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Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking

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Re: Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking

#181

Post by ezst »

breput wrote: post #63

I was a 10+ year long Nova Launcher user and knew this day was coming after the sale and layoffs[0][1]... This evening I at looked several replacement launchers, such as Lawnchair and even the stock Pixel launcher again, but Octopi Launcher[2] is the more modern, more refined Nova replacement that you are looking for. It was a very easy, natural transition process from Nova - all of the Nova features that I used were…

What seems to be missing from every alternative I've seen is the power offered by the combo Nova+Sesame. I really don't use my launcher as a navigation system. All it does for me is pop open a search box after a swipe so I can type the name of the app I want to use, the contact I want to text or call, etc.

There seem to be other "search-first" launchers out there (KISS is one), but then they miss the amount of expected polish (unread/notification badges, leeway in letting you place random widgets on the background, etc). Still searching.

Re: Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking

#182

Post by princevegeta89 »

rpdillon wrote: post #150
princevegeta89 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a coincidence of shitholery here. I've been a very loyal user of Nova for almost a decade now, and I have never even thought of using any other launcher. Now, strangely since 2 weeks ago, on my Samsung phone, I've been experiencing a lot of freezing and random crapping out of my Nova launcher, where it would just not let me do anything and show a blank home screen with a wallpaper. So this most likely is the rea…

I've been using the keyboard based KISS launcher for 6 years now. Available in F-Droid, small, light, fast.

I just tried kvaesitso and it seems good so far. Will try KISS once thanks

Re: Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking

#183

Post by kristopolous »

hypfer wrote: post #147
kristopolous wrote: post #62

There's so many suggestions here that you open up and it's just a buy screen with comment reviews like "oh dearest me, I was lost in the darkness and then I found salvation with this app" I can't help but think there's a lot of devs here pushing their own products.

I mean this _is_ HN after all. That is the core mindset that is being pushed here. Y Combinator is a startup accelerator. It is just called "hacker" news because it's a nice sounding name. Not because it would actually be news for hackers nor because it would actually be culturally adjacent to hacker culture. Though, those aforementioned hackers still do seem to occasionally hang out here regardless. Probably some we…

I guess. This is ostensibly savvy users that will bounce at some confusing pay screen when you open the app and immediately uninstall

Re: Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking

#184

Post by _DeadFred_ »

0xTJ wrote: post #127
anilakar wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and it does exactly what a launcher should do. It is not designed to show a dozen widgets spread over five workspaces. Priced at 15 eurobucks (back in the day) it's the most expensive piece of Android software I have ever bought. I have felt no buyer's remorse whatsoever. Edit: looks like the perpetual license costs EUR 40 nowadays.

I personally don't need a bunch of screens of widgets. I've got my first screen of the 17 apps I use the most, a clock/weather widget, and the app drawer button to bring up the (iconized) app list. On the second screen a have a widget for an app used to share pictures with friends. Launchers are personal, so Niagara works for you that's great! But for my use having everything is a single column is a nightmare.

Every item in the single column can also be a widget, shortcut, or popup folder. I have the 5 top apps I use, then a popup folder that holds 4 I use less often. It works great, and I can get to/launch everything just using the thumb holding the phone.

Re: Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking

#185

Post by ssl-3 »

BoppreH wrote: post #132
ssl-3 wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the tip. I opened up my phone to see about giving Octopi a shot, and (amusingly? alarmingly?) Nova Launcher produced a popup warning me that it would now feature ads. Anyway, my launcher needs are pretty minimal. Switching over and recreating a familiar layout was easy enough. I do find one function missing, though: Some shortcut functionality seems missing in Octopi that was present in Nova. For instance:…

I managed to add a Shazam Now button using a Shazam widget , not a shortcut . Give it a try! I just installed Octopi on this thread's recommendation. Pretty good so far, and I'm happy to remove the useless Google search bar from the bottom of my Pixel (I use Kagi and Firefox, neither of which can be configured on that bar). Also satisfied how you can resize widgets to any size, regardless of what the widget asks for.

