What launcher are you using? And how do you trust it?

Privacy Questions
1

I am wondering, What launcher are you all using and how do you trust something like that with many permissions??

2

Default grapheneos one

6 Likes
3

Nova Launcher Prime, I donā€™t like the GOS launcher

4

@Pragmatic
You know it is owned by an analytics company?

At the minimum thatā€™d let them know every app you use, when you use it, and how often you use it.

6 Likes
5

It works fine without network permissions.

6

Yes, I know, thatā€™s why I didnā€™t give him any authorisation and it works just fine without it.
I really donā€™t like the GOS one and Iā€™ve been used to Nova since before it was bought out.

7

SpringBoard

itā€™s what the iOS homescreen app is called

2 Likes
8

Default GrapheneOS launcher is the only one I trust. But I also have no other feature requirements beyond what it provides.

2 Likes
9

Default Pixel.
Later, once I come around to flash GOS (if I do lol) default launcher as well.
I donā€™t trust ā€œsecond handā€ launchers

1 Like
10

I use olauncher for digital minimalism efforts. In the past I used the GOS launcher and before in early days also Nova Launcher Prime.

2 Likes
11

Default Graphene for me as well.

I may be missing some features that custom launchers provide. What benefit does it give other than ā€œit looks coolā€?

2 Likes
12

Im using SmartLauncher. Its made in Italy. Its blazing fast and offers highest level of customisation launcher can offer.
As of speed: I suppose that on device with 8GB RAM there is (almost) no app that would lag.

13

What Launcher are you using:

Whatever the default fora iOS is

How do you trust it

I have no choice but to trust it, once I made the decision/tradeoff to use iOS trusting Apple apps in became ā€˜priced inā€™.

On Android, Iā€™d stick to whatever the default launcher is with the custom ROM I chose. In my experience their are many options for custom launchers and custom sms clients but almnost none that are actively developed and consistently updated.

14

Try SmartLauncher. Its good, actively maintained and feature-richā€¦

15

With the disclaimer that this is the first time Iā€™ve heard of the app, and Iā€™ve only spent about 10 minutes doing due-diligence,

I think you should definitely not be using or recommending this launcher without first reading its privacy policy, particularly if you found the limited/basic form of referral link tracking in Organic Maps so unacceptable.

Some excepts:

1.1 We may collect and process the following data about you:

  • [ā€¦]
  • Usage activity about how you interact with our application(s) or site and which areas of our application(s) or site you visited.
  • Cookies and unique device identifiers for advertising (Google Advertiser ID)
  • [ā€¦]

This Application may track Users by storing a unique identifier of their device, for analytics purposes or forā€¦

Advertising may be contextual, that is it may be sent to you based on your current location or use of Our Apps. Any opt out that you send us in relation to direct marketing communications does not apply to such advertising

Where Our Apps contains links to third-party content, applications, services and/or advertising, we are not responsible for the privacy policy or for any matters relating to such third party products

We have relationships with third party companies that may serve you ads and use information about you in accordance with the terms of this policy

Also as best I can tell, they are not and do not claim to be open source and donā€™t seem to be particularly privacy focused.

5 Likes
16

Well, Im in IT field for well over 20 years now and I know how to protect myself/my privacy and I can assure you that I have seen not a single ad inā€¦ well over 5 years now. Same goes to controlling what goes in/out my network.

As of userID: well, let them have it if thats what they desire. Without relation to ad its useless, so what should I careā€¦

17

What I am struggling to understand is your extreme reaction to the much more limited and impersonal form of basic link tracking in the case of Organic Maps with your seeming indifference to the much more privacy-violating, individualized, and broader forms of tracking in the app you recommended including sharing data with 3rd party tracking and advertising companies and Google.

This seems very inconsistent considering earlier today you argued that: all ā€œtracking is EVILā€ (full stop) in the context of a much more limited form of tracking. How do you reconcile these two conflicting statements?

5 Likes
18

Iā€™m a keen user of that launcher too.

1 Like
19

Iā€™m liking Lawnchair 2 from Google Play.
As for trust - I doubt if Lawnchair is worse than the bloatware on my stock android tablet.

Iā€™m also using Arcticons icon pack.

20

Unfortunately, Microsoft launcher :frowning:
Iā€™ve tried multiple one and I could almost never find a free launcher that supported folder in the app list, hide app moved to folder from the app list in the main view, and the side widget palel (optional).
Iā€™d be happy to be wrong, but most privacy launcher are minimalist and have almost no feature. Iā€™m at the other end, I want full customization and that one has a lot of settings.