Sooner or later in the life of every Android smartphone owner, there comes a time when you want to customize your device as much as possible and radically change the interface. Fortunately, the “green robot” allows you to do this even without root rights. Changing the stock launcher can change the way you interact with your device. I have collected the most interesting and flexible application launch screens in this article - you will find a launcher for every taste.
Telegram channel of the creator of Trashbox about technology
Telegram channel of the creator of Trashbox about technology
Lawnchair
- Russian language .
Lawnchair is a modern launcher with the signature design of Google Pixel smartphones. It has a variety of functions for customizing the desktop: changing the shape and size of icons, adjusting the color and transparency of the dock panel, choosing fonts, special gestures, grouping applications, transitions between desktops. This is just a small part of what Lawnchair provides. An important role is played by the ability to create backups and restore from them: it is easy to transfer all settings from one smartphone to another. Although updates for the launcher have not been released for 2 years, the developers recently announced the revival of the project, so that it will soon become even more stable and convenient.
Lawnchair Launcher 2.0.2589 Android 5.0 and higher
How to remove the launcher
Any launcher can be removed in the same way as applications on Android are removed - through the settings menu. To delete, go to the main menu, find the “Settings” item. In the settings menu, select “Applications”, find the one you need and open the application settings. When you open the app settings, you will see a trash icon. Click on it and the launcher will be removed from the phone. This algorithm is suitable for third-party graphical shells, but to remove the “native” one you will have to get root rights.
Before deleting an unnecessary launcher, make sure that you have switched to another graphical shell. Otherwise, when you remove the launcher, you may end up with a frozen smartphone.
Launcher 10
- Russian language: no.
Windows Phone fans can accurately imitate the design of Microsoft's mobile OS on an Android device thanks to Launcher 10. The application allows you to change the color and size of tiles, install third-party icon sets, choose a dark or light theme, and even customize application opening animations. There are live tiles here, just like in the original. At the same time, the standard widgets available on any other shells have not gone away.
Launcher 10 2.7.31 Android 4.1 and higher
What is a launcher
As already written above, the Android launcher is a program that changes the graphic design of the smartphone’s working environment. In other words, it changes the desktop displayed on the smartphone screen, making it convenient and pleasant for the user to perceive. Launchers are present in every smartphone - they are integrated into the Android build from the manufacturer, but what to do if you like the device, but the user is still not accustomed to the standard graphic design of the OS? In this case, there are two ways:
- change the OS (flash the device) to a custom assembly - but this is the way of professionals, a beginner can simply damage the device;
- installing a top launcher is available to everyone; launchers for Android are publicly available on every “telephone and tablet” resource, as well as in the Google application store.
Microsoft Launcher
- Russian language .
Fans of more modern products from Microsoft will like the official launcher from the software corporation. It has its own distinctive style that is easy to customize to suit your tastes. Icons, accent colors, and panel transparency change. A special activity bar with upcoming tasks and a news tab, a drop-down dock bar with three rows for selected applications, and interesting wallpapers deserve special mention. The icing on the cake is synchronization with Microsoft services.
Microsoft Launcher 6.211203.0.1025841 Android 5.0 and higher
Introduction
The Android mobile platform is known for its beauty. In terms of settings and the ability to change the appearance, it has no equal. iOS and the legacy Windows 10 Mobile lack this level of flexibility. Thanks to the fundamental openness of Android, any manufacturer can create their own version of the interface for their devices.
If you don’t like this option, nothing prevents you from changing the appearance of the system to suit your tastes. First of all, this is done by installing third-party launchers. It changes the appearance, and also adds functionality and settings that you rarely find in a pure version of the system.
Let's take a look at the five most popular Google Play Store launchers.
Nova Launcher
- Russian language .
A launcher that has earned its popularity due to its wide customization capabilities - almost every element changes here. It’s surprising that, despite its age, it is actively being updated by developers and regularly receives new functionality. The fast and beautiful desktop, which has become a classic, provides the user with customizable transitions, a flexible application grid, deep customization of icons, gestures and backup.
Nova Launcher 7.0.57 Android 8.0 and higher
No Launcher
- Russian language: no.
A lightweight launcher measuring just 21 KB that lives up to its name. There is nothing at all here except a list of installed applications and a search for them. Suitable for weak devices and ascetic users.
