[Guide]It's Time For Gesture Navigation Android - Android General

Good day everyone, so for years i wished for Android to adopt gesture navigation because it's so intuitive and natural. At the beginning it might require some effort to learn how to navigate but later on it becomes effortless it's like walking so to speak.
Anyway i wanted to create this Not Noob friendly :crying: tutorial for others who are interested in having gesture navigation replace the conventional old way but don't know where to begin or start and don't want to use custom roms. What i will be showing are the steps to how to remove the navigation bar using available apps and this method works on all Android rom versions.
Requirements
*Knowledge of how to root, install TWRP and flash zips.
*Rooted device.
Apps
*Gesture navigation app (Edge Gestures(No Root Required, Paid App), GMD Gesture Control(Root Required, Paid App), Swipe Navigation(Root Required, Free/Paid App) or any other gesture navigation app you like .
*GravityBox
*Substratum if you want to theme your rom.
Instructions
1- Install any Gesture Navigation app you like and setup the gestures you like for navigation on that app.
2- Install GravityBox we are going to need it to "hide/disable" the navigation bar. In GravityBox go to the "Navigation bar tweeks" section then under Dimentions heading move all the sliders to 0% and reboot the device for the affects to apply.
Now some of you will ask why not disable the navigation bar through GravityBox itself or from the build.prop using a string of command?, well disabling it will make "Tap On Now" feature not work any more that's why it's better to reduce the navigation bar height to zero and have no compromises, at the same time using the conventional build.prop method doesn't work on devices with Android Oreo and don't support project Treble.
3. Hide the status bar on all apps or some apps depending on which apps that don't play well, this is also an alternative method to still use the stock navigation bar but hide it from all apps.
Video of my Setup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFtzPU3IYvk&feature=youtu.be
-Apps used to achieve my setup
*GravityBox
*Substratum theme engine.
*GMD GestureControl ★ root
*Nova Launcher Prime
*[Substratum] Greyce
*Popup Widget 3
*Wallpaper
*Xposed
*NeoPowerMenu
*Rugos Premium - Icon Pack
*Athanotify - prayer times
*Tiles
P.S: All thanks go to the developers of these wonderful apps. :good:

If I may an alternative is also pie control and gesture app like LMT which is on XDA too.
Getting rid of navigation bar is so pleasant agent you get used to it.

EMJI79 said:
If I may an alternative is also pie control and gesture app like LMT which is on XDA too.
Getting rid of navigation bar is so pleasant agent you get used to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I love LMT i have been using it for years now, it and GMD i have been switching between the 2 back and forth i even have videos highlighting it.
But after using both apps i give the edge to GMD and apps like it because it's a 1 step action process compared to LMT pie 2 step process(swipe edge "step 1" + action click "step 2" depending on its position left,center,right) which is not so different from having the navigation bar hidden and then swiping from the bottom for it to pop up the difference though is that LMT is faster and has more flexibility and options.
The reason i didn't mention LMT is because i want a 1 action step "1 swipe only anywhere for action execution" which is easier and more intuitive in my opinion after some learning of course, another reason which is the point of this thread is a shout out to Google to head into this direction which i believe they will soon. Luckily for us Apple and OnePlus are heading the trend.
Anyway by using GravityBox you can enjoy "Pie Controls" which is basically LMT but with a different name.
Having said all that, LMT Launcher is my second choice salute:victory: to the app developer and thanks to you for mentioning it.

My favourite and current gesture setup without root.

Related

Best alternative to on-screen buttons?

What is the best alternative to the on-screen buttons out there today? Pie Control sounds okay but not as quick and intuitive as I'd like. Is there anything else that's similar to what the Palm Pre used to do? Example...swipe up from bottom to go home, swipe up and down or up and right for recent apps, and some type of swipe left or up and left to activate Back.
I use Nova Prime and it has gesture features built it. You can install the free version to check out what options are in there.
How about something outside of a specific launcher? Standalone would be preferred so it could work with anything. Is there anything that offers bottom swipes for home/recents and a side swipe for Back?
Swipe home button is the closest I have found
Check out lmt launcher. Its not a launcher in the traditional sense. Its system wide and has pie and gesture control.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
This disabled the hardware buttons on the N4: add `qemu.hw.mainkeys=1` in system/build.prop/. Guess it will also work on the N5. Use LMT Launcher http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1330150 or Pie Control on Google Play for navigation, link https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jun.ace.piecontrol.
Thanks, LMT Launcher with its invisible swipe areas looks to be exactly what I was looking for, I'd rather activate this stuff with an edge swipe instead of using the PIE controls. Gestures might work as well on a larger screen. Can anyone speak to how well the invisible swipe areas work, and if this app works on 10" tablets like the Nexus 10?
Reading around it seems like LMT might not work on Nexus 10. Any options that do? Primarily interested in swiping up from the bottom of the screen to trigger home/recents similar to Palm Pre, as opposed to PIE controls.

