Favorite Android launcher for Windows Phone fans?

[Jez Corden]

Hey all,

Recently I took a look at Launcher 10 which brings some rudimentary "live tile"-like experiences to Android, and the comments were filled with people recommending other launchers and such, including Microsoft's own.

I wondered, for those of us switching from Windows Phone to Android, what launchers would you recommend? What do you like most?

 

[xandros9]

I enjoyed Evie.

It's well-designed and performs well, even on an ancient test Alcatel I had a while back.

Like Microsoft's launcher, it doesn't look like Windows Phone, but it doesn't have to. Theming one platform to look like another can be fun, but it will almost always pale in comparison to the original.

 

[Laura Knotek]

My favourite Android launcher is Nova Launcher Prime. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher.prime

I like it due to the excellent customisation options, as well as the ability to use gestures to perform specific functions. I've used it on every single Android device I've used, even on devices that ran stock Android.

 

[Old_Mil]

Depends on what you are trying to do.

If your goal is to preserve the W10 / 8.1 user interface, in my opinion Launcher 10 is the best option.

If your goal is to stick with whatever Microsoft is doing, get the Microsoft launcher and apps.

If you don't care either way I would probably stick with the native launcher that came with your phone. It removes one layer of data harvesting vs adding a third party launcher. It cuts down on the resources needed to run on a day to day basis resulting in better performance and longer battery life.

 

[travis_valkyrie]

If your goal is to preserve the W10 / 8.1 user interface, in my opinion Launcher 10 is the best option.

Just like the iPhone knock-offs, windows phones would've look like this if it had any.

 

[Guytronic]

Nova Prime user on Android here.
You can check the rest...yet for me Nova tops all others.
Copycat tile launchers for Android are lame in my opinion.

Spray painting something looks good until you realize it's just a coat of paint.

 

[Sedp23]

Nova launcher is King

 

[MBytes]

Microsoft launcher. Easy to use, lots of customization, looks nice, fast and responsive, integrated with MS services, continuous updates, and free. It is highly praised, excellent reviews, and passed 10 million downloads.

 

[EliteMikes]

I really wanted to use Square home 2, but after so many hours it would just lock up on me. I've been using Microsoft launcher for about 10 months now.

 

[jjspyder]

I installed and purchased Launcher 10 after reading your article and I LOVE IT. I also tried SquareHome 2, but Launcher 10 just reminded me of Win10 mobile more. My start screen on my Samsung S7 is now almost identical to my old Win10 phone. This is great! I now get almost everything I liked about Win10 mobile without the app gap. With Launcher 10 and essentially the Win10 mobile start screen, I am so much more efficient and can find the apps I need much faster than I could with Samsung's Touch Wiz. I have also noticed a stability and speed improvement in my Samsung S7 since switching from Touch Wiz.

 

[N8tiveT3ch]

Since the switch to android from windows phone. I found myself using 3 main ones for a while. I tried windows phone knock off launchers but it just didn't feel right (idk just me). So I started of using Evie and it was good and still is. I just don't like that you cannot get rid of the search bar just yet. But the devs are nice and looking to improve. It's lightweight and easy to use. Then for the longest time I used Nova. That thing is a beast on customizable options. I like it but just like certain things in my life I get bored. So I tried Microsoft launcher...it was hard in the beginning but I feel like they address most of the issues I have the launcher. Now it's good clean and really decent. All the apps I've used as daily drivers are updated and are reliable. With that being said I like Microsoft for now. I might jump back to the others but just to see what's changed.

 

[n7slc]

I've used Launcher 10 for over a year now and I continue to enjoy it. As a Windows Phone fan for many years, yes, my goal was to keep the Windows 10 Mobile interface and even though it's not as good as the original, it's pretty damn good. It's made the move to Android bearable.

 

[AndyCalling]

Here's a really good one:

https://hmlazar.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/catapulte0624a2b-7e26-4c6b-9a85-254c7eedc86elarger.jpg

 

[kingtigre]

Out of the box, Launcher 10 is more like Windows 10 M. But after just a few minutes of messing with it, I found it wasn't performing the way I liked. It didn't feel like Windows 10 M to me. And it wasn't as customizable.

Squarehome 2 by comparison feels almost nothing like Windows 10 M out of the box. But looking at the screenshots that users submitted showed me that there is more to it. That it can be more than what it is on the surface. So I committed, bought the license, and spent a LOT of time customizing it and digging into the menus.

https://imgur.com/a/QooqB (not sure if links are allowed. Sorry if not.)

What I found was a launcher that can do almost everything I loved about W10M and even a little more. Large tiles, Half tiles, Groups, Cubes, a W10M-like App tray. The tile customization is so robust that it does almost every thing I could want/expect.

Also it has a backup/restore feature that helps me sleep at night knowing all my work will not be lost.

 

[dlangdon01]

Been using Squarehome 2 since I got my S7 Edge. No issues and lots of options. Every app I use every day has a spot on one page.

 

[Kimmo Toivanen]

Microsoft Launcher (ex-Arrow) works best for me. I'm kinda stuck with vertical home screens Maybe it's more natural movement than sideways swiping?
+ it's free and shows unread counts.

I tried briefly SquareHome 2, first with small, cheap guinea pig phone. In <5" screen it looked quite nice, but on 5.2" screen on my final device I didn't like it at all. I could not set it up to look as good as WP8.x and W10M looked on 5" 640.

 

[coolbreeze78]

The rootless Pixel launcher on my Note 8 has managed to replace Nova. That's a significant thing as I've used Nova for many years. The Pixel launcher is incredible and paired with the ported Pixel camera, I basically have a Pixel 2 XL, but better. S-pen too

https://github.com/amirzaidi/Launcher3/releases

 

[Adventurer64]

Squarehome 2 for me. I keep saying I'm going to try launcher 10, but never do. Been using SH2 since October. Love the cube tile! Unfortunately it lags a little if I don't reboot my phone every couple days. It also plays well with the V20 secondary screen. When moving from W10M, I lasted a few days on microsoft launcher before finding SH2. Never looked back. I'm an engineer, so tiles are a natural fit.

 

[ManofGod1000]

The default launcher that came with my Sony Xperia XA1. I configured a single page of stuff, email to the right, calendar to the left and then everything else in the app drawer. I do not need a thousand and one folders or every app on my phone on the main home screen.

 

[mook6_99]

Square Launcher 2 is great, it does have a small learning curve to set it up but after that you can create a backup to restore all tiles and then just click tiles to re-download the apps even with a new phone.