When you receive your new Android smartphone, you are excited. Some quickly install a custom launcher, but some of us try the default launcher on the new device. Of course, there is not much to know here if you often purchase your devices from the same OEM. The fact is that a good launcher is important. That's what makes your Android experience unique, the way you want it. Today, I propose 10 recommendations for the best Android launchers.
Even if your device's software has an ugly skin that you hate, you will not see it as much as your launcher. Without the custom launchers, I would never have survived my first Samsung device or the Huawei EMUI skin that I'm currently enjoying. Android launchers look a lot like Android, however, there is no perfect launcher, although some might say that Nova Launcher is. You must choose the one that suits you. AT DroidViewswe have reviewed several launchers for you who should help you decide instead of trying them all.
Without further ado, let's get down to the list of the best recommendations for Android launchers.
1. Nova Launcher Prime
When you find yourself in a "something" list, something is mentioned even before the list starts, you should know that it is a legend. This may not even be exaggerated when it comes to Nova Launcher. This is the most popular Android launcher for over five years. It's a bit like the iPhone of Android launchers. It's not exactly the best. Nova was the simplest and most customizable Android launcher, but over the years, these crowns have been won by other launchers.
However, Nova remains popular because it's just enough for many people. It's a stock, and it has a ton of features maybe a lot more than you could ask for. As far as I can remember, Nova Launcher was the first Android launcher running Android 4.0 to offer the Android look to all Android devices.
Apart from that, there were a lot of features like never before. I remember a launcher that had almost as many features, but it was far from the appearance and feel of Android.
It supports all the basic features expected from a custom launcher, such as icon packs, resizable widgets, resizable grids, positioning of the sub-grid on the screen of a custom launcher, such as icon packs, resizable widgets, resizable grids, positioning of the sub-grid on the screen. Home, a drop-down dock, support for widgets in the dock, many gestures, unread counting badges. , the custom icon slips and the list is really long. There is a free version that you can try but you will not get most of the features. All of these things make Nova one of the best Android launchers.
2. Action Launcher 3
Another popular launcher that has been around for a while. The greatest strength of Action Launcher is innovation. The most remarkable of all these unique features would be Quicktheme. It modifies the theme of your search bar, your folders and your application drawers with the colors of your current screen background.
The Cover feature allows you to hide an entire folder behind an application icon. Tap the icon to open the app while doing a gesture on the app's icon, for example, swipe up or double-click to open the folder. This is very useful if you use one of the applications in a folder more often or if you simply want a cleaner look.
The Quickdrawer had replaced the application drawer in Action Launcher and it is still there. Basically, if you do not activate the Google Now pane, drag your finger from the left edge to view a list of all your apps. The Quickpage feature adds a blank page that you can access by simply swiping from the right edge of your Home screen. This can be used to hide applications and widgets. It's pretty much a mini application drawer that supports widgets.
In addition, Chris Lacy, the developer is constantly striving to bring new features to the launcher. Action Launcher is still the first launcher to feature a feature of the latest Pixel Launcher. Sometimes just based on leaks. It's fast. This is the only pitcher who made me abandon Nova Launcher. Although I often try launchers, I keep coming back to them. Action Launcher 3 is one of the most popular and best Android launcher available on the Play Store.
3. ASAP Launcher
Action Launcher is different, certainly, but lately, everything was focused on mixing all the features of Action Launcher prior to the features of Pixel Launcher. If you are looking for something completely unique, ASAP is a very good choice. It's still pretty normal, except for this great search widget on the main home screen that also displays the weather and the current song.
The launcher has 5 predefined home screens. There is the main screen which is in the middle with two on each side. The other four allow you to quickly access your contacts, weather information, calendar and upcoming events, as well as a detailed task list. Dragging from the right edge brings you quick failovers that are easier to achieve, to be honest, than shadow notification. Swipe up shows the most frequently used applications.
ASAP does not have an application drawer. Instead, it has a hamburger menu icon on the search widget, which is quite reminiscent of the early days of Action Launcher. By tapping on it, you get a list of apps that look a lot like Action Launcher's Quickdrawer. We have already reviewed an old version of ASAP Launcher.
4. Pear Launcher
Pear Launcher is another pitcher who tries to do what Nova did before and what Action Now does. That is, the functionality of the stock or what is currently considered as stock, the pixel launcher, is transferred to other devices.