[APP][5.0+][FOSS] Lean Launcher, the customisable Pixel Launcher

Download Lean Launcher from the Google Play Store
If you prefer the debug version, no worries, you can download it from Github, here. Look for "LeanLauncher-1.0.0-5-play-debug.apk"!
Credit
Huge thanks for the excellent work of Amir, without his work, I don't think Lean Launcher would have been born.
Full feature list:
Notification dots
- on supported devices
App shortcuts
- static shortcuts from android 6.0
- dynamic shortcuts on support devices
- extra shortcut option to edit or uninstall apps
Dynamic icons on supported devices
- for Google Calendar
- for Google Clock
Quick actions
- swipe down for notifications with one finger
- swipe down for quick settings with two finger
At A Glance
- with a companion app
Google Now
- only for debug builds for now
Search UI
- hide bottom search bar
- change search provider
- colored G icon
- hide app search bar
- hide app suggestions
Look & Feel
- force light or dark theme, or just based on your wallpaper
- change Hotseat background
- change grid sizes
- change Hotseat icon count
- change icon sizes
Edit apps
- hide apps from your drawer
- change icon shapes
- support
Other
- allow home screen rotation
- disable spring animation
- toggle navigation bar transparency
- lock your desktop to prevent accidental changes
- double tap to lock
What has happened since 0.3.0?
First of all, I wanted to create two companion apps, one for At A Glance (this is ready), one for Google Now. Sadly, so far all of my implementations sucked for one reason or another, so I still need time for that. If you can't live without Google Now, I suggest you to use the debug build from Github. If you don't really care, use the Play Store version.
But than, Amir released version 3.2 of Rootless Pixel Launcher, so I changed my mind: rebase Lean to make use of 3.2, and implement a few more requested feature. Look at the changelog, I think it looks nice.
What's next?
I have my eyes on two things:
stabilization, this is the most important. I have now included crash reporting in the builds, so I can monitor if I need to act on something.
proper implementation of Google Now companion app.
TL;DR: Download Lean Launcher from the Google Play Store!
This launcher runs flawlessly on my Pixel 2XL! Just one question - is there a way to turn off at a glance? The option in Lean setting is grey so I cant turn it off. I'm using the debug version 1.0.0-5 from github (the google now page works perfectly btw)
Thanks! I like that icon size can be changed and also the double tap to lock!
*KiD CuDi* said:
This launcher runs flawlessly on my Pixel 2XL! Just one question - is there a way to turn off at a glance? The option in Lean setting is grey so I cant turn it off. I'm using the debug version 1.0.0-5 from github (the google now page works perfectly btw)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a mishap from my side, in the next version, you will be able to turn it off!
It seems at a glance weather is not working in the debug version even after installing and launching the companion app...
Running playstore version, everything ok till now. Thnx!
Cheers
Sent from my Google Pixel using XDA Labs
That's weird, it should pick up messages from the Google app sooner or later. Once it only started to work for me after I launched the Google app manually, than launching the companion app one more time. Does that maybe help?
Really loving the 0.3.0 version. I have a request. Is it possible to turn off the scroll bar in the app drawer? Scroll bar is really messing up the immersive experience for me. May an option to toggle in the settings.
Thank you for lean launcher
Awesome launcher smooth! My weather doesn't show, any work around?
Hi,
Your Pixel launcher runs really smooth on my Note 8 (and I've tried others Pixel launcher less smooth for me), great work!
I love the options already present, maybe an option to change per app icon, but maybe not a good idea to clutter your launcher with a ton of options and loose the performance...
I prefer stability and performance instead of having options slowing down the launcher.
keep up the good work and thanks again! :good::good::good:
@Anand durai: I will see about that, not yet sure.
@fullmetal509: For the weather to show, you need to install a companion app, which you can download here. After installing it, launch it once, and then it should start to receive and forward messages from the Google app to Lean Launcher!
@Manson79: actually, per app icon change is planned for the future
the Google Now page not changing dark mode
Google now page looks like old design compared to Rootless Pixel Launcher
I can't install the LeanGlance APK, it just keeps saying the package is corrupt. I am running the debug version and I've tried using older versions but nothing seems to work. I'm using an S8+, if that's significant.
mentalitarium said:
I can't install the LeanGlance APK, it just keeps saying the package is corrupt. I am running the debug version and I've tried using older versions but nothing seems to work. I'm using an S8+, if that's significant.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have any other Pixel Launcher variant installed? If yes, you will have to uninstall that first, since the companion app has to have the same package name in order for it to be able to receive and forward messages from the Google app!
Love the app
Would love the ability to change the app drawer to transparent an grid sizes
the playstore version is really smooth
Have you considered making a toggle to have a transparent dock, preferably rounded edges just liket the Android P launcher ?
Feature request: to be able to move the dock search bar up to the top of the home screen like in pic attached but obviously with the actual Google search bar, I'm just using a widget from playstore.
Thanks for this launcher I'm using it as my daily driver ?
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA Labs
A perfect compromise between the too simple stock Android launcher and the too "complicated" Nova launcher !
There are just the usefull settings in this launcher !
Thx a lot !
Been using this since yesterday and I must say it is damn well smooth added with flux white substratum theme it's looking sweet! hope you can add Android P like dock and other P launcher features in the future. Keep it up! good work and thank you
jabbeboy said:
the playstore version is really smooth
Have you considered making a toggle to have a transparent dock, preferably rounded edges just liket the Android P launcher ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can set the dock to transparent: Settings > Look & Feel > Hotseat background > Transparent. However, I think you mean translucent, like the P preview launcher is. That is planned, but for now, I'm waiting for Google dropping the latest launcher sources.
skiely666 said:
Feature request: to be able to move the dock search bar up to the top of the home screen like in pic attached but obviously with the actual Google search bar, I'm just using a widget from playstore.
Thanks for this launcher I'm using it as my daily driver
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA Labs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if I want to do that, but I'll think about it!
bon122728 said:
Been using this since yesterday and I must say it is damn well smooth added with flux white substratum theme it's looking sweet! hope you can add Android P like dock and other P launcher features in the future. Keep it up! good work and thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
P features are planned for later, first Google will have to drop the latest sources for it. After that, I'll most likely rebase to it, and the launcher will have the latest look & feel.

