I abandoned Pixel UI for this popular launcher and I’m not going back

I’m very familiar with different launchers, as I used Nova Launcher for quite some time on my old OnePlus phone. but when i made switch to pixelI enjoyed the default Pixel launcher so much that the thought of going back to Nova didn’t even cross my mind.

However, eventually I got tired of it and wanted to try something new. I wanted to move away from the classic grid layout present in most android phone With their big and colorful signs. I wanted something clean. Something more simple. Something intentionally designed to encourage phone use rather than endless scrolling. I got it, and I liked it so much that I decided to abandon the Pixel’s default launcher altogether.

niagara launcher is exactly what i need

I decided to switch niagara launcherWhich is well known in the Android community, but I never bothered to try it. I just got used to it nova launcher At first and then I enjoyed my time with the Pixel’s UI before getting bored recently. I thought the two options mentioned were the best options offered by the Android world, but I was wrong.

What I like about Niagara Launcher is that it combines simplicity, functionality and great design. The home screen is organized as a list of apps – no more than eight – featuring a customizable area at the top to display the time, date, weather or other useful information. You can select from a few different icon packs to customize the look of the home screen, and Pro users can even enable a custom button to open an app or toggle a specific setting.

Not only does it look gorgeous and minimalist, especially in the monochrome version I have set up – see image above – but it’s also very functional. There are eight of my favorite apps on the home screen for quick access, while tapping a custom button opens Google Search. When I swipe up, I can search for an app or a person in my contacts list, or I can bring up the app drawer by sliding my finger down on the right side of my screen. It feels very natural and intuitive, and I can use it with just one hand. Everything I need is on a single home screen, beautifully designed.

The list layout helps a lot because I don’t have to stretch my fingers across the screen to tap on an app like the classic grid layout. There’s also an alphabet at the bottom right of the screen on the home page to find specific apps easier and faster with a finger slide, but I’ve hidden it out of sight for a clearer view – it’s still there when I tap it. Visible, though. I’ve also hidden the status bar because I can see the time, date, and battery percentage right above my list of apps on the home screen. It’s as minimal as I could make it without losing functionality, and I love it.

Niagara Launcher isn’t as packed with features as Nova Launcher, but most of the features it does have are very thoughtful and useful. For example, I use youtube to watch videoSpotify to listen to podcasts, and YouTube Music to listen to my favorite artists. In most cases, I use all three apps with headphones. And when I connect them to my phone, all three appear in the app list on my home screen and remain there until I disable the connection.

I also like the notification system. Notifications for every app on my home screen appear right below each one, making sure I don’t miss anything important. And I can even set up a summary that will show me all my notifications in batches every six hours, so that my phone doesn’t chirp every five minutes like it always does.

Niagara Launcher has other useful features, including turning off the display with a double tap and hiding apps from the main app drawer. They work great, although these are standard on many Android skins.

The biggest benefit I see in Niagara Launcher is that it helped me reduce my screen time. A new launcher was a fresh start and a great chance to form new, more productive habits. Having fewer apps front and center with less visual appeal due to the monochrome color palette as well as getting notifications less frequently helped me avoid my bad habit of opening my favorite apps because I’m bored. The slightly less functional app drawer with its longer list of apps also requires a little more effort to find what I’m looking for, and that extra step is another reason it helps me reduce my screen time. This works for me, although your mileage may vary.

Although I like Niagara Launcher and see myself using it for a long time, it isn’t perfect. It’s significantly more expensive than something like Nova Launcher, which is more feature-packed. Nova Launcher can be yours for a one-time fee of $5, while Niagara costs $10 per year or a one-time fee of $30. That’s still not a lot of money for something you use daily, but it’s more than you’d pay for the options. However, prices will go up next month, with an annual subscription costing $14, while a lifetime pass will set you back $43.

There’s also a free version available, but I don’t see myself using it because a lot of the functionality I like is part of the Pro plan – including launching the Music app when I connect my headphones.

I also dislike that whenever I swipe up to open Search, a list of my most frequently visited apps appears right below the search bar. I prefer a clean look, so I tried turning it off but I realized that’s not possible. The development team is apparently working on creating a toggle to turn it off, but there’s no word on when it will be available.

For now, these are the only issues I have with Niagara Launcher, but I’m sure I’ll find some more after using it for a longer period of time. Based on my experience, I would recommend it to everyone looking for a simple and minimalist launcher.

However, if you are not interested in a minimalist home screen and prefer lots of features and customization, then Niagara Launcher is not for you. In that case, I would recommend sticking to your phone’s default launcher or switching to something like Nova Launcher. There are countless other options available, which you can check out in our dedicated Best Android Alternatives Post,

Would you consider using a minimalist launcher like Niagara? Let me know in the comments.