this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2025
267 points (99.3% liked)

Android

31769 readers
150 users here now

DROID DOES

Welcome to the droidymcdroidface-iest, Lemmyest (Lemmiest), test, bestest, phoniest, pluckiest, snarkiest, and spiciest Android community on Lemmy (Do not respond)! Here you can participate in amazing discussions and events relating to all things Android.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules


1. All posts must be relevant to Android devices/operating system.


2. Posts cannot be illegal or NSFW material.


3. No spam, self promotion, or upvote farming. Sources engaging in these behavior will be added to the Blacklist.


4. Non-whitelisted bots will be banned.


5. Engage respectfully: Harassment, flamebaiting, bad faith engagement, or agenda posting will result in your posts being removed. Excessive violations will result in temporary or permanent ban, depending on severity.


6. Memes are not allowed to be posts, but are allowed in the comments.


7. Posts from clickbait sources are heavily discouraged. Please de-clickbait titles if it needs to be submitted.


8. Submission statements of any length composed of your own thoughts inside the post text field are mandatory for any microblog posts, and are optional but recommended for article/image/video posts.


Community Resources:


We are Android girls*,

In our Lemmy.world.

The back is plastic,

It's fantastic.

*Well, not just girls: people of all gender identities are welcomed here.


Our Partner Communities:

!android@lemmy.ml


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] candyman337@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago (12 children)

Anyone have any alternatives they like?

[–] ogeist@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] AnomanderRake@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 days ago

I second this, have been using it for years and can never go back

[–] Interstellar_1@lemmy.blahaj.zone 22 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] HornedMeatBeast@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

I tested a few launchers that were not to my liking, and then I settled on Lawnchair.

I might change at some stage, but so far it's working for me.

[–] Statick@programming.dev 16 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I installed Lawnchair yesterday, so far, for my needs at least, I like it. It doesn't have a paged app drawer, but I just created folders instead and I'll get used to it.

[–] node815@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago

I made a switch to Smart Launcher which has been quite fantastic. They don't rely on a subscription model like most other launchers which is a huge plus in my book. They offer quite a bit of options for customizing your screen. Not as much as Nova, but it's still good. I used Nova for a long time as well, but this has made it easier to transition to. Aside from that, Hyperion Launcher has plenty of options as well.

[–] eager_eagle@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago

I had Nova Pro back in the day and decided to give KISS a try. It's a completely different philosophy but I ended up liking it and I've been using it for years now. I can't imagine a faster launcher nowadays, it just gets out of your way.

[–] not_that_guy05@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I like Niagara. Simplistic. Minimalist.

[–] ook@discuss.tchncs.de 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

For full features you need a subscription. For a phone launcher. Hard no.

[–] fafferlicious@lemmy.world -3 points 1 day ago

We all have our hard lines, and I don't fault yours.

However for the scrollers passing by, they have a lifetime membership of about ~$45 USD. I found it worth it. It was super easy to get used to, and I honestly can't stand any other launcher now.

I like it a lot and would hate to see it die out, so it was easy to justify for me.

[–] abeorch@friendica.ginestes.es 4 points 2 days ago (2 children)
[–] SatyrSack@quokk.au 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

KISS is very similar to Niagara, and is FOSS. I have used it for years

https://kisslauncher.com/

https://github.com/Neamar/KISS

[–] sepiroth154@feddit.nl 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] Railcar8095@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Last release 2022. There are a few bugs that I endured for more than a year, then I moved.

Lawnchair now is my best friend.

[–] tatann@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Since the new release of Lawn Chair I have the bug (listed on Github issues) where I can't add widgets, so I'm stuck with Neo Launcher for now

But I can't wait to switch back

[–] Lumisal@lemmy.world -2 points 2 days ago

But last update was 3 months ago?

[–] Praxinoscope@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I've found Total Launcher to be an easy 1:1 replacement for Nova and has some useful, additional features

[–] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Not FOSS though.

I used it for a while and really liked it, but the not-FOSS aspect didn't sit well, especially since I'm starting to migrate off of proprietary services - including Play services.

[–] sanguinepar@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

I use Total too - I wouldn't say it's quite 1:1 as it's not as intuitive, but in terms of customisability, it's amazing.

[–] Peereboominc@piefed.social 4 points 2 days ago

I switched to Smart Launcher. Tried all the recommended launchers for some time but none met my needs. After some time getting used to it and changing the settings, Smart launcher is the one.

[–] atrielienz@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I use Apex Launcher. It's not exactly the same but it works for me.

[–] crumbguzzler5000@feddit.org 2 points 2 days ago

KISS, you can find it on F-Droid

[–] SSUPII@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 days ago

I moved to Nova because ADW stopped getting supported. I still prefer the latter, and I guess I have no reason to use the former now