this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2023
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Asklemmy

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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 hadnโ€™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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[โ€“] [email protected] 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.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

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[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Olauncher .It is very minimal and less distracting.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

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

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Pixel 4a 5G, Nova launcher.

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[โ€“] wieli99 4 points 1 year ago

Pixel 7, Niagara launcher. I find it much easier to find apps by starting letter then any other method, it looks very clean and has everything I need

[โ€“] [email protected] 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.

[โ€“] [email protected] 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.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Pixel 6 Pro here, had been using Nova Launcher for ages and purchased a license for it. Once it changed owners I swapped to Hyperion launcher, while it is decent and has similar functionality to Nova is just not quite the same. I suppose it depends on how picky you are about privacy...

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 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.

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

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

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

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

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

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[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

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[โ€“] [email protected] 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.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Olauncher, Foss and actually minimal

[โ€“] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (9 children)

Apex Launcher. Left Nova a while back and it offers basically the same features without the aggressive bullshit. And while the pro version is somewhat subscription based the lifetime price (7โ‚ฌ here) is absolutely reasonable. `

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[โ€“] wtvr 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 ๐Ÿ˜‚

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

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[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Lawnchair. It mimicks the Pixel launcher quite well, which is my favorite stock Android launcher, and is much better than default OneUI. To be honest, I dont care for phone customization as much as I used to, but Lawnchair just works. Not to mention its FOSS and has a great themed icon pack that covers every app I use daily except for the Lemmy app Liftoff.

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