Sunday, January 19, 2020

The Best Home Screen Launchers for Android

That's always been the #1 reason for me not to buy an iPhone, although I am now considering buying one just for something different. IOS 14 has made it more customizable, although not near Android's level. I'm definitely a tinkerer, although I won't root my phone for fear of bricking it. As it is, especially with Samsung and its theme store, Goodlock & the right launcher, Android customization is nearly limitless. Microsoft Launcher's experience centers around a clean home screen and a smart page to the left fed by your Microsoft account, your daily phone use, and any Android widgets you wish to add. Even if you're not immersed in the Microsoft ecosystem, having a scrolling page of widgets beats having to space them out over 3-4 pages.

It's a shame to see it stuck at the top of a list after the aquisition. Nova is exceptional, but the launcher is now essentially just a tool for an invasive data mining company. Phones are invasive enough without having the launcher compromised. Makes one a bit suspicious if they're paying to run some positive marketing to drown out the community's pushback on it.

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For those who love a nice graph, Battery Widget Reborn also offers a cool graph widget that allows you to see how your battery life will diminish at its current rate of use. It all ties into an app that's vital for anyone with a busy life. In fact, the app is so good we've produced a full guide full of essential TickTick tips. You can choose a classy, transparent, full-page Month view or go for a more functional Agenda view suitable for busy professionals. If you prefer a bit more customization, then take a look at Another Widget.

best android home screen

I've tried Smart Launcher 5 and not having an expandable dock actually turned me off. I like having my row of most used apps (the basics - phone, text, email, browser, calculator), but that's all I want showing. The Microsoft Launcher expandable dock allows me to keep important and most-used apps on the home screen without having them clutter it up. I also like Nova's rotating dock, but it's not as nice as the expandable dock.

The 5 Best Home Screen Launchers for Android

However, its biggest faults are a counter-intuitive menu and a lack of features in the free version. Evie is the only launcher on this list that doesn't have paid version, so even though there might not be a plethora of features, you're free to use all available options without paying a dime. This is supplemented by stellar performance, as we noticed that Evie ran flawlessly regardless of the hardware we tested it on. Finally, my only real gripe with this launcher is its slow performance when modifying the settings. Even on flagship devices with the latest version of Android, Action Launcher continues to have a delay when implementing any tweaks. Any modification to the settings will lead to a second or two delay and screen redraw.

best android home screen

It invokes the old style “flip clock and weather” style that used to adorn HTC Sense devices and it’s configurable. Clicking on the clock portion takes you to your alarm app. Clicking on the weather portion takes you to 1Weather’s main interface. There are also weather-only widgets that deliver a good amount of information. AccuWeather is another good weather app with a decent widget if you 1Weather isn’t doing it for you. It is easy to forget that when Android devices first emerged, users were keen to adopt that launchers that replicated the popular iOS aesthetic.

The best Android launchers

If there's nothing special happening, it becomes a nice date and weather widget. You may notice a distinct lack of clock widgets on this list. We have a whole separate list for the best clock widgets here.

best android home screen

From the widget settings, you are allowed to adjust the transparency and choose from the light and dark theme. Just in case, you’ve dark mode enabled on your phone, the Samsung health widget will adjust the colors and lighting automatically for the same. Google Fit is a perfect app for all the fitness freaks out there.

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It basically turns the main app into a full-fledged weather app with radar and all of that stuff. It’s not entirely necessary to use the widgets, but since you can’t divert the widget to another weather app, it’s a bit of a bait and switch. If Overdrop doesn't work out for you, take a look at our guide to more of the best weather widgets for Android. At a Glance is part of the Google app installed on every Android phone. It's a single row, full-width widget that updates throughout the day to show bits of information like traffic or your next appointment.

best android home screen

Niagara is a lean Android launcher designed to place your apps and notifications front and center, while keeping other distractions to a minimum. Notifications are displayed right on your home screen, with spam and persistent notifications automatically filtered out. The app drawer automatically surfaces your favorite apps, while also providing handy alphabetical shortcuts.

In many ways, the Apex Launcher represents the modern face of the mobile industry. Like all Android launchers of its type, it includes standard features such as customizable icon grids, transition effects and variable home screen gestures. In addition to this, however, it also offers two separate versions to customers, with the second being a paid application that supports a wider range themes and visual concepts. The free version should be more than adequate for the majority of personal users, particularly those who wish to create an easy to navigate layout. Besides the standard wallpapers and widgets, users can configure a gamut of settings for themes, folders, transparencies, animations, icon packs and adaptive icons. Hyperion provides a ton of its features for free, but others — like launcher-level font changes and custom gestures — are unlocked with an in-app purchase for the Pro version.

best android home screen

It even has a widget that's compatible with Google Fit, putting your daily steps onto your home screen. Widgets have been part of Android since day one, and they remain one of the platform's most useful features. These tiny applets that you can place on your home screen are ideal for quick, at-a-glance information like weather updates. Sometimes they have buttons for controlling music or your phone's flashlight. Time Until is a fun little app with some decent little widgets.

Once again this launcher is entirely free, while also compatible with all Android devices of 2.2 and above. Adaptive icons and colors, fully resizable widgets, and more customizations round out the package, making for a great update to a classic launcher. There are a lot of options to work through, from color themes to icon packs, scrollable docks to app drawer customizations, to folder settings and infinite scrolling. The Nova team is never content to rest on its laurels, continuously adding new features, such as Sesame Shortcuts, animations, and other improvements.

It does not have a paid version, meaning that it is easier for consumers to access a full range of features and premium themes. Go Launcher EX is therefore an extremely purposeful application, equipped with multiple features even for the broadest range of tastes. It is also compatible with all Android devices of 2.0 or above, which enables a wider range of user to enjoy its benefits. The app prides itself on being quick, and that is made clear by how many of its features are named. Quicktheme paints your home screen with the right color to match your wallpaper.

Niagara Launcher

When she's not writing about cases, Chromebooks, or customization, she's wandering around Walt Disney World. The feature set here has been steadily growing over the last year, and Niagara really hit its stride around the summer of 2021 when the Galaxy Z Fold 3 arrived and brought foldables mainstream. Whether you want a launcher that's the peak of productivity or the height of sophistication, Action Launcher and its many quick features can help you realize your dream setup. Nova Launcher has been a major player in the home screen market longer than most of us have even used Android.

The app includes a variety of widgets, including some decently deep customization options. Additionally, it functions well as a standalone weather app with a daily, hourly, and 10-day forecast along with some other weather data. Some folks seem to have trouble with the weather app portion of it updating itself, but those issues are usually temporary. In any case, these are seriously good widgets even if the weather part is a bit finicky on occasion. 1Weather is arguably one of the best weather apps available.

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