[APP]GCA Launcher (Deprecated)

Being a fan of Chromium OS and a passion for developing new and interesting things, I decided to build a launcher inspired by chromium os, based on Material Components.
GCA or GO Custom Android Launcher is a pixel design inspired launcher with core component features from chromium OS desktop. Its designed and built for Android Go but also offers new devices a fresh and new experience for your homescreen.
Supporting Android 5.x+, GCA offers a single screen launcher replacement app for android users who want a pixel lite experience. Alot of the offered features come from my other launcher, Sapphyx Launcher, and rebuilt to be faster, lighter and ultimately offer a better experience in a small package. It runs beautifully on Android Go, smooth on devices with Android 5 (Like the Kindle Fires) and offers a theme engine that's customizeable by the user.
GCA features are dependant on what Google Apps are installed that depend on an action, whether Google services is installed or not and specific apps that are installed (Action Dash for Dash System Shortcut)
Core Features
-A single screen setup (no grid, one widget).
-A customizeable App Drawer with multi-purpose search.
-The App Drawer features apps with system shortcuts and app shortcuts and allows users to blacklist apps.
-App Drawer supports a secondary "Work" tab to help organize apps in a better fassion.
-App Shortcuts generate a list of selectable app shortcuts in a vertical menu of the app popup.
-Recent Apps
-Easy to use launcher customization
-Pixel/Chromium desktop like Cosmetics
-Launcher uses my wallpaper app, Drywall, as default wallpaper provider. If its not installed, fallback on user selected.
-Notification Badges and Underlining. Clicking on the app will dismiss. Is not supported on Android Go unless activated by OEM.
-Adaptive Icons
-Icon Packs
Adaptive Icons
-GCA Launcher uses James Fenn's adaptive icon view library. The code itself was inspired by lawnchair's backport of adaptive icons for pre oreo devices. It pulls v26 icon assets for foregrounds and backgrounds and relayers them as an adaptive icon view which behave similar to pixel launchers adaptive icons. How you choose to use them will affect performance of the launcher and should be chosen dependant of how capable your device is. Users can select which shape of adaptive icon path they want to use. This will also apply itself to app actions, predictions and app drawer button.
There are 3 options of icons you may use for your drawer.
Pixel Adaptive - will try and generate adaptive icons based on the assets gathered by the icon and created by the system, this will slow down your app drawer depending on your hardware. (Not recommended for Android Go, Does not support icon packs)
Palette Adaptive - will disregard any assets available from the icon and simply scale the icon drawable as foreground and apply the dominant color of the icon for the background drawable (Faster than pixel adaptive, supports icon packs)
Normal Icons - normal default icon behavior and style
What's Not Working / WIP
-Icon Packs that generate their own icons like Icon Pack Studio may cause crashes, please don't use them. Icon Packs developed with BluePrint library are recommended.
-If external data usage permission is denied on first start, homescreen scrim will not be available or work correctly. Homescreen scrim will set to default white if using a live wallpaper.
-GCA is setup to change available features based on Android OS, if you notice something that may not be correct or crashes, let me know. This is your only paywall.
-Android 5.X support is limited but work in progress. Cosmetics and style need updated but it is functional. Please report back any inconveniences and crashes.
-Android 10 support has been added but we are monitoring performance and compatibility.
-Adaptive Shape Views and Adaptive Icon performance may vary on devices.
Changelog
-A detailed changelog can be found in the application settings. It is written in html so translation is your responsibility, html can be copied.
Donations
/ Pledges
-Yearly pledges have been implemented in the app. You are not obligated for any reason to purchase these but if you want regular updates, its recommended. Pledges keep the project alive and a few cups of coffee or a beer is sent my way (depending on time of day).
Downloads
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gocalsd.symphlyx
Xda Labs: https://labs.xda-developers.com/store/app/com.gocalsd.symphlyx
Telegram: Support channel can be found in the app settings
Bug Reports / Request
Please use the telegram channel or xda forums for bug reports and request. Do not use the Google Play ratings as a place for this stuff.
While making request, take into consideration how itl affect performance. We are keeping Android Go as our target OS. If itl consume memory or increase size massively , im not interested. We are aiming to keep customization minimal and the launcher simple but their could be different ways to approach currently implemented features, and id love to hear your ideas.
Android Go Nokia 1 performance demonstration
Nokia 1 and Essential Phone performance comparison
Quick Preview of Symphlyx (Latest build)
8/11/19
Il be uploading a new video soon comparing performance on a variety of devices using Symphlyx Official
Previously known as Symphlyx Launcher
Project Update Notice:
V2 is in development and I'm hoping for a beta release at the end of February 2020. The launcher has been rewritten from the ground up and includes a bunch of new features the community requested through pledges.
Sent from my HTC U Ultra using XDA Labs
I downloaded it and put it through the paces. I like how clean it is and I think you could be on to something. Will look forward to further development. Good job. ?
MadsMann said:
I downloaded it and put it through the paces. I like how clean it is and I think you could be on to something. Will look forward to further development. Good job. ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to hear!
Sent from my HTC U Ultra using XDA Labs
Hoping to have a new update published tomorrow night. A preview of what's being worked on.
Sent from my HTC U Ultra using XDA Labs
New update today, now available on xda labs!
Changes
-Added experimental support for SDK 21 (Any devices with android 5.x are now able to install Symphlyx. Needs alot of work but its useable)
-Added Dismiss popup action for Android 5.x (Clicking outside of bounds on popup will not dismiss menu)
-Improved general performance and optimization for Android Go
-Added ability to dismiss notification underlining
-Added functional reminder widget
-Added semi function Heads Up widget (Previously known as generic At A Glance. Will behave differently on different OS's. Working on a weather provider atm but clicking on weather will ooen google weather. Heads up strings display differnet things on every quarter of the day.)
