Android users who don't use the stock launcher - what launcher do you use, and what do you like about it?
Android users who don't use the stock launcher - what launcher do you use, and what do you like about it?
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!
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Action launcher (paid version) is my go to, some features I love about it:
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Allow for a desktop grid of up to 12*12, which I havent seen on any other launchers I have tried, I believe Nova had something similar, but not sure to this degree.
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The brilliant folder icon being the shortcut to the app which was the first app to have been put in it feature. You can later shuffle the app around to change it, of course. You swipe down on the folder icon to reveal the items inside like usual, but if you just tap on it, the app which is first in the list opens up, a very good time saver in my opinion.
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Widget stack is a cool feature also, where you can add similarly sized widgets to a single block of space on which you can scroll through to see the information as it suits you.
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Customization level is very high, you can have a dock, a drawer, and also a quick drawer which is a vertical list of apps, and all of these simultaneously too.
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A high level of gesture support. My phone just got an update where I have to swipe down from different sides to see notifications and quick settings, which are not changeable by default. With the action launcher settings I have sort of found a work around.
It allows me to have a minimal looking desktop with a lot of functionality and a high degree of customisation, very much worth the price.
I've been using Action Launcher since I could afford the app way back when. I just like having apps in a list in the left tray.
Covers (the tap-to-open-the-first-app-in-a-folder thing) was another huge selling point. No other app does those two things better.
I have been looking for a replacement for Nova due to the sale but haven't found anything that comes close re gestures. I can set up a folder with any icon I want. Tap on it and it opens the folder. Swipe up on the folder and it opens whatever app I want. Same with swipe down.
So for example I have a folder with my audio apps in it that looks like a musical note. Swipe up and it opens my music app. Swipe down and it opens my podcast app. Tap and it opens a folder with all my audio apps. It's amazing and such a time saver. I'm gonna try Action. Sounds like it's not quite as customisable but hopefully close enough.
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