I’ve tried a lot of the launchers I see talked about frequently- Nova, Niagra, Smart Launcher, Action Launcher, etc. but they all seem to not be worth the hassle of switching away from pixel launcher. Also none of them have the Google News feed that the pixel launcher has. I feel like I’m losing features when I switch. Perhaps I’m just stupid and am not utilizing the features these launchers actually bring to the table.

Can you tell me about your favorite launcher and it’s features that keep you hooked to it? Thanks.

  • conrad82@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    6 months ago

    I use Kvaesitso and have been using it for a long time now.

    I wanted a search-based launcher with support for widgets. I was missing some features in the beginning, but I must admit I have forgotten what they were - so I guess that is a good sign 👌

    Likes: Good search, OK widget, main screen can be as clean or dirty has you want

  • cRazi_man@lemm.eeEnglish
    1·
    6 months ago

    Pear launcher has worked great for me. I’m actively trying not to use Google services and Google news is useless to me. I use an RSS reader instead. Pear launcher seems to have no trackers and allows making tabs in the apps screen the way I want. There’s not a huge deal more I need from my launcher.

    I also use KISS launcher as a google search replacement. If I tap home button on the home screen then it calls KISS launcher search to find results on my phone (or send to the internet search shortcuts I have set).

  • TwiddleTwaddle@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    1·
    6 months ago

    Mostly I use custom launchers because I don’t like the Google News feed and the general UI layout of the stock launcher. KISS launcher has been perfect for me.

    • cbarrick@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      6 months ago

      Mostly I use custom launchers because I don’t like the Google News feed

      What’s wild to me is that back in the Google Now era, I was so excited to root so that I could install the extension for Nova to add Google Now.

      But these days, the Google “Discovery” feed is trash compared to what Google Now once was.

  • Ibaudia@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    6 months ago

    I would try using Lynx launcher and adding a full-screen widget for news if you want something more feature-rich.

  • CrayonRosary@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1·
    5 months ago

    Lawnchair is almost exactly like Pixel Launcher except you can do things like remove the search bar, change the icon counts, and stop the app tray search bar from searching the web (or switch it to another search provider).

    I’ve been using it for months and couldn’t be happier.

    Incidentally, it wasn’t until about 10 minutes ago that I realized “Lawnchair” is just “Launcher” if you pronounced it in a French accent.

    • voracitude@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      6 months ago

      And Nova just got a big update, too! I’ve been using this launcher for almost 12 years across every device I own, and I got the “Nova Launcher Prime” license for like $0.25 in some sale back in 2012. Probably the best-value app purchase I’ve ever made.

      • GodlessCommie@lemmy.worldEnglish
        01·
        6 months ago

        Thats about the time I bought the Prime version too. No other app I use has been used this long