Related
Background
Ok this may be silly, but just wondered if there would be any interest in this idea I had earlier. What I love about Sense is that it's like each tab has almost moved past being a widget and has almost program like functionality, it seems to me this is really unique on a mobile device.
Concept
So I was thinking, what if it was possible to have extra tabs, in which ongoing programs could run, in something like a window. So for example, slide right one from a Facebook tab immediately into TCPMP, or continue one further into the File Explorer app? Why not extend the Sense UI?
Other thoughts:
1. I noticed that altering the tabs in sense causes a restart. I don't know if there is any way that this could be worked around, but otherwise I guess it's not possible to open up a whole new tab for each program. Perhaps there could be several open in which programs appear as they are run, with a customisable preference for the apps which appear on each tab/ a priority list?
2. maybe it would be possible to have something like a task switcher instead, I was thinking about something like the fantastic iManager, but where the app was fully functional in the tab, then could be switched with a nice simple gesture? This could skirt around the problem of new/blank tabs, and would be pretty cool!
3. Maybe this is nuts, as after all a quick tap on the home button will bring us straight back to Sense, but one less press is never bad right? And also the idea of a unified seamless UI is perfect for mobile in my opinion- I get frustrated by the jumping in and out of apps which Andoid and iOS require. CHT and Sense is exactly what is keeping me on WM
I can't code, but just thought I'd open the idea up to your opinions. Maybe someone who can wants this enough to do it?
it's amazons free app of the day. pretty neat function, im using it to replace the long press for multitasking. runs smoothly
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
I thought about posting this too when I downloaded it earlier today. But then I tried it out and found that its really not for me.
Agreed, I looks like a great idea, but doesnt function as good as it could. Not for me either.
I downloaded Wave Launcher and I'm attempting to make use of it. My current setup is ADW.Launcher EX, Folder Organizer, and Beautiful widgets. I really liked this setup, but I'm looking for a new look for my phone. Having five Folder Organizer widgets on the desktop is pretty sweet. I can get to the 20ish programs I use all on one home screen via the folder organize widgets.
I was hoping to use Wave Launcher to re-do my setup so make the home screen more "empty" and clean.
The app is very easy to setup, but its use seems a bit limited. I was hoping to be able to have multiple Wave Launchers so that if I swiped from the left side of the screen it would like X apps, if I swiped from the right side of the screen it would display a different set of Y apps, and if I swiped from the bottom it would bring up a different set of Z apps. Unfortunitally, the app only allows for one swipe location and one set of apps to launch.
I am going to keep it installed, and I am going to try to make it work for me. I can free up some screen real estate via Wave Launcher, though I'm not sure what to launch with it. Should I put in my most used apps? It does make them a bit harder to launch versus having links on the screen or a Folder Organizer widget on the scren. So should I put some apps I don't use often into the wave launcher so that they don't use screen real estate as either links or a folder organizer widget.
Long story short... this launcher seems to be a great idea. A swipe motion brings up a "waved bar" with links on it. However, those links are harder to "choose" since you have to slide your thumb / finger into the right place, so folders might work better. However folders take up screen real estate. So... its a good idea, and it might work out for me. I wish that there were more options like the ones lacking that I listed above.
We'll see what I come up with over the next few days.
DK
SwipePad is A LOT better!
https://market.android.com/details?id=mobi.conduction.swipepad.android
I too got this from amazon but while I was playing angry birds it kept popping up alot and pissed me off so... I uninstalled it for now!
I just keep forgetting it's there. until it comes up at the worst possible moments.
facetubespam said:
SwipePad is A LOT better!
https://market.android.com/details?id=mobi.conduction.swipepad.android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 it was slow to start but they keep making it better with the add-ons and speed increases
Sent from my GreyBlurred Bell Atrix
+1 for swipe pad, nothing comparable so far.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Swipepad drove my cpu usage up to 100%, ive been using wave launcher and it has been working fine. I really like how it looks like the palm os wave which is what i came from. Pretty nifty.
this app was making Contacts appear when I clicked PowerAMP. Had to uninstall Wave Launcher then reboot phone so PowerAMP operates properly.
