7 of the Best Alternative Launchers to Customize Your Android

In recent years, iOS has started to catch up to Android when it comes to customization, but Android is still well in the lead. That's partly because it supports alternative launchers, which replace of the default software interface to completely revamp the look of home screens, menus, icons, and dialogs. Using a launcher, you can take pixel-by-pixel control over the visuals of the Android OS. If that sounds like too much time and effort, you can take advantage of one of many preset templates instead.

How Android launchers work

When you go "home" on Android—with a swipe up on the gesture bar or a tap on the actual home button—that's when a third-party launcher springs into action. Rather than seeing the default look determined by the Google Pixel or the Samsung Galaxy software, you see whatever the launcher has put in place. Typically, these launchers give you more customization controls than Google, Samsung, and the other Android phone makers do. Depending on the launcher, you might be able to cram more shortcuts on to the home screen, or apply the same color scheme to all the home screen icons, or hide elements (like the Google search bar) from view.

You can switch launchers with a couple of taps. To help you manage these changes, here is where you can find the relevant settings on popular devices:

Device Brand	Navigation Path to Default Home App
Pixel phones	Settings > Apps > Default apps > Home app
Samsung devices	Settings > Apps > Choose default apps > Home app

You're able to switch between different launchers, or cancel all of your changes and go back to the normal look, in seconds.

What you can do with Android launchers

The capabilities of these apps vary by launcher, but just about every kind of customization option is offered somewhere. If you want to give your Android software a light and airy touch, a dark and foreboding theme, or anything in between, you can. You're able to go all-in with your sports team's colors, or switch to a minimal monochrome look instead. Speaking of minimalism, many launchers give you the opportunity to declutter the look of your smartphone. Launchers can get access to notifications and on-screen messages as well as everything else, if you give them the necessary permissions, and that means alerts can be pushed to the background.

Some launchers go even further, letting you customize the gestures and swipes that are used to get around Android. You can change the way apps are launched and switched between, for example, as well as tweak how Android search works—giving you easier access to the apps and files you need the most. It is important to note that nothing is affected in your actual apps by installing third-party launchers—these will still look and operate the same as they always have.

The best Android launchers (now that Nova Launcher has been shut down)

There are a lot of options for Android launchers on the Google Play store. Sadly, one of the most beloved Android launchers, Nova Launcher, has recently been shut down. While waiting to see if the launcher might be opened sourced, you can explore several powerful alternatives.

Niagara Launcher

Niagara Launcher brings with it a cleaner home screen. It is one of those launchers that can totally transform the layout of the home screen, putting your apps, notifications, and media controls in an ordered, customized list on screen—so it can be as minimal or as busy as you want it to be. The launcher can hide apps, remind you to take breaks at certain times, put apps into folders, suggest apps based on your usage, and tweak all kinds of colors and layout options. More customizations are available with a Pro subscription ($14 per year).

Smart Launcher

Smart Launcher is packed with features and settings. It provides users with a variety of ways to revamp the look of the operating system with just a few taps.