No Launcher 1.0.9 Android 3.0 and higher
Niagara Launcher
- Russian language .
A minimalistic launch screen, which is a panel with favorite programs and an alphabetically scrolling list of all installed software. Its scrolling is accompanied by smooth animation. When you click on any program, a context menu appears, replacing standard shortcuts and adding its own functionality, such as hiding from the list. Niagara Launcher can display customized weather and media player widgets, important notifications on the home screen, and also supports changing icons, wallpapers and fonts. In Settings, you can enable gestures to open Quick Settings or Quick Lock, and add a Google search button.
Niagara Launcher 1.5.3 Android 5.0 and higher
Android Skins Guide, Part 1
Over the years of Android development, many alternative graphical shells have appeared (the so-called “launchers” - “launchers”). Although the standard interface of this OS is optimized from year to year (take, for example, the design of Jelly Bean or Honeycomb), there are always supporters of alternative options. This category of applications is surprisingly widely represented. And the number of downloads—the actual skins, themes, icons, etc.—remains at a high level.
Android users expect maximum flexibility from their installed shell. For some, it is also important that productivity remains at an acceptable level. Others pay attention to the quantity and quality of the presented themes and other extensions. In this guide we will pay attention to both the mentioned and other equally important aspects:
- Ability to import settings from previous shell
- Desktop options, dock panel, application menu
- Working with folders, dragging items to the home screen
- Availability of widgets and additional applications
- Availability of themes, icon sets
- Operation speed
- Features of the paid version (if available)
Review participants:
- Nova Launcher
- Go Launcher Ex
- dodol Launcher
- Google Now Launcher
- Solo Launcher
Nova Launcher
Google Play
Nova Launcher remains a consistently popular shell for Android. It cannot be called overly complex and burdened with various add-ons, it will not take up a lot of memory, and all extensions are traditionally available in the form of extension packs. Suitable for installation on devices with Ice Cream Sandwich, JellyBean and KitKat, respectively, requires Android 4.0+.
When activating the launcher, the option Import from another launcher is available on the main screen - importing the previous configuration of icons and widget placement. In addition, Nova allows you to back up your shell settings, which can be useful when updating the firmware.
In general, Nova has a recognizable arrangement of elements and convenient scrolling (cube effect along the horizontal axis). Continuous scrolling is available, it is activated through the main shell settings. Thus, you don’t need to take a long time to move from the last screen to the previous ones. In order to improve the launcher's performance, you can experiment with 2D and 3D scrolling effects and change the animation speed.
The application menu displays a scroll indicator, this menu goes to the "Widgets" section with the corresponding content. Both widgets and icons can be easily dragged onto the home screen (or adjacent screens) to display a grid of elements. Nova reserves a special place for widgets where they can be freely moved. Using standard Android features, it's also easy to group apps into separate tabs or folders by dragging one icon onto another. Multiple selection has been implemented, convenient for adding applications or widgets in batches to folders or screens.
There is support for color themes, but additional design themes are not available. Icons can be downloaded in batches, but the catch with icons is that they cannot be customized to a custom size.
On the other hand, Nova Launcher has enough other display options to limit itself to just these. In particular, you can configure the grid of elements in detail, specify the width of indents, and the number of screens. Captions, names, and effects can be configured for icons and widgets. For the dock bar, you can specify the background, style, effects, and names. The application menu and folders are configured in the same way.
Features of the paid edition of Nova Launcher Prime:
- Application screen folders and custom tabs
- Setting custom icon sizes
- Customizable gestures to quickly launch apps
- Hide unnecessary or unused applications without uninstalling them
- Indicator of unread SMS, mail, missed calls on the icon panel, etc.
Go Launcher Ex
Google Play
Go Launcher Ex is another well-known launcher with a growing user community and statistics. According to Google Play, to date the application has been downloaded between 100 and 500 million times.
Continuous (end-to-end) scrolling is used during navigation. In the general settings of Go Launcher, you can slightly optimize the 3D effects of the shell. Plus, there are more than 20 scrolling transition effects. It is not necessary to use them; you can disable them altogether.
You can add applications, shortcuts, folders, and widgets to the home screen. Moreover, widgets and shortcuts are separated into a separate category (in fact, in Go Launcher they are available immediately after installation). As a result, the work environment can be configured very conveniently.
