This minimalistic launcher redefines what launchers can be, and speeds up productivity in the process.
If there’s one thing that Android is known for, it’s the plethora of home screen replacement apps. With countless choices that typically follow the same basic structure, I’ve been searching for a viable launcher that doesn’t try to drown me in special effects and flashy features. I just want a launcher that gives me the quickest access to my apps and widgets, and I believe I’ve found that with SF Launcher. It’s apparently still in alpha stages, as the name indicates, but it functions very well for an alpha build. Nevertheless, I’ve been putting SF Launcher through its paces for about a week, and I can honestly say that I won’t be leaving it anytime soon.
Now, swiping to the right on the widgets pane brings up more widgets. This is convenient and simple, which is what SF does best. It’s unclear how many widgets users can add, but word is that eventually there will be an option to move widgets around. I have found only one bug with the widgets panel, useful as it may be. When swiping from one widget to the next, SF sometimes recognizes it as a long-press, which brings up the option to remove the widget. It’s not really bothersome, but I still hope that it’ll be fixed soon enough.
The favorites section is fairly simple. Users can adjust the number of columns, icon size, and text size, so there’s a bit of customization here. It does bother me that once the apps are placed in favorites, they can’t be rearranged at all. So if you’re extremely OCD like myself, you have to add the apps in a specific order to have them in the correct arrangement. Hopefully more customization here is something that Alamo Apps will be adding to SF Launcher sometime in the near future.
SF Launcher has quickly climbed to the top of the mountain as the most minimalistic, yet fully useful launcher for me. It’s not perfect, but of course it is still sporting an alpha tag. It does what a home replacement should do: give users access to their apps and widgets as quickly and easily as possible. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using SF Launcher over the past week, and intend to keep it as my go-to home replacement for quite some time. You can download the free alpha version of SF Launcher below, as well as the $1.99 Plus Key, which currently offers users the ability to use third-party icon packs. And if you’re looking for a few icon packs to use with SF Launcher, check out our top 25 list while you’re at it.
What We Liked
- Very simple, minimalistic launcher that just works
- Options to re-size widgets pane, columns of apps, clock, date, and more. Customization is always welcomed.
- Very speedy, little to no lag whatsoever
- The header is a nice touch
Room for Improvement
- Ability to rearrange widgets and apps in the favorites section would be very useful
- Adjust the sensitivity of the widgets panel, so that a quick swipe doesn’t register as a long-press.
Download SF Launcher Alpha (Google Play)
Download SF Launcher Plus Key (Google Play)
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