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] 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.

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

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

Pixel 4a 5G, Nova launcher.

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

Same here. Have yet to find a reason to consider anything else.

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

Action Launcher

[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm on Pixel 5 and my vote is Niagra! It's utterly unique among launchers, most of which are more or less the same but with different customizations. It's difficult to say what makes Niagra better for me, but now that I've gotten used to it (not easy but worth it) all the samey launchers just feel so much worse.

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

I technically use the stock launcher... from my first ever Android, the OnePlus One. It used to ship with CyanogenMod preinstalled, which had the Trebuchet launcher. I got used to that, so when CM died I found Evie on the Play Store which is a port of Trebuchet. I still use it to this day!

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

I like Lawnchair, it's FOSS, runs very beautifully and supports gestures (though that requires root and Quickswitch module)

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

I have used many over the years. Lots of great ones, but it came down to taste for me. A few faves were Niagara, Nova, Lawnchair and the stock Pixel launcher. But for the last few months, I have gone back to Square Home. I was a huge Windows Phone enthusiast, so I just really wanted to go back to that vibe. It took a decent amount of time to get it set up and exactly how I wanted. Worth a try if you want something different.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ss.squarehome2

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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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[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'm pretty much forced to use the Samsung launcher as I can't live without the gestures. I've tried multiple launchers and the gestures are always broken in some form or fashion.

But...using Goodlock has made it bearable.

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[โ€“] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Neo launcher, it is foss and can use Neo Feed (which is also foss) it is stable, has cool features and a backup function. Also it is under active development.

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