This is pretty much the Pixel Launcher with many additional features that you will only find on a mature application such as Nova, then on others. Some of its unusual features include proximity sensor gestures and fuzzy interface elements such as the dock and the application drawer. You can read more in our entirety Commentary on Pear Launcher.
5. Flick Launcher
If you want to take advantage of most of Nova Launcher's features but the price to pay for unlocking Prime (which is not unjustified for that matter) stops you, jump directly to Flick Launcher. It has not been released yet and the development seems to take a long time, but it is quite reliable even in its beta form.
In our review of Flick Launcher, we immediately stated that he was offering Nova Launcher a feature contest. Pear Launcher, mentioned above, has pretty much most of Flick Launcher's features. The best part is that Flick Launcher does not ask you to buy a professional version for the features you already have with Nova Launcher Prime. You can read our completeness Review by Flick Launcher.
6. Evie Launcher
We started with one of the most feature-rich launchers and continued the trend. However, not everyone is a fan of features. If you just need a simple launcher that works, Evie is a very good choice. Swipe up to access the application tray and then to search for apps. No Google Now integration or something extraordinary.
Evie may be simple, but it's still pretty customizable. The search feature, for example, lets you search for apps and contacts, and even search for information about restaurants, movies, TV shows, and more. There is even gestural support. The dock is disabled by default on this one. Evie is one of the simplest and best Android launchers. Learn more about Evie Launcher here.
7. KISS Launcher
Speaking of simplicity, KISS Launcher is also one of the best choices you can make. KISS apparently means "Keep it simple, stupid as told on its Google Play Store page. The launcher follows this philosophy well which translates to a size less than 250 KB. You have today on your smartphone larger wallpapers, so yes, it is impressive. This is not only simple, but also unique in that the icons on the home screen are not a big part of it.
The default screen is a search bar, a dock and empty spaces. You can place some icons on the dock card, such as messages, camera, etc., which apps you use most often. To find something else, you have to type. When you use the launcher, the empty space is filled to help you. KISS could win you. Do not forget to read our detailed brief Kiss Launcher review.
8. AIO launcher
Evie was simple but still traditional, KISS stands out and, unless using many applications, KISS is simpler to use. But if you are able to handle the complex while hoping that the launcher is easy to use, AIO may be what you are looking for.
AIO does not contain icons, so forget the support for the icon packs It just shows you the names of the apps on the home screen. A dialer is located directly on the home screen, so you do not need to launch the application. Similarly, you can view your contacts, your messages, set a timer, view your emails directly on your home screen.
AIO focuses on information and tries to insert as much as possible into your screen. We looked at AIO and whether you like it or not, it's a unique concept. Read our AIO Launcher review here.
9. Emerald Launcher
Emerald is another pitcher focused on lightness and simplicity, much like KISS. Except that it's a bit more customizable. Emerald is also completely open-source if that is important to you. Instead of displaying a search bar or the most used apps, Emerald simply displays a grid of all your apps.
A search bar at the top allows you to search for specific applications or you can simply scroll through the grid. It supports icon packs and a resizable grid. We covered Emerald Launcher in more detail before and you can read all about it.
10. Launcher enhancements
If you are looking for launchers, one of the 9 above will match your bill. Launcher enhancements are simply a category of applications that are not intended to replace your default launcher, but to enhance your experience using it. For example, you might like Flick Launcher, but the fact that it does not allow you to search applications directly from your home screen without installing another application can be disappointing. In this case, something like Launchboard can be useful.
1. Launchboard
The application places an icon in your launcher that you can place on your home screen. Each time you tap it, you can simply tap and search for apps. That's a lot more than that, and you might want to check our full Launchboard coverage to learn more.
2. Intelligent application drawer
When everything is supposed to be "smart" these days, why not use the drawer of your application? You may have noticed (if you are a fan) that we have not mentioned Smart Launcher in the list above. The reason is that the developers have been kind enough to incorporate the main functionality of the launcher in this amazing application that you can place in the place of the application drawer icon. Here is our full Smart App Drawer Review.
3. Contextual application file
Some time ago, the Aviate launcher attracted attention as he wanted to become a "smart" launcher. Its contextual fame allowed it to present different applications on the home screen according to the needs of the user. For example, social media and news reading applications in the morning, business applications such as Google Sheets and Docs during the day, and evening music apps.
The suggestions of applications can even be based on your location and other things. The contextual applications folder brings this feature to your favorite launcher.
Hoping that our best recommendations and reviews on Android Launcher will help you choose the best launching app for your needs, I summarize this article here.
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