-Recent Apps now functional (Uses a position and click count logic. Recent apps hold 5 recent apps. The drawer monitors a click count up to 5. Every count is registered to a position and saves the action and icon on that click for the position in recent apps. If that action is already saved in a position, the click data is ignored but the count is consumed.)
-Added the ability to clear search results. Clicking the back button when the drawer is open will dismiss it but if search results are present, it will clear the search results focus first.
-Improved icon pack support and the chooser settings
-Increased homescreen scrim and All Apps button height position
-Fixed an issue where Sensey listener would be killed if the background process was killed by android os. This would make navigating to your apps or settings impossible.
And a few more chnages, check the changelog for a full list of changes.
Sent from my HTC U Ultra using XDA Labs
Currently working on a large update for Sapphyx Launcher atm so please leave some feedback on what could be improved, what you'd like to see, how the launcher performs on your device, etc while i take a break on this project to let it simmer.
Sent from my HTC U Ultra using XDA Labs
Currently finishing things up with Sapphyx Launcher development but a whole lot of changes are expected to be merged in with Symphlyx launcher in the coming future.
Sent from my HTC U Ultra using XDA Labs
It's been kinda quiet around here. I present a preview of the new popup menu we've been working on.
An update is expected to drop in June. Rebuilding alot of everything.
Let's talk about this new screenshot here giving some lite to Symphlyx Launcher's future.
Users will now have a dock. This dock will reflect recent app icons to the desktop from the drawer. These shortcuts have a popup menu similar to the drawer popup menu but limited to launcher actions. These do not have any sort of notification indicator.
Below the apps is a google searchbar. The searchbar also has 3 items. 2 predictive actions and am all apps button. The all apps button can be toggled while the predictive actions are only available to devices that support app shortcuts. Predictive actions behave very similar to Lawnchair 's logic behind predictive actions. When a user launches a shortcut class, its logged and saved to the prediction items. Only 2 at a time are logged.
Update Alpha 0.5 is now available on xda labs and pending on Google play.
Changes since march reveal
-Widget sliders are dead. The homescreen has been rebuilt to be cleaner, faster and better for gestures. Insteaf of Sliders, Symphkyx will rely on its stand alone heads up widget. Later on, users will be granted the ability to use their own widgets.
-Sensey gesture recognition has been removed due to click interferences we had during development. It has been replaced with our own gesture recognition system that will allow more control.
-The homescreen now offers a Shelf (dock) similar to Chromium. This shelf will later have some theme options available. Shelf will mirrow recwntly opened apps from the app drawer and add them in a 5 item dock. These shortcuts offer limited launcher actions and launcher shortcuts. Below these apps is a searchbar for google. It should open Google now depending on your os and firmware. On the end of the searchbar is an all apps button and a holder for recent actions. Recent actions can be enabled in the launcher settings and is only available to android 7.1+. Prediction actions will list 2 recenlty opened app shortcuts. These shortcuts will remain here untill a new app package is detected and/or replaced by the prediction system.
-The app drawer has had a few things done to it to improve performance and reliability. Colors are extracted in the data set instead of the adapter now and used for the popup menu and badge underlining. The drawer toolbar works the same way as before. Clicking on the google icons will open their respective activities but if something is in the searchbar, it will search that string in that environment. (ex: Google search news, Playstore search news)
-The popup menu still needs some tuning but now builds up on app shortcuts. If a shortcut is available, it will add it in a vertical list menu. This replaces the shortcut action we used to have to view shortcuts in a context menu. This menu is cleaner, faster and feels like a pixel popup. Actions are dependant of your os version and shortcuts are dependant on availability. Shortcuts and popups do not appear on recent apps in the app drawer.
-The settings menu has been cleaned up abit. This menu will only contain dynamic settings. (except icon packs) The menu now has an expansion activity. This menu will hold settings that rely on the launcher restarting or some system dependant.
-The about activity has been rebuilt with attribouter.
-The application is now built on AndroidX and Material Components. Very little 3rd party dependency is used now for a cleaner and reliable experience.
Recent Screenshots
Small update today. Tried correcting the positioning of popup menus on app item positions. We've noticed the popup menus would cut off on far right items and arrows not correctly inflating in the right sport or at all. I simply updated the popup library to correct these issues.
I might look into some sort of notification or alert count in the popup menu which would reset to 0 if cleared with the Clear Action.
A light n dark theme mode is being looked. This will be triggered by time or manually.
Nx Biotic said:
Small update today. Tried correcting the positioning of popup menus on app item positions. We've noticed the popup menus would cut off on far right items and arrows not correctly inflating in the right sport or at all. I simply updated the popup library to correct these issues.
I might look into some sort of notification or alert count in the popup menu which would reset to 0 if cleared with the Clear Action.
A light n dark theme mode is being looked. This will be triggered by time or manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could be promising. Wouldn't let me get through the permissions set-up before crashing.
dpdsr65 said:
Could be promising. Wouldn't let me get through the permissions set-up before crashing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What android version are you using?
Nx Biotic said:
What android version are you using?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
8. 10
dpdsr65 said:
8. 10
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, il see what would of caused this to happen.
Well I was searching for a new launcher and xda labs landed me here. Screenshots look dope, but for me launcher has bugs,
1: not able to set homescreen widget even when given all permissions
2: app drawer is cut maybe due to aspect ratio ( mine is 19.5:9)
Well if these screens help, here they are.

