In September 2025, Nova Launcher bid us adieu after a 14-year-long journey. It made Android customization more accessible to the point where it became a trend. Everyone was sharing their home screen setups everywhere on social media. Nova Launcher is also responsible for a vast community that has been built around customizations and setups on platforms like Reddit and Telegram.
But since Nova Launcher is no longer part of the story, is the era of home screen customizations coming to an end? The answer is no.
While Nova Launcher was one of a kind, several launchers are already taking on the legacy of personalized home screens, and there are some great options for you to start using instead.
Expands the ecosystem while keeping the home screen fresh
Microsoft is developing multiple products for the Android ecosystem, such as Microsoft Phone Link, which allows phones to connect to a PC seamlessly. Just like that, the Microsoft Launcher enables you to add a layer of customization to your Android device. It allows you to tweak multiple aspects of your home screen.
Among the Microsoft Launcher’s customization menus, several options stand out, including hiding apps, adding stacked dock icons, and fine-tuning the blur amount within the drawer. Microsoft Launcher features a feed page where Google Discover usually stays in your regular launcher. Once you log in to your Microsoft account, it syncs your Outlook calendar and email to the feed, providing you with all your essential updates on one page.
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Anything, everything, all in a list
Niagara is one of the unique launchers that gives a unique and less tempting look to your home screen. If you find the colorful icons in the app drawer overwhelming, Niagara Launcher is the perfect launcher to switch to. It provides an easy, linear, laid-back, single-page app layout that minimizes distractions.
Niagra Launcher has helped many users reduce their screen time while allowing enough customization, such as icon styles, wallpapers, and widget support. Not just customizations, but Niagara Launcher also has some neat features, such as Usage Breaker, that takes its initiative of lesser screen time further.
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A simple text-based information-rich interface
If you are looking for something different and Niagara seems too simple, consider the AIO Launcher. It’s another entirely different text-based approach to the home screen. It has no icons at all. Indeed, you can add them, but primarily, it was built to be used without icons, so it lacks icon customizations like other launchers. What you get is a list of your apps without any icons. While you can achieve that in the Niagara launcher as well, the AIO Launcher’s sole purpose is to give you just text-based information on your home screen.
What else can it do? While other launchers allow you to keep the home screen clean and tidy, AIO will fill it up with all the information you can imagine. It shows me time, phone storage, my most used apps, battery life and status, stock prices, notifications, control center, and more. All in a simple, text-only, vertical list-based approach. For some, it may be overwhelming, but for someone like me who likes to have all the information at a glance, it’s a time saver.
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This launcher is most similar to Nova Launcher
Smart Launcher 6 is one of the most customizable launchers available, and is likely Nova Launcher’s true successor. Smart Launcher 6 offers multiple customization options, including the home screen, app drawer, app icon, and home screen effects. Smart Launcher 6 has its own set of icon styles, widgets, and unique customizations.
Smart Launcher also supports custom one, two, and three-finger swipe gestures that can help you get things done quickly right from the home screen. In Smart Launcher, you can even set a home screen-only or app drawer layout for apps as you feel convenient. If you are coming from Nova Launcher, you can easily import its backup file to Smart Launcher, ensuring a seamless transition and a familiar experience.
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Give your home screen a fresh coat of paint
Home screens are the first thing we see when we unlock the phone, and staring at the same old home screen can be boring at times. That’s where these amazing launchers come into the picture. While Nova Launcher departs, these launchers are ready to take over the legacy. Not only do they refresh the phone, but the added functionality of changing icons, adding gestures, or simplifying the interface can also enhance our daily experience while using the phone.