Sent from my Motorola Atrix 4G using Tapatalk
Wave Launcher
mario925 said:
this app was making Contacts appear when I clicked PowerAMP. Had to uninstall Wave Launcher then reboot phone so PowerAMP operates properly.
Sent from my Motorola Atrix 4G using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can customize the size and location of Wave Launcher's gesture-area, try "Bottom Left - 20%" in the "Gesture-area presets" setting.
Upcoming version of Wave Launcher will allow 3rd party apps to disable / enable Wave Launcher. (Currently supported by the upcoming version of WidgetLocker) It will also include a quick disable/enable option via the notification bar.
DeathKoil said:
I downloaded Wave Launcher and I'm attempting to make use of it. My current setup is ADW.Launcher EX, Folder Organizer, and Beautiful widgets. I really liked this setup, but I'm looking for a new look for my phone. Having five Folder Organizer widgets on the desktop is pretty sweet. I can get to the 20ish programs I use all on one home screen via the folder organize widgets.
I was hoping to use Wave Launcher to re-do my setup so make the home screen more "empty" and clean.
The app is very easy to setup, but its use seems a bit limited. I was hoping to be able to have multiple Wave Launchers so that if I swiped from the left side of the screen it would like X apps, if I swiped from the right side of the screen it would display a different set of Y apps, and if I swiped from the bottom it would bring up a different set of Z apps. Unfortunitally, the app only allows for one swipe location and one set of apps to launch.
I am going to keep it installed, and I am going to try to make it work for me. I can free up some screen real estate via Wave Launcher, though I'm not sure what to launch with it. Should I put in my most used apps? It does make them a bit harder to launch versus having links on the screen or a Folder Organizer widget on the scren. So should I put some apps I don't use often into the wave launcher so that they don't use screen real estate as either links or a folder organizer widget.
Long story short... this launcher seems to be a great idea. A swipe motion brings up a "waved bar" with links on it. However, those links are harder to "choose" since you have to slide your thumb / finger into the right place, so folders might work better. However folders take up screen real estate. So... its a good idea, and it might work out for me. I wish that there were more options like the ones lacking that I listed above.
We'll see what I come up with over the next few days.
DK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can also use it for:
direct-dial contacts.
Any Android shortcut, not just apps.
Show recently-used apps
Show its built-in app-drawer (by swiping or by long-pressing the gesture-area
I'm response to LoirG I use the wave launcher to open folders from folder organizer which helps open space on NY homescreen. Wave launcher is one of my more valuable apps. It has a learning curve but the limits are almost endless
Sent from my rooted 1.8.3 Honeyglow themed Gingerblur Atrix
I would like to make my homescreen look like the one attached.
This is a little mockup I have made. Even if I can get the shortcut list going on the side would be nice. I'm not so sure about the tiles after I finished drawing it.
Any ideas on widgets/launchers is appreciated before I have to actually code something myself. I have been trying to look for widgets etc. that can help me but have come up empty.
Things like this have been done before. Search Android Phone 7. I've never seen one with that app list sidebar. That may be a little hard to recreate but it isn't impossible.
Things you'd need: Icons, Desktop Visualizer, ADW EX or Launcher Pro Plus (Plus is needed for resizing widgets) Minimalistic Text, maybe Phantom Music Control. For the icons like "Games" or "Utilities" you may be able to link the DVR widget to an app called Folder Organizator. Or you could use a widget called SiMi Folder, which would make a shortcut on your homescreen that is like the iPhone's folder thing. You could make the icon of the SiMi Folder transparent.
This is going to take A LOT of resizing, which can get really boring. To avoid headaches, plan everything out before you start. If you want a widget above another widget, the widget you want on the bottom (background) needs to be placed BEFORE the widget you want in front (foreground). You are going to have to resize it over the other widget, not place it on top.
That's all I can think of for right now. The left side should be pretty easy. The right side on the other hand will be a little challenging. My best advice would be to start by making a big plain minimalistic text (MT) widget, then add each app name as a MT widget with a blank background (option is in the MT widget configuration menu) For some help, try the Hubs layout in the Asus Transformer Theme and App section. We have a nice thread there with a similar idea and people there will be more than willing to help. They are a lot better at home screen customization than me.
Anyways, awesome idea! If you make the icons, I'll be happy to help you recreate it!
