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I have no idea what people are complaining about. This UI is even better than HTC Sense, IMO, and manages to one up even the super simple to use iPhone UI.
- Slide the screen to unlock. Brilliant.
- Easily rearrange icons and programs.
- Music player has drop-down interface on locked home screen.
- Notifications drop down has WiFi/BT/Silent/Vibe settings built in.
- I can add/remove pages! I just want 3 pages? Done. Simple.
- Camera loads INSTANTLY. The Droid X (I returned) was so slow to load.
- Memo program! Thanks!
- My Files file manager, no need to download AndExplorer
and it's easily as snappy as the iPhone4. Every other Android phone (except the Aria for some reason) was obviously slower than the iPhone when it came to navigating the interface. This phone is smooth as silk at all times. BETTER than the iPhone.
Am I alone here or what?
I agree. It's actually usable once I removed the Samsung widgets from my homescreens to reduce the lag. I like the custom options available with LauncherPro and the additional dock icons, though. I'm doing battery testing with a few different launchers right now and I'll probably go back to trying Touchwiz again after today.
grinr said:
I have no idea what people are complaining about. This UI is even better than HTC Sense, IMO, and manages to one up even the super simple to use iPhone UI.
- Slide the screen to unlock. Brilliant.
- Easily rearrange icons and programs.
- Music player has drop-down interface on locked home screen.
- Notifications drop down has WiFi/BT/Silent/Vibe settings built in.
- I can add/remove pages! I just want 3 pages? Done. Simple.
- Camera loads INSTANTLY. The Droid X (I returned) was so slow to load.
- Memo program! Thanks!
- My Files file manager, no need to download AndExplorer
and it's easily as snappy as the iPhone4. Every other Android phone (except the Aria for some reason) was obviously slower than the iPhone when it came to navigating the interface. This phone is smooth as silk at all times. BETTER than the iPhone.
Am I alone here or what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is MY first android device.. Coming from a old sidekick, then windows mobile, then iphone 3g, this is my first step towards android.
As far as the interface, I've used other Android devices before and the experience wasn't so hot. The Galaxy S is not only fast, but has tons of options. The UI is simple, fast, and easy to manage.
The only thing that I don't like is all the bloatware that ATT puts on the phone.
I agree.
Touch wiz adds so many nice little tweaks that add up to big improvements. I love everything in your list and would like to add the amazing brightness control by swyping the top bar.
I saw the screenshots for Touchwiz before I bought the phone was was convinced that it'd be the first thing to go. In fact, simply because of the dock at the bottom I was still convinced I was going to drop it when I picked up the phone. then I discovered that you can change which applications show up on the dock! It's so much more customizable than I had previously thought, and it's not as laggy as I imagined it would have been. And it really does have a lot of nice little tweaks. I'm quite happy with it.
You're definitely not alone. I too thought I was going to replace touchwiz, but I find it to be smooth and awesome! I was just about to make a duplicate thread of this one asking who kept touchwiz.
Add another these your list:
You can rearrange pages.
Swype to call/txt
Touch top dots to swap screens.
I like the status bar music player and wireless toggles. That is the perfect place to put them. I like the transparent sliding lockscreen, and the music player on the lock screen.
I thought the side scrolling of the applications would be annoying, but then I realized that it unifies the mechanism of icon pages. The home screen has pages for all homescreen apps. Why not simplify it and make pages for the applications too? You don't use the applications button often anyway as much as your homescreen. The only thing I don't like is the random color backgrounds. They could've left those out.
I don't use any samsung widgets and it's TW is faster than Launcherpro and on the same tier as ADW.
I do need to use a better file explorer though, myfiles is a bit too basic. You should try ES explorer since astro has ads now. File operations, views, and etc. are perfect.
This is also my first Android phone (had 3G and 3GS before), but as far as I can tell, almost none of the things you guys like are Touchwiz-specific. They are just Android features or apps.
Touchwiz is the homescreen manager. Replace it with Launcher Pro and you'll see what changes (and also see the 95% that stays the same).
I use Launcher Pro because it 1) is quick to swipe between screens, with no stutter; 2) has the ability to "pinch" the screen or hit the Home button to do a mac-like "expose" of all the home screens for fast switching to the exact page you want; 3) has the ability to have the 3D Apps drawer, which is much better than the dumb iPhone-like one (and don't even get me started on the "alphabetical list" that only shows one column of apps); and 4) the bottom icon bar can hold up to 15 launchers that you can swipe back and forth from any screen.
