I previously used Nova and finally moved to the open source side with Kvaesitso. I didn’t like using a search focused launcher at first, but I decided to try and use it for a few months to get used to it. What I’ve found is that:
- I barely ever scroll down into the widgets menu and so I don’t make use to widgets as much as I’d like to
- Even after carefully setting up the search settings, I find it unintuitive and prefer to use specific apps for specific tasks
- I like having apps sorted by tags, but the tiny moving pill shape icons aren’t as nice as if I had folders on my desktop
The biggest problem now is that Kvaesitso is draining my battery for some reason. Battery usage says that it used 27% of my battery today.
I think I gave it a fair shot, and I’d like to try something new.
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Niagara, but I’ve also been trying out Octopi every now and then, it’s still in beta and there are certain features missing but it feels like it has potential to fully replace Nova.
Neo launcher does everything I need it to
Have you remembered Charles’ present?
I used Nova for years as it was the most feature-rich and customizable. Then I switched to Niagara for a while which was a nice change.
Now I use Neo because it’s FOSS and it does what I need it to.
I like Kiss.
Niagara:
Also been using it for years. Love the unique interface. Wish they’d do more substantial updates than those seasonal icon packs though, especially given the amount of income they must have from subscriptions.
Very cute setup!
I’ve been using it for years now. Simple, elegant and stable.
It has my vote.
I’m a Nova refugee, and I’ve been satisfied with Lawnchair as a replacement. It isn’t as feature rich, but it hits the key notes.
Edit: Lawnchair site: https://lawnchair.app/
I’m ootl, what happened to Nova? I have it on my old phone.
I think it’s been bought by a shitty spyware company who swore that they will not be mining your data. I bought it many years ago and that made me switch to Kvaesitso.
Development of Nova went to shit after it was bought out, too. I dropped it when some major bug I now forget the details of was introduced and my reports went ignored for a full year.
I second this, just be sure to backup your settings if you upgrade, it likes to forget things on upgrades I’ve noticed.
Same, also a Nova refugee using Lawnchair.
One thing I don’t like though, is if you change the homescreen grid size it destroys everything and you have to start over with your homesdreen icons.
KISS Launcher.
I don’t use KISS as a launcher, but I have it bound to double tapping the home button. You can add any search options you want (maps app, play store, internet search, phone search). This is an excellent customisable alternative to the built in google search app and I would highly recommend it for that.
That’s also a very good use case, but KISS is just the perfect launcher for me. I can get to litteraly anything just by typing it’s name. Apps, contacts, settings, search results, a new tab, a new incognito tab, sometimes specific app functions. You can use it as a calculator too, it’s perfect. No amount of praise can do KISS justice in my opinion.
Have you considered reporting the battery drain issue to the Kvaesitso devs? They could fix it if it can be reproduced.
KISS Launcher.
I really didn’t think I was going to like a minimal launcher after so many years with Nova and then AIO, but OLauncher really clicked for me.
Since then, I upgraded to ProLauncher, which mostly adds shortcut icons on the right (I believe that’s what I upgraded for anyway). It’s been great.
I like Smart Launcher. It’s freemium, but I think the paid version is really nice.
i’ve been on smart launcher since checks purchase history 2013, and while it’s still the best ux i’ve found, they have been doing some scummy shit over the years, like move features from the paid version into “content packs” that cost extra.
This is the launcher I use. I love the app drawer categories.
I mainly use Foss software. But, this is one app which is not Foss and I use.
My ideal launcher would be a mix of Smart Launcher with the addition of the app list from Niagara.
I tend to switch every month or two between Kvaetsivo and IAO, which is my main driver now. I find it handy and hihgly configurable.
I used Lawncher for like a year and now I’m giving μlauncher a go. The latter is more stress free and one has to fight initially with muscle memory until they get it right. I think I’m gonna keep using μlauncher for a while.
Stumbled across this the other day. Very interesting and a ton of gestures. Debating using it more. It is very lightweight and no frills appearance wise.
Ion launcher is simple and light. The only thing missing (for me) is you can’t lock the desktop so I sometimes mistakenly move things around.