Thanks for the reply. I've played around with Minimalistic Text and it looks promising, thanks. I had noticed it several times before, but it does not mention it can function to create normal shortcuts too.
Just buying ADW Launcher EX (first purchase, borrowing a debit card now), as I have been using the free version for a while. Will post an update when it goes through and I can play with resizing the widgets.
I am currently playing with Minimalistic Text and I have the text on the screen, but when I assigned the proper functions I found they overlap each other...
Anyone know how to avoid this? (They are created using 5x1 horizontal widgets)
BeaverusIV said:
I am currently playing with Minimalistic Text and I have the text on the screen, but when I assigned the proper functions I found they overlap each other...
Anyone know how to avoid this? (They are created using 5x1 horizontal widgets)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Resize the widgets. I dont know how its done in ADW but i think you can do it by long pressing them.
I have, they are the smallest they can go. The resize outline box is 1 unit high, but when I push the 'button' it shows a 2 unit high selection box...
I'll see if I can get a s/s of each box...
Edit: Nope, too tricky to get the timing.
reminds me of wp7
if you wanna something like that try Launcher 7
https://market.android.com/details?id=info.tikuwarez.launcher3
else you can use desktop visualizer (like mentioned before)
i am using desktop visualizer,too.
but i noticed when you have to restart your phone it takes a while to reload the widgets
How ever it's still fine
I used to use DVR when I first got my phone. The tile layout on the left was an experiment, I don't think I'll use it. The main thing was the right hand side; the list of shortcuts.
Well I worked around the overlapping issue by reapplying them in a different order so they underlap instead.
Now I'll work on another layout I like for the rest of my icons, thanks guys
PS: @restarting phone: Who does that?
Edit: For anyone who cares:
Use MT to make a 5x1 widget, use the vertical top alignment and both horizontal ones right.
Don't show background.
Choose custom layout and remove the three existing sections and add a 'static text' one from under Misc.
I choose normal (not default) text and change it to 30dip (that fits my applications nicely on my 800x480px screen).
Choose launch another application and choose the application you want to launch.
Start from the bottom of the screen and work your way up, placing the background last.
BeaverusIV said:
I used to use DVR when I first got my phone. The tile layout on the left was an experiment, I don't think I'll use it. The main thing was the right hand side; the list of shortcuts.
Well I worked around the overlapping issue by reapplying them in a different order so they underlap instead.
Now I'll work on another layout I like for the rest of my icons, thanks guys
PS: @restarting phone: Who does that?
Edit: For anyone who cares:
Use MT to make a 5x1 widget, use the vertical top alignment and both horizontal ones right.
Don't show background.
Choose custom layout and remove the three existing sections and add a 'static text' one from under Misc.
I choose normal (not default) text and change it to 30dip (that fits my applications nicely on my 800x480px screen).
Choose launch another application and choose the application you want to launch.
Start from the bottom of the screen and work your way up, placing the background last.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OO thanks! I'll wait til you finish the whole thing to try it out but it looks like its going to be awesome.
I'll post a new thread when I've accomplished it
Hi
is there any progress on this topic? is the new thread already open?
It's 12:40am here. A new thread will be made tomorrow after I've finished the homescreen.
Hi guys!
I've bought an Alwinner A13 Tablet as a Christmas present for my daughter who is 3yrs old. She has been using mine and my husbands HTC Sensations for watching BabyTV and playing various counting and alphabet games, but we twitch every time she drops them...hence the cheap tablet. It is running 4.0.4 has 512 MB RAM and 8GB internal storage. We bought a 16GB SD card to increase the storage.
I want to customise it for her in time for Christmas and was wondering if you guys mind my asking some questions on here in the hope 1 or more of you has done something similar or can point me in the right direction at least.
What I want to do:
Hide, disable and lock out the internet browser, app store and anything else that I may need to do stuff (like install apps for her) but don't want her to see or use.
Disable the system icons / buttons (battery, clock, app home etc)
Make desktop / homescreen icons bigger (approx twice their current size).
Prevent her moving and deleting icons
Create folders on the home screen with custom folder icons (different picture for each folder) that will hold apps and shortcuts to movies on the SD card.
Give App and shortcut icons custom icon images (I have graphics files for these that I can resize)
Play movies directly from shortcut
Minimalistic movie player that just plays the file and then EXITS back to the home screen when the movie is done.
