 apps with nearly zero scrolling. If anyone knows another launcher that can do that, I'm all ears.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] Heavybell@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

Action Launcher. I like "covers" which are groups that launch the first item on tap but can be swiped up to open the group normally. I like the quick launch side tray thing, and the alpha list… I guess also I got sick of changing launchers and it does nothing I hate so I can just standardise on it.

[–] kratoz29@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well, as my main stock launcher is the cringe Poco Launcher, I'd say Pixel Launcher Extended.

[–] blacklizardplanet@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dang that looks sick. Been trying a few since I gave up on Nova.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] nIi7WJVZwktT4Ze@fost.hu 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I use mLauncher, a fork of OLauncher. I like how simple and clean my screen is.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] psycake@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I use Nova. I recently bought a Samsung phone and was tempted to give One UI's launcher a try, but there was one feature that I instantly missed. Forget about all the personnalisation, there was one deal breaker.

The search bar.

The search bar in Nova, especially in the beta builds of Nova 8, is just so good. I can search for any app, yes, but I can also search on the web, on Wikipedia, on YouTube, on Maps, on a ton of things very very easily. It also offers shortcut search, contact search, quick unit conversions and it's connected to DuckDuckGo, my search engine of choice.

I can also place a search widget on the home screen/dock. I couldn't do this on One UI's launcher and I just don't get why. As someone that primarily opens apps by searching for them (whether that's on my phone or on a PC), having a quick and easy to access search bar is just essential.

Stock Launcher is boring and doesn't have the features I'm looking for. It's been two or three years since I'm using Niagara Launcher and I absolutely love it. It's clean, innovative and makes my phone way more usable imo

[–] TrippySquidsman@reddthat.com 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Nova was my jam for the longest time, then CPL (Customised Pixel Launcher) due to its google feed integration & good customisation. Now that I've stopped using the google feed (I get my news from ~~reddit~~ lemmy) as well as it isn't actively maintained anymore, I've switched to Neo launcher as it's FOSS as well as having a very light footprint and specific features such as categories in the app draw.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] enshu@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I use KISS launcher. It is simple and I love it.

[–] aetrix@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

I used nova for years, until I discovered Niagara. It's so effortless to find and launch the app I'm looking for

On a Pixel with GrapheneOS

I use KISS, I wanted an opensource launcher

Its quick actions, history and tags are exactly what I need.

You need to customize it heavily to get it to look good: I use a very minimal amoledBlack&white config with Arcticons and I love it

[–] vis4valentine@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Ive used Niagara a lot, but eventually got bored and started using Smart Launcher.

I love the simplicity of Niagara and customization and organization of Smart.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] AngryDemonoid@lemmy.lylapol.com 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Another vote for KISS. Took some getting used to, but now I have trouble using any others.

The search is so handy.

[–] slyme@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Currently using Lawnchair 12.1 and their icon set, and I'm quite happy with it!

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] wtvr@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Olauncher. Super minimalist. Love it. The best part imo is the app drawer. Instead of cycling through endless pages of icons that are always being changed so that I can never remember what I am actually looking for, it uses a text list of all apps. Just start typing the name and it will automatically complete and open the app. It's literally changed my life πŸ˜‚

Maybe not life changing but it is sooooo much nicer for my flow

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] CaptainHowdy@lemm.ee 4 points 1 year ago

I've been using Nova for a really long time. When I get a new device, I'll check out whatever isinstalledg for a while, but I always end up going back to Nova. Easy to use, hides apps, enough customization without being overly technical.

[–] hsl@wayfarershaven.eu 4 points 1 year ago

I used Smart Launcher for a long time but have been using Niagara for the last few years. I appreciate the minimal interface but being able to find things quickly. Currently using a Pixel 6.

load more comments
view more: β€Ή prev next β€Ί