Re: Req: Advice on Android Launchers

[Andy Burns]

Anthony R. Gold wrote:

> If I install a different launcher would I lose all of my already created
> screens and need to start over from scratch?

yep, start again

> If I do create an improved sequence of screens under some different
> launcher, would I then be able to return to Google's launcher, again without
> losing all of my investment in the time and effort of the setup work?

if you revert to stock launcher, you'd go back to what you have now.

[Andy Burns]

Anthony R. Gold wrote:

> So there is nothing in the backups to Google Drive that could be
> useful to my needs?

Not really, it's down to the app isolation, one app can't touch another
app's data

[Arlen Holder]

For what it's worth, the "nova free" launcher backs up everything
beautifully to a file, which all you do after a factory reset is reload
that file.

Where you store that nova launcher backup file is your business.

Also for what it's worth, I've never heard a bad review of the Nova free
launcher, which does everything I need an app launcher to do (except 1
thing, which is minor).

Also for what it's worth, as far as I know, you can have as many launchers
as you like, where, they're kind of sort of like phone apps and contacts
apps and SMS apps and keyboards in that only one can be the current default
at any given time, but that you can easily switch between them (AFAIK).

Personally, you don't know what launchers can do until you've tried nova
o Nova Launcher, by TeslaCoil Software
<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.teslacoilsw.launcher>

[Arlen Holder]

On Wed, 23 Dec 2020 20:59:12 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:

> Also for what it's worth, I've never heard a bad review of the Nova free
> launcher, which does everything I need an app launcher to do (except 1
> thing, which is minor).

Merry Christmas!

I realize I forgot to mention the one thing that the Nova free launcher
doesn't do (at least my old version doesn't do it, as I never upgrade apps
unless/until there's a good reason to do so) is...

The Nova free launcher doesn't _create_ empty placeholder folders.

My old Samsung Galaxy S3 default launcher would create empty folders, as I
recall, simply by long pressing on the homescreen; but Nova free launcher
won't create an empty placeholder folder.

You can't even trick it into _leaving_ the folder empty when you remove the
last item in the folder, as it will simply vaporize the placeholder folder.

So that's the _only_ thing that I've ever needed in an app launcher that
the free Nova launcher doesn't do.
--
Posted, as always, out of the goodness of my heart, to help others.

[Arlen Holder]

On Sat, 26 Dec 2020 03:04:10 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:

> The Nova free launcher doesn't _create_ empty placeholder folders.

I figured out a way to create empty placeholder folders on Nova free!
o It probably works for _all_ launchers, given it's so ridiculously simple!

I wrote up a tutorial for others to benefit, over here just now:
o How to create empty placeholder folders using the Nova free app launcher on Android (or any launcher)
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/YTAzOSGRUW0>
--
Posted out of the goodness of my heart, so that we increase our knowledge.