If any of the above requires changing ROM from the installed 4.0.4 to something else or requires the tablet to be Rooted then I've learnt how to do that already.
Any help or advice on how to achieve the above list would be greatly appreciated.
p.s I already looked at the "big icon" app in google market, but it sticks a setup icon next to the icon which you cant lock out..which means my daughter could easily modify the icons.
Thanks
Lyndsey
most of your requirements can be found on go launcher or adw launcher as for movie shprtcuts i dont know if its possoble
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Kids Place + ES file manager
most of this could probably be handled by the Kids Place - Parental Control app on Google Play, you can make shortcuts to basically anything (including movie files) using ES File Explorer by tapping and holding on the video and selecting make shortcut and also has a pretty simple video player built in.
ngoralph said:
most of your requirements can be found on go launcher or adw launcher as for movie shprtcuts i dont know if its possoble
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your help!
Do you know if there is a movie player around that I can configure so that it closes down and returns to the home screen after it's finished playing a movie? This functionality is pretty important as I don't think she'll be able to exit the movie player herself.
I looked at go launcher but I couldn't see it supporting setting folder and shortcut icons. This is pretty important as well, because her reading level is still quite low and therefore she will have to navigate by "familiar" icons (BabyTV Icon to take her to the BabyTV player etc).
cyhax said:
most of this could probably be handled by the Kids Place - Parental Control app on Google Play, you can make shortcuts to basically anything (including movie files) using ES File Explorer by tapping and holding on the video and selecting make shortcut and also has a pretty simple video player built in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, I installed Kids place. That wouldn't let me add movie shortcuts or folders to the desktop, only apps. I want to have folders on the desktop with shortcuts inside each folder to movies. Each folder to have an icon depicting the cartoon character of the movies that the shortcuts inside point to.
Having folders with custom icons is something that computers have been capable of for 20 years and yet android can't do this. It's extremely frustrating that there are so many other types of customisations and wazzy effects (launchers seem to prioritise a hundred different ways of scrolling over desktop customisation!!) and yet something so basic is absent or poorly implemented.....
Sorry....had to get that rant off my chest!
I'll keep looking but thanks for the help http://forum.xda-developers.com/images/smilies/smile.gif
I'm trying out go launcher again. So far it's closest to what I need to do but still has some issues. Such as when you make the icons larger, folder labels disappear inside folders! I had each shortcut inside the folder listed as 1,2,3 etc because my daughter can count, just not read that well yet.
I have a question I hope someone can help with:
Why do all the custom launchers reduce the size of the desktop icons? whichever launcher I load up, when I go from stock ics launcher to the custom launcher, the icons are about 50% of the size. I'm just curious...
You daughter wouldn't be able to go to the homescreen by herself?
It's not that hard to teach her to press the home button when she wants to go to the homescreen.
Revobase said:
You daughter wouldn't be able to go to the homescreen by herself?
It's not that hard to teach her to press the home button when she wants to go to the homescreen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, we've already tested that theory out on my phone (HTC Sensation). So we know she can get back to the Homescreen. Thanks for bringing it up though, it's a valid point. We assumed that because she is only 3 she wouldn't be able to find her way around. But in truth she seems to be able to find her way to youtube and play movies there
So we've removed the youtube icons from her tablet now.
artychoke said:
Yes, we've already tested that theory out on my phone (HTC Sensation). So we know she can get back to the Homescreen. Thanks for bringing it up though, it's a valid point. We assumed that because she is only 3 she wouldn't be able to find her way around. But in truth she seems to be able to find her way to youtube and play movies there
So we've removed the youtube icons from her tablet now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kids are MUCH more tech savier then you problably are. In 5 years, she'll know as much as you.
Nova launcher used to be (arguably) the best free Android launcher - until now - so what's better?
Unfortunately, the day after Branch Analytics acquired Nova launcher, it grew in size by 150% (8MB to 12MB) without anyone noticing that "something" huge (but as yet unknown) is going on inside of the previously venerable Nova launcher.
So now, I, like anyone else who is logical, is in the market for a new "best Android launcher" app APK.
But which Android app launcher replaces the venerable Nova free APK?