You can still swipe the notification bar for brightness, music player works the same, the lock screen is the same, all the apps that come on the phone are still there and accessible, you can customize it exactly the same as the Touchwiz homescreen...basically everything mentioned is the same. Except Launcher Pro is faster, easier to use, and prettier. Yes, you lose the Samsung widgets, but they all have replacements in the market.
only loss i see is the media from lock screen. I can live without it. Just try launcher pro a maybe u will feel the diff in speed or maybe u will sacrifice some speed for pretty widgets.
caelestis2 said:
You're definitely not alone. I too thought I was going to replace touchwiz, but I find it to be smooth and awesome! I was just about to make a duplicate thread of this one asking who kept touchwiz.
Add another these your list:
You can rearrange pages.
Swype to call/txt
Touch top dots to swap screens.
I like the status bar music player and wireless toggles. That is the perfect place to put them. I like the transparent sliding lockscreen, and the music player on the lock screen.
I thought the side scrolling of the applications would be annoying, but then I realized that it unifies the mechanism of icon pages. The home screen has pages for all homescreen apps. Why not simplify it and make pages for the applications too? You don't use the applications button often anyway as much as your homescreen. The only thing I don't like is the random color backgrounds. They could've left those out.
I don't use any samsung widgets and it's TW is faster than Launcherpro and on the same tier as ADW.
I do need to use a better file explorer though, myfiles is a bit too basic. You should try ES explorer since astro has ads now. File operations, views, and etc. are perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also dislike the random colored backgrounds, in the app drawer. Does anyone know where those graphic files are? I want to replace the images with straight black images so they will blend into the app drawer background seemlessly.
They are the only reason I will not use TW. I hate those damn backgrounds.
chvybeatsford said:
only loss i see is the media from lock screen. I can live without it. Just try launcher pro a maybe u will feel the diff in speed or maybe u will sacrifice some speed for pretty widgets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still have the music player access from the lock screen, with Launcher Pro. Just use the music player, lock the phone, hit the power button, drag the little half-cd icon down, and good to go.
You lost that?
k2snowboards88 said:
Touch wiz adds so many nice little tweaks that add up to big improvements. I love everything in your list and would like to add the amazing brightness control by swyping the top bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMG, can't believe I didn't notice that before. That's awesome.
I have to say I am also impressed with the Touch Wiz UI. I am coming from a sense device and was very unimpressed with HTC Sense. That UI kind of took over the phone. TouchWiz doesn't really take over much it just adds some kewl extra options.
asrrin29 said:
I saw the screenshots for Touchwiz before I bought the phone was was convinced that it'd be the first thing to go. In fact, simply because of the dock at the bottom I was still convinced I was going to drop it when I picked up the phone. then I discovered that you can change which applications show up on the dock! It's so much more customizable than I had previously thought, and it's not as laggy as I imagined it would have been. And it really does have a lot of nice little tweaks. I'm quite happy with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you change the applications on the dock. I can't find it.
KewlRobD said:
How do you change the applications on the dock. I can't find it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you must go into the applications menu, and press the menu button, and change the ViewType to "Customizable Grid" Then you can hit the menu button again, and press Edit, and it will allow you to delete icons, rearrange icons, and drag them to the app dock.
asrrin29 said:
you must go into the applications menu, and press the menu button, and change the ViewType to "Customizable Grid" Then you can hit the menu button again, and press Edit, and it will allow you to delete icons, rearrange icons, and drag them to the app dock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks my friend. I liked the applications layout so I had not bothered going into the edit menu.
autoxer said:
This is also my first Android phone (had 3G and 3GS before), but as far as I can tell, almost none of the things you guys like are Touchwiz-specific. They are just Android features or apps.
Touchwiz is the homescreen manager. Replace it with Launcher Pro and you'll see what changes (and also see the 95% that stays the same).
I use Launcher Pro because it 1) is quick to swipe between screens, with no stutter; 2) has the ability to "pinch" the screen or hit the Home button to do a mac-like "expose" of all the home screens for fast switching to the exact page you want; 3) has the ability to have the 3D Apps drawer, which is much better than the dumb iPhone-like one (and don't even get me started on the "alphabetical list" that only shows one column of apps); and 4) the bottom icon bar can hold up to 15 launchers that you can swipe back and forth from any screen.
You can still swipe the notification bar for brightness, music player works the same, the lock screen is the same, all the apps that come on the phone are still there and accessible, you can customize it exactly the same as the Touchwiz homescreen...basically everything mentioned is the same. Except Launcher Pro is faster, easier to use, and prettier. Yes, you lose the Samsung widgets, but they all have replacements in the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Touch wiz is not just a homescreen manager. Launcher pro is just a homescreen manager. When you load launcher pro you still get all of touch wiz's small and useful enhancements that wouldn't be available on vanilla android.
k2snowboards88 said:
Touch wiz is not just a homescreen manager. Launcher pro is just a homescreen manager. When you load launcher pro you still get all of touch wiz's small and useful enhancements that wouldn't be available on vanilla android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, all our points are valid to touchwiz. If you say they stay with launcher pro, thats because touchwiz is still running.