It is easy to uninstall applications from the system directly from the home screen. As for dragging icons onto the screen, some may find this operation inconvenient at the moment when the icon ends up on the border between two screens and there is not enough finger. You have to leave the icon in place and move it again. However, this feature is inherent in most launchers, including the standard Android interface.
When it comes to the layout of widgets and icons, the size of the grid of elements on the screen is adjusted to suit the user's needs. The application menu is carefully customized: in addition to the grid, you can change the background and visibility of panels.
Icons can be set to not only a fixed size, but also a custom size. Themes for folders and panels are specified separately. Fonts, background, visual effects, etc. - everything changes, right down to the appearance of the indicator.
A considerable number of add-ons are available for Go Launcher Ex (statistically, more than 10 thousand themes), which are published on Google Play. The program comes with its own set of widgets, of which there are more than 15. In addition to widgets, applications for Go Launcher Ex are available. Perhaps the main “problem” of the launcher is the infinity of options for changing the Android interface. It's easy to get carried away and end up loading your device's memory to capacity. One of the objective disadvantages is that there is no way to import or save settings for later restoration.
Advanced features of the Prime version of Go Launcher include multi-touch gestures, additional transition themes, and no ads.
dodol Launcher
Google Play
Despite the fact that dodol is a relatively new product on the busy launcher market, it has already managed to acquire more than one hundred themes, which already indicates its popularity. Another advantage here is that dodol is distributed absolutely free, including all shell extensions. But it should be noted right away: dodol is only compatible with Android 4.0.3 and higher (ICS, Jelly Bean).
Although dodol does not explicitly suggest using icons from other shells, you can go into the settings and import them. So there should be no hiccups in case of transferring the previous configuration. In addition, the Backup and Restore section contains backup and restore functions - everything is similar to Nova Launcher.
Initially, the shell uses a characteristically bright, “flat” design theme. The flipping effect is not particularly fancy, but there are more than a dozen options. The number of working screens (2 by default), grid, scrolling can also be easily changed to suit your own needs. The style of the dock bar, application menu and home screen changes. By the way, dodol implements relatively very simple screen editing. You can add an application, folder, photo, widget, shortcut or so-called expansion pack to it - an installable package of extensions.
On the Applications screen, you can sort items in the order in which they were installed, and open a list of applications - recently launched or current. A separate section contains a list of widgets that fit perfectly into the shell design and do not take up much space on the main screen.
Icon sets, themes, fonts, additional widgets and applications in the form of packages are downloaded from Google Play. Initially, the shell does not provide any alternatives, at best 1-2 options to choose from.
Google Now Launcher
Google Play
The Google Now application informs the user about the weather, appointments, allows you to view transport routes, maps, etc. - of course, with a convenient link to Google services. For close integration with this service, shells are available for both iOS and Android. In other words, Google Now is a launcher that is useful if you actively use Google services on your smartphone or tablet.
It should be noted that: firstly, the shell is demanding on the OS version - the application will run on a device starting with Android 4.1 and later versions. Secondly, to launch it requires updating related components - search, Google+ and others. They are loaded automatically the first time you start the shell.
This is where the organizational issues end, after which you can use Google Now by swiping the main screen with your finger to the right. In addition to providing easy access to Google apps and services—such as Gmail, YouTube, and Maps—Now provides search and voice input on the home screen. Among the more general features of the interface, one can note the quick drag and drop of icons onto the screen. Thanks to convenient scrolling, there is no need to perform various manipulations to “catch” the desired screen.
Google Now retains all the features of the standard Android interface with the introduction of some special conveniences, such as a transparent status bar and navigation bar. They are visible even when you open the sliding application tray.
Among the design options, of which there are not many, we can mention changing the background and managing widgets. Themes and additional icons are not provided. Google Now does not contain other, more detailed options, thereby significantly limiting the user’s ability to customize the appearance.
Solo Launcher
Google Play
The free Solo Launcher shell focuses on flexibility and speed. By the way, the motto put forward by the developers is: “Simple, Swift, Smart” (“Simple, fast, smart”).
After activation, the usual 3D scrolling is available in Solo when moving between screens. In the settings you can easily find about 2 dozen other transition effects. At the same time, the Solo Launcher shell works really fast (swift) and is organized quite simply (simple).