Mostly what I loved about Nova was that the homescreen could be organized by any grid - or no grid (see screenshot example below).
What best launcher do you recommend to replace Nova [now that Nova was sold out and as such, it has (apparently) gone over to the dark side]?
I take you're on a Samsung device?
One UI shreds Nova on my N10+; faster and uses less battery even has some features Nova lacks. It's missing a trick or two that Nova can do. One UI is rock solid stable on my device, no issues.
After a 3rd party launcher boot looped me twice, back to back over 2 years ago I stopped sampling them One UI won.
blackhawk said:
I take you're on a Samsung device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. But I've been using Nova free launchers since the dawn of time on Motorola, LG, and other phones - simply because Nova did what nobody else could do - which was allow me to place any icon on any grid or no grid at all.
But now that Nova went over to the dark side - it's time for a new "best launcher" that works for more than just one brand of phones.
blackhawk said:
One UI shreds Nova on my N10+; faster and uses less battery even has some features Nova lacks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With batteries being five amps and more nowadays, I don't have any problem going days without a charge, but it's interesting you say that you found that one launcher uses more battery than another.
I've never tested how much battery power two different launchers use. But I've done a lot of battery power testing over the years.
The fact is that you can only use one launcher at a time - so it would be hard to test two of them side by side given only one can work at any given time frame on any one phone.
Sure you can test two launchers with two exact same phones side by side, but did you really run a test that detailed to conclude what you did?
Given that practical problem set, how could I tell if one launcher used more battery than another?
blackhawk said:
It's missing a trick or two that Nova can do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Besides putting icons on any grid (or no grid at all), what I next like best about Nova is I set up EVERY phone in the house, for years, with the same well-managed set of apps and icons.
Motorola
LG
Nexus
Samsung
They ALL have the same homescreen.
For years and years and years.
Note that what you do on a computer never changes so the organization of the homescreen never changes.
Does the Samsung OneUI launcher save a backup file to be used on any brand of phone?
Nova launcher easily saves a backup file which is imported into the new phone. It's TRIVIAL to re-install all the apps in the EXACT same place from the old phone to the new phone, even when you move from an LG phone to a Samsung phone.
There's no way any Samsung launcher could possibly do that, right?
blackhawk said:
One UI is rock solid stable on my device, no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My only experience with One UI is that I originally saw it when I got a handful of Samsung Galaxy A32-5G phones from T-Mobile for free.
I didn't like it at all but maybe it does the two most important things that Nova free does?
1. Put any icon on any grid (or no grid at all), and,
2. Save a backup file of the homescreen to load onto any other device
Note that this backup file includes all installed apps in the location that they are installed in - which - for me - is important since EVERY app icon is placed in an EXACT location for a reason.
There's a third thing I love about Nova free launcher but I don't know if it's part of the launcher or part of Android 12, which is:
3. Place a widget INSIDE any folder on the homescreen
Is THAT last feature of being able to resize a widget and then place it INSIDE a folder on the homescreen part of Android 12 or Nova launcher? (If it's part of Nova, then can One UI do that too?)
blackhawk said:
After a 3rd party launcher boot looped me twice, back to back over 2 years ago I stopped sampling them. One UI won.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have nothing against One UI because my only experience with it was that it was the first launcher I saw when I received my free Samsung phones from T-Mobile and the last Samsung I had was about ten years or so ago (the S3) but what I asked on the Samsung groups what apps from Samsung were worth getting just about a month ago.
Is there any app in the Samsung Galaxy Store worth the login requirements?Note the screenshots show you can resize widgets and then place those resized widgets INSIDE folders on the homescreen.
That homepage is way too busy and not AMOLED friendly at all.
In 24 hours this is what One UI used...
One UI supports folders which are a lot better than burning up pixels. Over time this will happen. I rotate my icons, folders and widgets to spread out the wear. The icon packs are red for a reason, red pixels have the longest lifespan, blue the shortest. No wear if a pixel isn't light and it's easier on your eyes.
I'm not too concerned with backup. I want a clean load if I have to factory reset to avoid doing another one. The current load on this phone is over 2yo and running strong. I keep a screenshot to help with setup. SmartSwitch will preserve some homepage settings but it can also cause issues.
Apex Launcher Classic, get the PRO and Apex Notifier.