Android 10 Launcher

So it took me a while to get used to Android 10 but i quite like the gestures now like the swipe in from the side for back and swipe up anywhere on home screen for the apps, but I dont like......
1) the google search bar - want to remove it
2) the date & temperature- want to remove it
3) When the keyboard is visible the height of the bar at the bottom of the screen for the 3 control buttons is massive, even when I change to gestures and just get a line there is still this huge empty space
I have tried nova and evie and I do like all the customisations, reminds me of the custom rom i had on my old phones, but I found I couldnt do everything I wanted.
If i get nova prime can I do everything I want?
Thanks
slippyjim said:
So it took me a while to get used to Android 10 but i quite like the gestures now like the swipe in from the side for back and swipe up anywhere on home screen for the apps, but I dont like......
1) the google search bar - want to remove it
2) the date & temperature- want to remove it
3) When the keyboard is visible the height of the bar at the bottom of the screen for the 3 control buttons is massive, even when I change to gestures and just get a line there is still this huge empty space
I have tried nova and evie and I do like all the customisations, reminds me of the custom rom i had on my old phones, but I found I couldnt do everything I wanted.
If i get nova prime can I do everything I want?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes, with Nova you can
2. Yes
3. Don't know
Cheers
Sent from my Google Pixel using XDA Labs