If you don't like sidescrolling appplication then why do you sidescroll homescreens?
Edit: Oh one more thing to add to the list:
Music player has virtual surround sound that makes a noticeable difference!
I also much prefer the tw launcher over any of the others I have tried. I have tried pretty much all of them too. I like the way the app drawer works. I like that when you select an app, then return to the app drawer, it remembers where you were. I also like the sliding setup vs an app drawer that just scrolls up or down. The icon backgrounds make it easier for me to see the apps and find them.
There are a lot of other nice touches to the overall Android experience as well. The changes they made to the corporate mail client are great. I also like the changes to the notification bar and I really like the lock screen.
Not to mention how the Black/Blue theme looks over the standard, nasty looking Android theme. Everything from the dialer to the status bar is a major improvement(not a detraction) over stock Android. But it's still not as obtrusive as Sense.
I'm liking TW as well, however from a launcher perspective I much more prefer the Launcher Pro (Expose`, the 3D App Drawer, customizable icons, etc).
I agree, after i got rid of the samsung widgets and went to a normal wallpaper and it doesnt lag at all.
This is probably a lame thread, but maybe others have similar issues and we can whine about them, because we're lucky and can afford to waste time worrying about our homescreen setup on our smartphones, and not where our next meal is coming from. (wow, where did that come from?)
It's not in any way a development/tech problem, it's just aesthetics: I get so frustrated trying to find a cool wallpaper that still alows me to see the apps/widgets on my homescreens cleanly! I always wind up reverting to a semi-boring wallpaper like a black grid because with busier wallpapers of things I'm actually interested in, they clash so much with my homescreen items that I can't read half my widgets! So just curious as to how you all have your homescreen set up? Do you have a busy wallpaper with minimal apps/widgets? Or do you use a bland "backdrop" wallpaper so that you can see/use the apps/widgets cleanly? This has always been a peeve of mine, because both elements (wp and widgets) seem essential to customizing your phone, and yet it's so hard to get them to play nicely together for a clean, visually pleasing display.
I'm currently using Regina Launcher and have five independent wallpapers.
I just use a "blah" one for busy work spaces and use good one for lesser crowed screens.
That's actually not a bad topic. There are tons of images I'd like to use as a wallpaper but I run into the same problem you do. I always end up settling for something not as bright, so i can see my widgets/apps clearly. Recently though, i just started editing my images to a darker tint so the white lettering stands out. This brings up the concept of integrating text color editing into the existing top launchers.
hmmm...
The one stickied thread in the themes section has a whole host of options with both minimalist and "busy" wallpapers. Some just don't work well, but there are compromises. Its more about finding the right Widgets/launcher to compliment your style.
Yeah, I know, it seems like a silly thing to complain about, you just gotta make it work however fits your tastes/needs. And you're right, the launcher is a big part of it, I've been using stock sense since getting the phone, but finally decided to try a replacement for various reasons, and I'm loving launcher pro plus, it's got many of the sense-type widgets, plus they work better lol, not to mention the dock and other things. Between that and a little finagling, I think I've found something that works.
If you use ADW then you can change the background box to whatever color and transparency you want to. I do this for some of my wallpapers so that the icons stick out.
Thanks for the tip! But honestly, I think I'm sticking with Launcher Pro Plus, I spent the $ already, and it's the only replacement I've tried that can truly top Sense, IMO.
I tend to use brighter more vibrantly colored wallpapers and i run into this issues once in a while. But i usually just place icons and widgets around the spots that make things hard to read or add a shaded box behind the widget.
And considering the amount of time we spend on our phones, it's pretty easy to remember what icon are for what apps. I stopped displaying names a long time ago. Now I even use icon sets not made for android and just use random icons for apps that in some way relate to them.
Which launcher works best with the Edge? I'm currently using Nova, just wondering what you guys/gals are using or recommend other than TWiz.
I'm using Apex. I like it because it will rotate in landscape mode. Useful for when mounted in the car.
Im using nova
Apex
im using Aviate
I am shuffling between Nova and Toch Wiz
On Nova you dont get the complete edge experience meaning as soon you are on nova launcher the edge screen hides into your customized text screen. Edge screen is only activated once you swipe over it and then when you click anywhere on the main homescreen the edge screen disappears again
Is this happening for all Nova launchers user? does this happen on all 3rd party launchers?
that's been my experience thus far with Nova...............so kind of why I posted this thread, to see which Launcher works best with the Edge panel.
Nova, because I always have and it has great customization for larger devices
NEXT launcher works great on mine!!!