You can use ancient Launcher and Icon packs, I've kept many old Apex Themes from 2013 and on, and they all still work with the latest Apex Classic.
Offers the same features as Nova.
Its clean.
I understand you are looking for a FREE launcher, but with the launcher being so integral to your device experience, maybe thats the one app you should be prepared to pay for.
I have been using what I think is the most powerful and customizable launcher. Not only does it do the few things you mentioned:
Put any icon on any grid (or no grid at all), and,
Save a backup file of the homescreen to load onto any other device
Note that this backup file includes all installed apps in the location that they are installed in - which - for me - is important since EVERY app icon is placed in an EXACT location for a reason.
Place a widget INSIDE any folder on the homescreen (yes thats launcher specific)
So it does ALL what you listed (i know its a quick list), but also (among many MANY other things..)
Folders inside folders, inside folders.... and widgets n deep in the folder structure
Any widget can be Resized, Scaled (Different to resize which I think is more on the widget to resize itself), Rotated, transparency, Skewed (think parallelogram), positioned to a decimal pixel position
All visible (or even hidden transparent hot-spots) have complete control of the event (eg start ab app, start a script etc) or I *thinik* even multiple actions (I dont use that feature)
All items covered by 3 above also have short AND long press events (Tap, Long Tap, Swipe Left, Swipe Right, Swipe up, Swipe down) I personally have transparent hot-spots (on top of other widgets that respond to their default tap), that I swipe uy[p on to turn on AUID and down to turn off AOD. I also have a long press on my navigation, which turns on GPS, Bluetooth (to connect and call handsfree), starts my music player, starts playing the music and finally starts the Navigation app ready to navigate.
Lots of visual effects such as shadow of the text
Control of the Font, Size, position/offset
"Reflections" on the icons, as if they are hovering above a crystal clear pool/puddle of water
You can have/add code to make your own things. There is an example out there how to add a analogue clock simply with code. Well beyond any of my needs.
and on and on and on...
My personal experience is, if you can imagine it, then there is a way to do it. I have been using it since gingerbread, and as I upgrade device and/or ROMs, I use the backup / restore to get the launcher config started. NB: The private widget data/config doesn't come across in the launcher backup, but a "fallback" image/placeholder is show, reminding you of how you previously had it set up. So although there is a steep learning curve, and with ALL the different options/function can take some time to set up how you want, a lot will transfer onto your next device or ROM. But since its a paid app, you can only run it on one device at a time.
Now, the thing to REALLY take note of, the default set-up on first install is utter TOTAL rubbish ,and so are the preview/demo images on the PlayStore. It really is a case of "if you can imagine it, you can do it"
Oh, and the launcher is called "Lightening Launcher Extreme"
The following are some screen shots I qui8ckly snapped, but the actual config is of course very personal. And because its so customizable, I can do things others will hate I just quickly flashed through the screens I personally use the most in set-up, but didn't scroll through anything or ensured I got everything that is beyond the screen and there are many more options/features I dont use; or even know about.
Part of the problems Nova is having maybe the same that ones Samsung is having dealing with scoped storage and other changes starting with Android 10. I have 2 N10+'s, one still running on Pie, the newer one on 10. The look and behave almost identically except the Android 10 has a 100 or more small Samsung system apks.
I prefer Pie because it's easier to troubleshoot and provides better functionality for trusted apps. I don't even want to see what 11, and especially 12/beta 13 look like. Maybe it's not so much Nova but rather Android that has turned to the dark Apple side...
imonxda said:
Apex Launcher Classic...
Offers the same features as Nova.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that suggestion of the Apex Launcher to replace the functionality of the Nova free launcher, specifically:
a. Place homescreen folders on any grid, or no grid at allb. Export homescreen and import into ANY brand of phonec. Resize widgets and place widgets INSIDE folders
Assuming the free version of the Apex Launcher is this one...
Apex Launcher by Android DOES teamFree, contains ads, contains in-app purchases, requires GSF,rated 4.2 out of 354K reviews with 10M+ Downloads
That sucks in terms of requiring GSF (Nova free doesn't spy on us with GSF, and no app should ever need to use GSF calls) and requiring ads (again, Nova free doesn't have any ads and no launcher should, IMHO); but unfortunately, the description on the Google Play Store doesn't say whether Apex Launcher can do the three most important things that I feel ANY "best" launcher should do (see above).
