I suppose the argument in favor of what is pre-installed on your tablet, is that it comes from the same 3rd party that shipped the ROM used on the that tablet so you’ve got to trust them regardless of whether you use the Launcher. And that Lawnchair was last updated in 2018 and its successor Lawnchair 2 was last updated in 2019. I’m not saying don’t use it, that is up to you, but it is worth considering.
4 Likes
They are still updating it, but only providing automated debug builds on their repo for some reason.
Could you elaborate on what you mean by:
https://github.com/LawnchairLauncher/lawnchair
This branch houses the codebase of Lawnchair 14, currently in development and based on Launcher3 from Android 14.
Your point does still stand, as those aren’t standard versions, and are debug enabled builds, in addition of being unable to be downloaded from Play Store even with the beta program or even have any auto-update system in place in those. (Can’t even get those from Obtainium either since those are automatised GitHub actions, except i don’t know how)
KISS Launcher. Simple and powerful.
3 Likes
I’ve recently switched to Niagara Launcher, replacing Nova, which is privacy-friendly.
Default GrapheneOS one since 3 weeks now. Took some time to get used to.
But there are some things I have 0 trust.
Keyboard and Launcher are part of it
1 Like
I’m using Niagara Launcher. Once you are used to it, you can’t really go back.
1 Like
I use KISS launcher on my Pixel. It is functional but relatively minimal, and FOSS.
KISS Launcher
in what way is Niagara privacy-friendly? It’s closed-source and calls home with info about you.
Niagara Launcher’s privacy policy states that it does not sell personal data to third parties. After that, it’s like everything else: it’s all about trust, just as 1Password is closed source and recommended by PG and used by others, for example.
I’m also on GOS, so it’s also possible to disable the application’s internet connection.
1 Like
OLauncher with network permissions toggled off.
Then done some “customizations” to make it more 1 handed friendly.
KISS Launcher. Minimalist, pretty much customisable and straight forward. Keyboard navigation is the best, even better than tapping on the apps icons unconsciously sometimes.
Sometimes is kinda buggy, but if you’re a minimalist you won’t be using your phone pretty much anyway, so it’s a win win!
1 Like
I’m sorry to be “that guy” but… In Android there’s something called Inter-Process Communication, so in theory, even if you deny internet access to an app, if it accepted being able to communicate with another app from the same “family” (meaning they only need to give their consent, I’m not referring to them belonging to the same company), information about usage will be “leaked”.
It’s a complex topic and beyond my understanding, but you can find quite a bit of information about it.
That’s why I stopped using not only Nova Launcher, but also Pixel Camera and Google Keyboard. I use Google Maps and WhatsApp, so I think those apps could share information with them.
Partly why I do not use SwiftKey yes. Even if I do disable Internet access to it, I will never really have full guarantee that it doesn’t bypass it somehow.
Feels better to just run a FOSS app from A to Z even if it’s 10/20% less “productive” or “comfortable” to use.
Oh and I also run the default GOS launcher, not only for privacy reasons but also in terms of battery-life. I used to be a huge Nova fan but nowadays, I’m fine a bare bone thing that works, doesn’t drain all my battery and hey…it’s a launcher, no need for it to be fancy. 
3 Likes
I’m longtime fan of Nova launcher then got bored of it switched many and used default one ui for some time and finally settled
with μLauncher and Pie Launcher.
Kiss launcher - Snappy one. No lags suitable for very low price and old phones.
Niagara Launcher - Nice launcher with great customisations. Really liked those folders, swipe for shortcuts and widgets. Cons being closed source and collects analytics or pings home. Its little bit tough to go back from this launcher after a while but not tougher than μLauncher and pie launcher.
Pie launcher - No widgets. No shortcuts. Minimalist. Takes some time to get perfect muscle memory. Great one for users having less frequent apps. I use this when I need to reduce screen time.
μLauncher - Minimalism. Entirely dependent on muscle memory. Lots of gestures. My current default.
I’m currently with Octopi Launcher, but I also tried Kvaesitso which is a very solid option.
1 Like
Kiss launcher. Simple and easy to use.
Usually the default GrapheneOS one.
Once in a while, Lawnchair (with minimal permissions granted) to see if it’s improved.