Folks might consider ss launcher. Seems to be working ok on my edge. It is very customizable. Some things I especially like about it is that the applications page scrolls vertically so you can just flick through them, The icons on the screen can be added without grid so you can have as many rows and columns as you like (although you have to take a little time to make sure they line up well). The actual screen size can be expanded vertically so you can scroll up to see hidden stuff that does not initally appear in the window. For example you could stick extra icons, a calander or message widget that you scroll vertically to get to. Also each screen, landscape and portrait can be customized seperately. It's not perfect but and takes a little effort, but, for me it is worth it. Also when you first run it I has a lot of clutter on the screen to indicate some of its capability but all that can be removed so you can design it the way you like.
Apex work fines on my edge.
The problem with all 3rd party launchers is the edge panel which does not activate on its own when you unlock the phone that's only working on TW for now...
I like Nova along with Swapps ... the dock is on the right side and app drawer is on the left side.
It was pointed out in another thread that using a non-TW launcher also prevents the shortcut icons on the edge panel from updating their counts. If that's not a problem, be sure to get your notification counts down to zero, otherwise your icons will always have the number when you switched. I noticed it with my email program, where the edge panel had a different number overlay than the one in the Nova launcher screen. It wasn't until I ran the TW launcher again that the numbers matched up.
troycarpenter said:
It was pointed out in another thread that using a non-TW launcher also prevents the shortcut icons on the edge panel from updating their counts. If that's not a problem, be sure to get your notification counts down to zero, otherwise your icons will always have the number when you switched. I noticed it with my email program, where the edge panel had a different number overlay than the one in the Nova launcher screen. It wasn't until I ran the TW launcher again that the numbers matched up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh. I've used Apex and Flow Home and my icons on the favorites panel still show the correct "unread" or "missed calls" count. Never had an issue here.
Nova launcher working like a champ as usual.
Sent from my SM-N915V using XDA Free mobile app
Launcher with Note Edge
mscion said:
Folks might consider ss launcher. Seems to be working ok on my edge. It is very customizable. Some things I especially like about it is that the applications page scrolls vertically so you can just flick through them, The icons on the screen can be added without grid so you can have as many rows and columns as you like (although you have to take a little time to make sure they line up well). The actual screen size can be expanded vertically so you can scroll up to see hidden stuff that does not initally appear in the window. For example you could stick extra icons, a calander or message widget that you scroll vertically to get to. Also each screen, landscape and portrait can be customized seperately. It's not perfect but and takes a little effort, but, for me it is worth it. Also when you first run it I has a lot of clutter on the screen to indicate some of its capability but all that can be removed so you can design it the way you like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use Apex Launcher and it works great with the Edge!!!
Hi. I have a butt load of launchers that I've paid for. The Biggest problem is that my 3 favorites all have issues. I have the official Samsung case. It causes Nova to crash once and awhile when opening the case. When I open the case using apex launcher, sometimes it has somehow half a homepage as if it were in midscroll. Adw seems to work but I miss my transparent notification bar. Sticking to touchwiz for now. I kinda forgot to try the oldie launcher pro.
I've been using the Google Now Launcher. I think it's great give it a try, you might like it
Can someone give a little more information on the GoogleNow Launcher, maybe with some screen shots? I've been eyeing both the Nexus 6 and the Note Edge. Love the hardware on the edge, but I love the look and animations of lollipop on the 6. Wasn't sure how well the Google now launcher replicates the smoothness and animations of stock android, and would love some feedback and thoughts!
I'm using the Google Now launcher on my S7, and it along with a Marshmallow theme from the Samsung theme store has given the phone a nice stock Android look. Unfortunately, the icon pack included along with the Marshmallow theme hasn't applied on GNL. I know GNL doesn't natively support icon packs but has anyone figured out a workaround for this? The TouchWiz icons stand out otherwise. And when I say icon packs, I mean in the app drawer too, not just modded shortcuts on the home screen.
In case you have root you can use Xposed and the XGEL module to use a different icon pack:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/mod-xposed-gel-settings-t2647275
Otherwise (i.e. without root) I would recommend a launcher like Nova.
I'm not rooted.
Rick_Moli0212 said:
I'm not rooted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Nova Launcher. You can set it up to look exactly like GEL, but it's more functional and performs better. You can use Google Opinion Rewards to build up a couple of £/$ to cover the cost of "Prime" but it's not necessary.
Fyi for anyone googling this or looking for this still. I had my s7 edge display scaling set to condensed to fit more on the screen. Once I changed it back to standard (with the material Samsung theme applied) and rebooted the correct icons appeared. Could be that the change forces the launcher to recreate icons or clear it's cache etc.
Also, stock android lovers, install good lock from the galaxy app stores to bring the stock android notification shade and status bar into your s7. Got a very stock feel now with Samsung material theme, Google now launcher and good lock.
Hope this helps someone.
So switch your display scaling after setting your theme should flush the icons ??
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?
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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
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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.
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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.
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Thank you for your feedback