[APP][5.0+] GCA Launcher

I first introduced GCA Launcher 3 years ago as an inspirational project based on Chromium OS and over the years of development and continuous feedback from the userbase, GCA Launcher has evolved into a one of kind launcher experience that is now considered competitive against its own kind. GCA is not a traditional android grid homescreen launcher app but a single screen homescreen experience. We sacrifice the cluttered homescreen experience for a focused workspace where users can place apps that are apart of their daily routines while retaining the ability to access to important features like shortcuts, notifications, actions and personalization. The app drawer has been designed for a one handed experience while retaining the organization and filtering experience users need to search for apps that are important to them. Below, Il talk about sections of the launcher in more detail.
THE HOMESCREEN
The homescreen was designed for users who want the Pixel experience on their devices but also provide them with a simple tier experience that has no clutter, that is easy to understand, have full control and have access to some inhouse features that are unique to GCA. The Homescreen was designed for both the big screen and mobile scene. Users can pin as many apps to their Shelf as they want. You can do so by going into your app drawer, long pressing on an app to access its popup menu and select pin to shelf. This then creates a hotseat for that specific app sets a unique ID to that speicif hotseat so its protected against other possible replicas the user may create. This in turn opens a door in the future that will allow me to add Actions, Groups, and other possible actions I can allow users to add to the shelf. Users can choose between using GCA Launchers built in Quick Search Bar to bond to their shelf or choose a specific searchbar widget to bond to the shelf or hide it all together. To access the app drawer, users simply swipe up from the shelf to access the app list. Users are also able to use either GCA Launchers built in Widget that simply works as a search bar and displays the Google App and Chrome app shortcuts or use a specific widget of their choice. The homescreen also has a set of customizeable gestures the user can bond actions and shortcuts to.
LAUNCHER SHEETS
While developing GCA Launcher, I wanted something that spoke material design (Besides the Material You theming features baked in) that was unique to the launcher. The idea came about while browsing the Material Component website by google and Material Sheets caught my eye.
By default, GCA uses the Navigation Menu to display the launcher menu on the homescreen but I decided to take this a step further and tap into its full ability to display content. There are 2 types of sheets that function in GCA Launcher. App Sheets and Launcher Sheets. Launcher Sheets display content that can interact with the user while App Sheets display information regarding the target its referring to. For EX: After accessing the popup menu, selecting the hamburger menu in the quick action list in the popup will open te App Sheet of the selected application, this will display System Actions and Setting Information. Launchers Sheets display information like the Launcher Menu, Quick Search, Notifications and more to come. Launcher Sheets can be bonded to gestures to quickly access them and they dont interfere with your homescreen. Its very similar to the quick space in Action Launcher.
BADGES
GCA Launcher brings 4 different app badges to the table. Dots, Badge Counts, Underline and Dynamic.
Dots have been redesigned to behave abit differently than pixel launcher. As notification counts increase, the border of the Dot will get darker.
Underlines are just, well underlines...
Badge Counts will show the current count of active notifications for an app.
Dynamic Badges are something new. I wanted to create something similar to Nova Launcher but ofcourse from my own perspective. As notifications increase for an app, it monitors the notifications in the background and watches the notification icons used. The icon is than rendered as a badge and placed on the app.
ICON EDITING
I have not cut any corners when it comes to Icon Editing. From applying 2 different icon packs for your app drawer and your shelf, to editing labels and choosing specific icons from installed icons packs to crafting your own icon from an image in your gallery, their are all sorts of possibilities for Icon Management. GCA Launchers uses its own Adaptive Icon Rendering library to manipulate icons to any size, shape, dim and even creating material you themed icons on your Shelf.
LAUNCHER SETTTINGS
The launcher settings was the most interesting part about this project. I wanted a complete redesign. A complete do over. Something new and fresh. The Launcher settings was designed for both new users and existing users in mind. The Interface uses a Rail Navigation for the core categories most users are focused on while pressing on the navigation button will expand the Navigation Menu that allows the user to access even more settings for the launcher.
PRO FEATURES
GCA LAUNCHER IS NO LONGER AN ALL FREE LAUNCHER (As it used to be when it first launched). With the pandemic and everything else going on in my life, I had to make the choice to make GCA Launcher a profitable project. Unlike other premium launchers where the user buys a premium key and everything unlocks, GCA Launcher DOES NOT USE THIS APPROACH. Users can now buy individual pro features based on their needs and wants. I am working on ways to reward users with discounts and/or if you have purchased pledges in the past. Pledges are just donations and don't reward you with anything however I am working on getting pledged users discounts to reep benifits from. I am also working on discount days and special events to earn pro features. This is an entirely new direction for launchers, so yeah im a tad nervous about it but being the first launcher dev to approach this but im excited at the same time. Once you purchase a pro feature, it should unlock automatically from the launcher settings or just implement itself under the hood. If it doesnt seem to stick properly, reboot the launcher or make sure the pro feature has been purchased.
PRO FEATURES FOR NONE GOOGLE USERS
Some android devices around the world do not run off of google or just is not available and I understand this and am working very hard in the background to figure out a solution that will not be abused. I will have something for you in the future.