Bear in mind there are a billion app launchers, where there's a good REASON Nova free was almost universally hailed as the best out there.
If Branch Analytics didn't take over TeslaCoil software, I wouldn't even be LOOKING for a better app launcher... (sigh)... but no free app launcher with ads and lack of privacy can possibly be on the list of the "best" there is.
That's just impossible (IMHO of course).
No app can be the "best" if it has ads and if it sucks out your privacy.
BTW, I know full well what I'm asking is NOT an easy question to answer... otherwise I'd have found the answer already, but I do appreciate the suggestions.
In order to be "better" than Nova free, it can't be worse.
GalaxyA325G said:
Thanks for that suggestion of the Apex Launcher to replace the functionality of the Nova free launcher, specifically:
a. Place homescreen folders on any grid, or no grid at allb. Export homescreen and import into ANY brand of phonec. Resize widgets and place widgets INSIDE folders
Assuming the free version of the Apex Launcher is this one...
Apex Launcher by Android DOES teamFree, contains ads, contains in-app purchases, requires GSF,rated 4.2 out of 354K reviews with 10M+ Downloads
That sucks in terms of requiring GSF (Nova free doesn't spy on us with GSF, and no app should ever need to use GSF calls) and requiring ads (again, Nova free doesn't have any ads and no launcher should, IMHO); but unfortunately, the description on the Google Play Store doesn't say whether Apex Launcher can do the three most important things that I feel ANY "best" launcher should do (see above).
Bear in mind there are a billion app launchers, where there's a good REASON Nova free was almost universally hailed as the best out there.
If Branch Analytics didn't take over TeslaCoil software, I wouldn't even be LOOKING for a better app launcher... (sigh)... but no free app launcher with ads and lack of privacy can possibly be on the list of the "best" there is.
That's just impossible (IMHO of course).
No app can be the "best" if it has ads and if it sucks out your privacy.
BTW, I know full well what I'm asking is NOT an easy question to answer... otherwise I'd have found the answer already, but I do appreciate the suggestions.
In order to be "better" than Nova free, it can't be worse.
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Yes, absolutely correct, Apex Launcher DOES NOT have all the features your looking for, but AndroidDOES has brought back the Classic launcher (I'm assuming because of popular demand) it is called Apex Launcher Classic - this is FAR superior to the new-ish Apex Launcher. BTW, some of the best features of Apex Classic are unavailable without the paid Pro but most features work with free version.
As for privacy concerns, you can use something like My Android Tools Pro, it will tell you exactly what an app like Apex is doing behind the scenes and it gives you control over all hidden activities. https://www.myandroidtools.com/ it has been kicked out of Google play store, I don't know the reason, but I've been using this app for years, I have never seen any evidence of malware in it, and it has revealed the spying, reporting activities, and ad activities of all other apps I use and I can actually STOP these activities, I trust it.
It takes a bit of getting-used-to, but it works great once you do (get used to it). Some advice, check the About in settings for automatic detection of newly installed or updated apps feature, and check the Apps tab at the bottom, then select any app and then tap "see all component info", this is really helpful and easily overlooked feature.
@DiamondJohn That's a cool Launcher I've never heard of, I will certainly check it out
GalaxyA325G said:
Nova launcher used to be (arguably) the best free Android launcher - until now - so what's better?
Unfortunately, the day after Branch Analytics acquired Nova launcher, it grew in size by 150% (8MB to 12MB) without anyone noticing that "something" huge (but as yet unknown) is going on inside of the previously venerable Nova launcher.
So now, I, like anyone else who is logical, is in the market for a new "best Android launcher" app APK.
But which Android app launcher replaces the venerable Nova free APK?
Mostly what I loved about Nova was that the homescreen could be organized by any grid - or no grid (see screenshot example below).
What best launcher do you recommend to replace Nova [now that Nova was sold out and as such, it has (apparently) gone over to the dark side]?
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Love Niagara launcher
Pear Launcher - Apps on Google Play
Download Pear launcher — a launcher designed for performance and customization.
play.google.com
Just started using this app and it's pretty good so far