That's similar functionality, but it's not a Shazam Now shortcut. I really don't want any widgets -- at all, ever. And I need labels -- remembering arbitrary iconography is a silly task when phonetic written language exists.

Just a shortcut is fine. Or at least: It had been fine for nearly a decade.

This, right here: This is what I want, and what I was using with Nova Launcher until late last night. https://www.androidpolice.com/2017/01/27/shazam-gets-updated...

:)

(Besides, Shazam is just a singular example. I had other shortcuts that I also used. I'm really rather disinterested in finding individual workarounds for each of them.)

Re: Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking

#186

Post by gf000 »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #148
breput wrote: post #63

I was a 10+ year long Nova Launcher user and knew this day was coming after the sale and layoffs[0][1]... This evening I at looked several replacement launchers, such as Lawnchair and even the stock Pixel launcher again, but Octopi Launcher[2] is the more modern, more refined Nova replacement that you are looking for. It was a very easy, natural transition process from Nova - all of the Nova features that I used were…

Meh. I installed Octopi, but it's like death by a thousand cuts. The dock looks like hot garbage when you flip to landscape mode--it ends up taking up like 60% of the screen. I don't know why it doesn't just switch to vertical mode the way Nova did. Lack of being able to name the folders is also an annoyance, as is the way the folder icons pop out to the side from the dock rather than up-and-over.

You can rename folders. Long press on them, edit and you have quite a few options.

Re: Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking

#187

Post by Aluminum0643 »

JoshTriplett wrote: post #56
raybb wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you know if this, or any other launcher for that matter, works well on the latest Android for Pixels? Ever dang launcher I try (Nova included) has this horrible problem where at some point during the day the app launcher becomes a wasteland of blanked out apps with no names and no order. Only fix is to restart the phone. It got a little better with Android 16 but not much.

I use Octopi on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Works great, rock solid, zero issues.

Also using it on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, running GrapheneOS. It's also working perfectly for me!

Re: Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking

#188

Post by jemmyw »

troyvit wrote: post #57
franciscop wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Please update here if you find any good alternative? I'm stuck in the same place

I've been having fun with Kvaesitso after it was recommended here. There are some things I'd change, but it's nice. https://github.com/MM2-0/Kvaesitso

I'm trying that one too. I did not like Octopi or KISS. Kvaesitso looks nice, I like the drawer and the drawer widgets are kind of cool too. The annoying thing that might drive me away is that you cannot set the order of favourites and the order changes depending on what you last used. Changing the order of something has to be very thoughtful or it quickly becomes frustrating - and with the favourites its not obvious that should be like a "recently used" list.

Re: Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking

#189

Post by JoshTriplett »

Aluminum0643 wrote: post #187
JoshTriplett wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use Octopi on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Works great, rock solid, zero issues.

Also using it on the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, running GrapheneOS. It's also working perfectly for me!

That's exactly the phone I'm using it on.

Re: Nova Launcher added Facebook and Google Ads tracking

#190

Post by breput »

gbil wrote: post #143
breput wrote: post #63

I was a 10+ year long Nova Launcher user and knew this day was coming after the sale and layoffs[0][1]... This evening I at looked several replacement launchers, such as Lawnchair and even the stock Pixel launcher again, but Octopi Launcher[2] is the more modern, more refined Nova replacement that you are looking for. It was a very easy, natural transition process from Nova - all of the Nova features that I used were…

What is your experience from a performance perspective? Nova Launcher was pretty light on that front, I'm using smart launcher since a few months and it is ok but Nova was lighter.

I only have one day's worth of light usage on a Pixel 9 Pro, but it feels at least as responsive as Nova Launcher.

Zero lag in switching screens, opening the app drawer, or scrolling through apps - there is a control for the animation speed, but it doesn't seem to really have any impact, positive or negative.

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