There is quite a number of Android Launchers which aren’t popular but yet provide the functionality and customizations along the lines of the popular ones. While some launchers excel in speed, other excel in the level of customizations — the choices are many. So, we have put together a list of 10 best Android Launchers that you probably haven’t tried before. Let’s jump right in!
1. Nano Launcher
“Less is More” — this is the motto that the Nano launcher. And true to it, the Nano launcher is one of the rare Android launcher apps which just measures 2 MB. But let not the small size deter you from getting it, for it also comes with its own slew of features. Perhaps the best feature is the intelligent grouping of your favored apps. The launcher determines your most used apps and places them on the home screen so that it’s easily accessible. What’s more, the Nano launcher also has a nifty tool bar at the bottom which includes tools like the WiFi switch, volume slider, and brightness control. Much like the Nova launcher, Nano too lets you long press on the apps to showcase the available options. It’s smart, light and apt for your smartphone, especially if you are running low on internal storage.
2. Peek Launcher
Another simple Android launcher is the Peek Launcher. Peek Launcher is all about accessing your apps super fast. It has a simple interface in the form of a T9 keypad for searching apps. The best thing about this launcher is that the color of the T9 keyboard changes accordingly with the background wallpaper. Also if you upgrade to the pro version, you can set which apps are to be fetched in the search result. All you have to do is search for the apps, long-press and select the appropriate visibility choice. Aforesaid, Peek launcher is all about quick access so if you are looking for customization options, you might want to skip give this one.
3. Power+ Launcher
If you want to have the benefits of power saving mode on your launcher, then your best bet is the Power+ Launcher. This launcher identifies the background apps which are consuming battery and puts them in hibernation. Apart from its aggressive battery saving mode, Power+ Launcher packs in a super search feature, which fetches both apps, contacts as well as web results. What’s more, it neatly organizes all the similar tools into folders based on the functionality. And if your smartphone is still stuck in Marshmallow, you can get the Android Quick Setting menu through Power+ Launcher’s Quick Settings feature. This is a replica of the Nougat’s settings menu and contains all its essential features. Power Launcher+ is an apt launcher for you if your phone has aged a lot and needs help in the battery sector.
4. Swipe Launcher
Swipe Launcher is more of a home screen widget, then a conventional launcher, if you take a closer look at it. It runs on top of your base launcher and provides a nifty little solution for quick and fast access to apps. All you have to do is set it up and once it gets to know your favorite and recent apps, it’ll automatically bring them to the picture. Another advantage of having this launcher onboard is that you can access your tools in a single swipe, instead of dragging down the quick settings menu from above.
5. OF Launcher
OF Launcher applies the same mantra of the above apps — increasing productivity by having a faster access to apps. And it does so in a beautiful way. This launcher neatly organizes apps in slide-out smart folders, so that all you have to do is swipe and select the right folder. For instance, if you want WhatsApp, it would be filed under the Social and Communication folder. But what makes this app a must-have are the beautiful wallpapers. Each folder has a different and absolutely gorgeous wallpaper. For customization options, a long press on the home screen does the trick.
6. ap15 Launcher
If you want your home screen to ‘spell’ out the name of apps, then the ap15 Launcher will be the best choice. It takes on smartphone minimalism in a whole different way and replaces icons and folders with the app’s names. ap15 Launcher makes use of word cloud so that the apps which are frequently used are spelled in a bigger way so that they are easy to access. The color, background, font, or font color — everything can be customized as per your choice.
7. FastKey Launcher
The FastKey Launcher, released last year, aims to bring iOS’s Spotlight-like search to your Android. It has a neat qwerty keyboard which searches through your apps and contacts in a jiffy. In fact, it touts to have a 16ms turnaround time. FastKey Launcher also gives the option of searching for an app through the app drawer button at the bottom, just in case you don’t recollect the app’s name. Though the operation is same as the Peek Launcher, the upper hand that FastKey has that the keyboard is much more compact and you can actually see what you are typing.
8. Anole Launcher
If you are a privacy concerned user, your best bet to protect your phone from snoopy friends is the Anole Launcher. The USP of Anole Launcher is hiding apps. All you have to do is select your choice of apps and make them private. After that, the apps won’t show up in any search apart from your private box. Another great option is the Share Mode. If you have to hand over your phone to your buddy, all you need to do is choose the apps which they need to see. The launcher will create a separate partition in the phone which will have only those particular apps. Impressive, right?
9. Lens Launcher
The next on our list is the Lens Launcher. It’s similar to the a15 Launcher, the only difference being that instead of icon names you get a showcase of the icons — all the app icons — in a single screen. Though it would be unfeasible to use this launcher if you have hundreds of apps, the best case scenario would be if you own a few apps (or your eye sight is too good).
10. Buzz Launcher
Last, but not the least, we have Buzz Launcher — the mother of all launchers (Sorry, Nova!). Buzz Launcher combines a number of launcher functionality into a single one. So whether it’s the customization settings, gestures, blue light settings, wallpapers, themes or widgets– you get it all under a single roof.
That’s All!
Did we miss any of your favorite launchers in this article? Do drop us a line or two in the comments below. See Next: Google’s GIF Making App Motion Stills is now Available on Android
