When you get your brand new Android smartphone, there’s an excitement to it. While some are quick to install a custom launcher some of us try out the default launcher on the new device. Of course, there’s not much to find out here if you buy your devices from the same OEM often. The point is, a good app launcher is important. It’s what makes your Android experience unique, the way you want it. Today, I’ll offer 10 recommendations for the best Android launchers.
Even if your device’s software has an ugly skin you hate, you’re not going to be seeing it as much as your launcher. If not for custom launchers I’d never have survived my first Samsung device or the EMUI skin from Huawei that I’m currently enjoying. Android launchers are pretty much like Android though, there’s no perfect launcher although some might argue Nova Launcher is. You need to pick one that suits you. At DroidViews, we’ve reviewed quite a few launchers for you that should help you decide instead of having to try them all out.
Without any further ado, let’s proceed to the list of best Android launchers recommendations.
1. Nova Launcher Prime
When in a list of ‘somethings’, something is mentioned even before the list even begins you’ve got to know it’s the stuff of legends. That may not even be an exaggeration when it comes to Nova Launcher. It has been the most popular Android launcher around for more than half a decade. It’s kind of like the iphone of Android launchers in some ways. It’s not exactly the best at most things. Nova used to be the simplest and most customizable Android Launcher, but over the years those crowns have been taken by other launchers.
Yet, Nova remains popular because it is just enough for a lot of folks. It’s stock like, and it has a ton of features perhaps a lot more than you could ask for. Nova Launcher, as far as I remember, was the first Android launcher in the Android 4.0 days that brought the stock Android look to every Android device.
Apart from that, it was feature-packed like nothing at that time was. I remember one launcher that was almost as feature-packed but it was nowhere near the stock Android look and feel.
It supports all the basic features you’d expect from a custom launcher, such as icon packs, resizable widgets, resizable grids, subgrid positioning on the home screen, a scrollable dock, widgets support in the dock, plenty of gestures, unread count badges, custom icon swipes, and the list is really long. There’s a free version which you can try but you won’t get most of the features. All these things make Nova one of the best Android launchers.
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2. action Launcher 3
Another popular launcher that has been around for a while. action Launcher’s biggest strength is innovation. the most standout of all those unique features would be Quicktheme. It changes the theme of your search bar, folders, and app drawers with the colors of your current wallpaper.
The Cover feature lets you hide an entire folder behind an app icon. Tapping the icon opens the app while performing a gesture on the app icon such as swipe up or double-tap opens the folder. This is really valuable if you use one of the apps from a folder more often, or you just want a cleaner look.
The Quickdrawer had replaced the app drawer in action Launcher and it is still there. Basically, if you’re not enabling the Google now pane on the left, a swipe from the left edge brings a list of all your apps. The Quickpage feature adds a blank page which can be accessed by a swipe from the right edge of your home screen. This can be used to hide apps and widgets. It’s pretty much a mini app drawer with support for widgets.
Furthermore, Chris Lacy, the developer is constantly working to bring new features to the launcher. action Launcher is always the first launcher to bring any feature from the latest Pixel Launcher. sometimes simply based on leaks. That’s fast. It’s the one launcher that made me give up Nova Launcher. While I do try launchers often, I keep coming back to it. action Launcher 3 is one of the most popular and best Android launchers available at the Play Store.
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3. ASAP Launcher
Action Launcher is different, yes, but lately, it has all been about mixing all the action Launcher goodies from before into the Pixel Launcher features. If you’re looking for something completely unique, ASAP is a very good choice. It’s still pretty normal looking, except that stunning search widget on the main home screen which also shows the current weather and the current song.
The launcher has 5 pre-defined home screens. There’s the main screen that sits in the middle with two on either side. The other four give you quick access to your contacts, weather information, calendar, and upcoming events, as well as a detailed to-do list. Swiping from the right edge brings you some quick toggles which are easier to reach, to be honest, that the notinullnull