ANDROID GO VERSION
Coming soon!
Core Features
Launcher supports work profile apps and dual apps
Supports to indicate paused apps
Supports Action Dash system shortcut
Supoorts Sesame Searchbar in the Shelf
Launcher takes into consideration Full Screen Gestures and the Navigation Bar when needed to
Groups allow users to create organized folders of apps available in the Groups Sheet
Multi-tab search in the app drawer
While enabling Recent Apps and Groups in the app drawer, this will disable the section seeker view
Launcher Sheets are a new approach to menus and options for the launcher and apps.
The Shelf offers specific actions for apps that differ from the Drawer apps. One option in specific is the favorite action.
The Shelf and App Drawer apps will feature different system shortcuts and features in the app sheet. Long clicking on an app will make a popup menu appear, click the hamburger menu for a sheet menu
Apps can be edited in 2 options. The physical editing and the personal options. Personal options are in the launcher settings and allow options like icon sizes, label editing and shape shifting. Physical options can be found in the popup menu by clicking edit. This allows adaptive override, icon pack editing, scale and label editing.
The Shelf features a revised searchbar that can be toggled to the Top, Bottom or Removed completely. The searchbar features a shortcut to open the launcher menu, a global search feature, an assistant shortcut and has an option to store and track the usage of App Shortcuts to feature a recent actions holder.
Hide and Edit apps right from the popup menu
The App Drawer is built on a fastscroll functionality.
Recent Apps now uses Usage Stats Data. This gives Recent Apps a 100% reliable stat and not clutter up the app drawer when its not in use. The list will update on a regular basis.
The Shelf and App Drawer themes are based on a sheet style. They overlap each other creating some interesting twist to style.
App Shortcuts and Notifications for the current app appear in the popup menu
Active Notifications appear in app sheets showing users a preview of current notifications. Clicking on the notification will take you to that action. The notification sheet will display all your active notifications and snoozed notifications.
Users can manage a blacklist of notification badges
GCA Launcher does support Material Widgets in Android 12
Widgets can be resized by long clicking on them and a resize module will appear.
Material You theming powered by MonetCompat
Launcher settings features smart suggestions that appear on certain variables when available
Join the beta program to receive the newest build of GCA Launcher and to test new features before they officially release.
Links:
GCA Telegram Channel
GCA Telegram News Channel
Sign Up For Beta Program Web Android
GCA Launcher on Google Play
General Note:
This is a pre beta of which means parts of the launcher are not even functional yet. I did a pre beta to find errors i couldn't find myself and to get feedback on the progress we currently are at. If you see a page that is blank or something isn't functional, chances are it wasn't ready for the public yet. Please be patient with things.
Common Questions:
Why does GCA Launchers Adaptive icons behave so differently compared to the ones found in stock launchers?
-That is because the icons use a different mechanic and were made from scratch so everyone could enjoy adaptive icons and it not be exclusive to 7.1+ users. My icons can be modified from the icon to the shape override.
Can we get a launcher import option?
-No, not currently. Almost all launchers that exist use the base of Googles Launcher3 which adding an import option for them is easy. I would have to take the database, tear it apart, create a converter and place the data we need were it belongs. We are not there yet.
The System UI seems to behave differently from other apps.
-GCA Launcher has a theme engine similar to pixel launcher and trys to make the choice of a light or dark navbar or statusbar. Using Android10s dark mode may confuse things but eventually il have it all sorted out.
The launcher interface isn't what I expected. Shouldn't it behave like pixel launcher?
-No, it behaves like it should be. How it was designed.
Does it support quickswitch?
-It never will unless Google changes the api for the recents provider. I blame the lawnchair team of this common question as many users have assumed this is a premium feature now and should be supported by all launchers now which isn't the case.
Does this launcher support dark mode from android10?
-yes but we have some work todo yet
Why do things look weird in the launcher settings? Preference category is hard to read and matches the toolbar color.
-Try changing the color scheme in the style settings. This is the GCA theme engine at work.
Ratings:
If you post a rating for GCA Launcher coming from V1, more than likely i will dis regard it. V1 is being deprecated soon and all bugs and errors you will find in V1 on the playstore are being disregarded. V2 is a rewrite with new features and new bugs.
Bugs
Theming issues colliding with system
Some widgets dont' save initial setup data
Complex widgets are not currently supported
That's a ton of changes. Do you have any screenshots or screen recordings you can share?
MishaalRahman said:
That's a ton of changes. Do you have any screenshots or screen recordings you can share?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can most definitely do that
Screenshots of V2
I updated the build earlier to fix something for Android 8 users and ended up screwing something up for Android 9 users so il be keeping tabs on everything as much as possible but I will not be able to do anything if no one says anything. Please provide feedback as much as possible. Thank you in advanced.
Those of you keeping me informed of crashes, thank you, thank you, thank you
Newest build fixes problems with android 9 and 10 crashing in specific windows of the launcher
I just installed this and have only played with it for a few minutes. A couple things I have noticed.
The status bar icons and time take on the same color as the wallpaper. I installed and ran it with a white background. The status bar icons were white, when I changed to a black background they changed to black as well.
