Best Android Launchers - 2022
P. Rithwik ReddyWe arrange, organize, and interact with our apps on daily bases and through launchers you can even more customize the way we interact on Android considering all the limitations imposed on its Apple counterpart, iOS. When it comes to finding the best Android launchers everyone has their preference. Here are my preferences in random order.
Nova Launcher
When it comes to lineup of best launchers, Nova Launcher can't be skipped. It is Fast, powerful and highly customizable launcher with a minimal performance impact. There are a lots of options to customize.
Key Features
- Custom Icon Themes
- Night Mode and Dark Theme
- Customizable App Drawer
- Backup and Restore
Using Nova Launcher you can even more customize the
- Gestures
- App Drawer Groups
- Hide Apps
- Custom Icon Swipe Gestures and many more
Download:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher&hl=en_IN&gl=US
Lawnchair 12
Lawnchair is another popular launcher but there is one reason that makes it stands out is that it solves the major shortcomings of the Pixel launcher. It’s an open source project that brings all the latest features of the Pixel launcher. With its latest version 12 it brings in Material You feature of android 12. The latest releases of the Lawnchair are not available on play store but you can download from the below link.
Key Features
- Support for Adaptive Icons.
- Flexible Desktop, Dock, and Drawer.
- Drawer Categories (Tabs & Folders).
- Integration with Android Recents.¹
- Automatic Dark Mode.
- Contextual data in At a Glance.
- Notification Dots.
- Integration with Google Feed and Homefeeder.
Download
Smart Launcher 6
The Smart Launcher 5 is another lightweight and fast Android launcher that has been around for years. The home screen features a grid-less widget placement system and modular page system but the feature that differentiates from other launchers is that the app drawer automatically sorts your apps into categories. It also matches your wallpaper colors every time you change it.
Key Features
- Automatic app sorting
- Ambient theme
- Designed to be used with one hand
- Customization
- Smart search
- Adaptive icons
- Gestures and hotkeys
- Built-in clock widget with weather
- On-screen notifications
- Ultra immersive mode
- Protect your apps
- Wallpaper selection
Download:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ginlemon.flowerfree
Niagara Launcher
Niagara Launcher features a very minimal UI with clean look with an inbuilt media widget and integrated message notifications limit the need of the notification shade. The minimalist Niagara Launcher makes everything accessible with one hand and lets you focus on what matters.
Key Features
- Access everything with one hand - no matter how big your phone is
- Embedded notifications
- inbuilt media widget
- Ad-free
check out the Niagara pro features
https://help.niagaralauncher.app/article/40-niagara-pro-features
Download:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=bitpit.launcher
Microsoft Launcher
Microsoft Launcher empowers you to be more productive with elegant and fast Android launcher app with a lot of customizations. Bing provides you to update with a new wallpaper every day. The best part about the Microsoft Launcher app is that it gets synced to the entire Microsoft account but the drawback is that it doesn’t allow much customization.
Key Features
- Personalised news
- Customisable icons
- Beautiful wallpapers
- Dark theme
- Landscape mode
Download:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.launcher
Hyperion Launcher
A feature-filled launcher with a beautiful UX from the team behind the popular Substratum theming engine. Hyperion Launcher is an extremely customizable Android launcher app that lets you tweak a vast array of settings. 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.
Key Features
- Launcher and accent theming
- Dock, Folder background colour customization
- Desktop, Drawer and dock icon changes
- Two row dock
- Full launcher font change (Pro!)
- Drawer and Dock blur
- And many more
Download:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=projekt.launcher
Ratio: Productivity Homescreen
If you get easily distracted and you want to have control of your phone then Ratio is the best launcher for you. The launcher has three home screens. The main page is the Tiles page where you have segregates apps under different categories. When you swipe left from Tiles page is the Root page which features custom cards of weather, News, Notes, etc and when you swipe right from Tiles page is the Conversations page which keeps all your messages in one place. The only con with Ratio is that there are no colorful theme options but the monochromatic looks good as well.
Key Features
- Dark and light mode
- Focus mode saves battery with a more uniform UI without any accents
- Sun mode gives you the best possible contrast in bright environments and even direct sunlight.
Download:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bllocosn
Launcher iOS 15
At some point you might have though of customizing your phone to look like iOS. If you are one of them the this Launcher iOS 15 is for you. This launcher looks and feels exactly like iOS homes screen even the icons look similar to that of iOS. It is hard to believe that it provides you the real iPhone experience. You also get the iOS control panel and assistive touch by downloading the respective apps from the developer. The major problem with the Launcher iOS 15 is that ads pop up while trying to tweak the launcher settings but considering all the features this is one of the best launcher for those who would like to get the iOS 15 experience on their Android device.
Key Features
- Apps Library
- 3D Touch like to iOS 15
- Hide application use 3D touch
- Auto Rearrange Apps
- Get Weather information
Download:
Launcher: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.luutinhit.ioslauncher
Control Center: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.luutinhit.controlcenter
Assistive Touch: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.luutinhit.assistivetouch
Olauncher
Olauncher also tries to minimise the distracted similar to Ratio but the difference is that the Olauncher is colorful compared to the monochromatic look of the Ratio. Olauncher is clean and your most-used apps are words on the screen. when used with a slick wallpaper; you have an super minimal launcher without much effort.
Key Features
- Dark and light theme
- Daily new wallpaper based on theme
- Hide status bar
- Gestures controls
Download:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.olauncher
Ruthless Launcher
Ruthless Launcher is a lightweight, yet feature-rich launcher based Amir Zaidi's Shade Launcher. Unlike most other launchers the inbuilt search widget can be replaced with search widgets of third party apps. Similar to other pixel like launchers it also supports news feed. In short it a Shade Launcher with lots of features to customization.
Key Features
- Adaptive Icon Packs are supported
- The Glance widget displays your topmost unread notification
- Additionally, the Glance widget provides weather and music track information.
Download:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=shubh.ruthless
Total Launcher
Total Launcher is the most customizable launcher out there and there is nothing comes close to total launcher. This launcher starts with a standard dailer with a contacts page and an app drawer below it. If you dig a little deeper into the settings, you can change almost anything and tweak it to your liking. Total launcher lets you make your launcher work the way you want it to.
Key Features
- No restrictions on layout.
- Amazing 3D effects.
- Customizable text, image, and widgets.
- A different layout for portrait and landscape modes.
Download:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ss.launcher2