To make navigation easier, you can enable loop scrolling and add additional screens. In case the arrangement of elements rarely changes, there is an option “Lock the working screen”. The grid (the number of columns and rows of the working screen) and the sizes of elements - not only icons, but also widgets - are configured.
The display of interface elements is regulated - from small details (indicator style and shadow color, transparency) to a more general display. The theme color, skin, background can be changed - thousands of free themes, wallpapers, and icons are available for download.
Some "roughness" were noticed: they are associated with dragging icons onto the home screen. When you click on the icon, a context menu immediately appears. In addition, it is inconvenient to drag icons from one screen to another: first you need to move the icon to the main screen and only then, if necessary, to the secondary one.
Conclusion
In Nova Launcher
The speed of work is noted; there are no frills or embellishments. This may confuse fans of “customization”, since there are no themes (except for colors) and icons. Nova allows you to quickly customize the dock panel, home screen, and, if necessary, transfer icons from other shells or backup settings.
Go Launcher Ex shell
meets the needs of aesthetes thanks to the most detailed interface customization and the presence of a huge number of downloadable add-ons from Google Play. The main thing here is not to get carried away and not to overload the device’s memory.
I was also pleased with the dodol Launcher
, which reveals the features of other launchers: similar gestures, it is possible to import settings. There are no complex animations or 3D effects, so dodol will appeal to those who like simple interfaces and laconic settings. By and large, you don’t always even need options for themes or icons: the main thing is that it works quickly and stably, and is easy to customize. The other side of the coin is the demands on the Android version and device model.
Google Now
— a moderately strict shell linked to Google services. In general, it will be most interesting to conservative users who do not need to change icons, themes, or effects. At the same time, the lack of flexible settings can be a serious complaint, especially in the context of applications in this category.
Solo Launcher
can be called one of the most attractive shells based on a combination of a number of factors, such as speed and functionality. But the main strength of Solo Launcher is complete freedom of customization. For this purpose, detailed interface settings are provided, and there are also many downloadable components.
POCO Launcher
- Russian language .
The launcher from Pocophone smartphones has an interface familiar to Xiaomi devices and flexible settings. Its interesting feature is the automatic distribution of applications into categories. Separately, programs are sorted by icon colors, however, this can be disabled. In addition, there is functionality for hiding programs, changing the desktop grid, theme and icons.
POCO Launcher 2.22.1.911 Android 7.0 and above
Smart Launcher
- Russian language .
Very functional, but simple in appearance, the Smart Launcher shell contains a lot of appearance settings. There is a theme that adapts to the wallpaper, adaptive icons, custom fonts, and automatic sorting of applications by category. Individual applications can be hidden in a folder with a password. Custom gestures are supported: lock with a double tap or curtain of notifications with a swipe down. Widgets are allocated a special screen to the right of the main desktop.
Smart Launcher 6.039 Android 7.0 and higher
Everything Home
Brief overview: The Everything Home shell was first called Everything.me. The application is still in beta testing. The developers have done a great job and tried to make Everything Home as dynamic as possible. The powerful Everything Bar system is at the heart of the shell. You write or say what you need, and the launcher tries to fulfill your desire. For example, you said the word “music” and all your music applications are immediately displayed. This shell is very customizable.
Key Features: Powerful Everything Bar system, allowing you to search for everything you need; the Smart Folder feature automatically organizes your applications into appropriate categories; in addition to regular mobile applications, the shell provides support for web applications; Several different customization features.
Linux CLI Launcher
- Russian language: no.
The lightweight launcher will surely appeal to tech geeks due to its Linux terminal-style interface. At the very top there is constantly information about the status of the device: its code name, charge level, amount of free memory in RAM and storage, as well as the date. Applications are launched by typing the name. Hints appear, tapping on which opens the necessary programs. There is a small set of additional commands with which you can quickly change system parameters such as volume or brightness.
Linux CLI Launcher 6.15 Android 4.0 and higher
Rootless Pixel Launcher
- Russian language .
Standard launcher from Google Pixel smartphones, but with the ability to change the set of icons and their shape. It differs from the more advanced Lawnchair, first of all, in its lighter weight - 3 MB versus 20 MB. Suitable for those who do not need all the customization settings that analogues offer.
Rootless Pixel Launcher 3.9.1 Android 5.0 and above