I can't get the size of the icons to save. When I go to settings>theme and style>launcher icon I change the size from small to normal but when you click ok and go back into the setting it says small again.
I also would get where the phone would default back to the stock launcher.
Maybe I didn't play around with it enough but how do you set apps on the dock?
I will mess with it some more tomorrow and let you know if I find anything else.
Also I am on a Pixel 4 XL on March update. Not rooted or unlocked
hatdrc said:
I just installed this and have only played with it for a few minutes. A couple things I have noticed.
The status bar icons and time take on the same color as the wallpaper. I installed and ran it with a white background. The status bar icons were white, when I changed to a black background they changed to black as well.
I can't get the size of the icons to save. When I go to settings>theme and style>launcher icon I change the size from small to normal but when you click ok and go back into the setting it says small again.
I also would get where the phone would default back to the stock launcher.
Maybe I didn't play around with it enough but how do you set apps on the dock?
I will mess with it some more tomorrow and let you know if I find anything else.
Also I am on a Pixel 4 XL on March update. Not rooted or unlocked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Shelf apps can be changed by long clicking on a Shelf favorite and their will be a Favorite option to select a different package. This option isn't available in the App Drawer apps so it might be easy to miss.
When changing the icon sizes, make sure your changing the icon size and bot just the text size. Both options are in one dialog.
Id your having a hard time switching out your default launcher, you can use my No'Me app i have listed above. It helps alot.
Nx Biotic said:
Newest build fixes problems with android 9 and 10 crashing in specific windows of the launcher
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The app in your GDrive is (always) updated ?
Going to test your launcher by curiosity.
Thx !
BreckZeBoulay said:
The app in your GDrive is (always) updated ?
Going to test your launcher by curiosity.
Thx !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I keep both Gdrive and Telegram beta channel updated. I will be publishing the beta build on Playstore when i feel its stable enough. Right now, we constantly keep running into something that prevents me from doing so.
Hi, I was wondering if you could add an import feature?
I take a lot of time to setup my whole homescreen and it would be amazing to have an import feature. Thanks
I want to import my nova launcher setup to this launcher.
surya467 said:
Hi, I was wondering if you could add an import feature?
I take a lot of time to setup my whole homescreen and it would be amazing to have an import feature. Thanks
I want to import my nova launcher setup to this launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That won't happen because this launcher uses a different style and approach to the launcher scene. The most customization you will do in this launcher is color scheme and icon theming
Hi,
I was more curious and installed it in my android 8.0 with custom system UI colours (non rooted).
when I set as launcher, the system UI get restarted again and again. Finally, it ended up with Factory reset.
beautiful launcher ? works great on my old Nokia 8, on my Nova 5T not so much (cause Huawei) I'll watch the progress of this launcher from now on, thank you for this, Pledge doesn't work on the pre- beta
vpguru said:
Hi,
I was more curious and installed it in my android 8.0 with custom system UI colours (non rooted).
when I set as launcher, the system UI get restarted again and again. Finally, it ended up with Factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im currently investigating a launcher theme issue. Its crashing devices randomly. Your not alone
PaulDnoOb said:
beautiful launcher ? works great on my old Nokia 8, on my Nova 5T not so much (cause Huawei) I'll watch the progress of this launcher from now on, thank you for this, Pledge doesn't work on the pre- beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pledges should work. May depend on the google services version installed on your device. Thank you for your support.
Great launcher
Great launcher but it's a bit buggy for me on One UI. The header text is dark in the settings and also in app options when using dark mode and adaptive icons don't work properly for Samsung apps. The status bar also is dark on home screen and blends in with the wallpaper so it's hard to read. Also when you open the app drawer the shelf doesn't completely hide the app icons (the top portion is still visible). I don't know if that's by design but it looks weird. Search doesn't work (probably because I don't have the Google app installed but if that's the case I wish there was an option to disable it). Creating a widget causes the launcher to freeze, and it only recovers when I clear data and force stop. When you press and hold an icon, even if the side menu shows up partially, if you leave pressing the app, the app will launch. You have to wait for the side menu to completely open. That's not much of an issue once you get used it's behavior. It's an early build so the bugs are expected but I thought I will report them anyways.
ununununun said:
Great launcher but it's a bit buggy for me on One UI. The header text is dark in the settings and also in app options when using dark mode and adaptive icons don't work properly for Samsung apps. The status bar also is dark on home screen and blends in with the wallpaper so it's hard to read. Also when you open the app drawer the shelf doesn't completely hide the app icons (the top portion is still visible). I don't know if that's by design but it looks weird. Search doesn't work (probably because I don't have the Google app installed but if that's the case I wish there was an option to disable it). Creating a widget causes the launcher to freeze, and it only recovers when I clear data and force stop. When you press and hold an icon, even if the side menu shows up partially, if you leave pressing the app, the app will launch. You have to wait for the side menu to completely open. That's not much of an issue once you get used it's behavior. It's an early build so the bugs are expected but I thought I will report them anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your feedback

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