What is an Android Launcher?

The title says it all. To those who have never used an Android device, or maybe to those who are familiar with their Android device only somewhat, you may be wondering what a launcher is. Let’s see if we can shed some light on this topic.

A launcher on Android is similar to the desktop you use to interact with your desktop or laptop computer. All interaction you have with your Android device is done through the launcher. That is it!

Here is the part that tends to trip people up. Why are there so  many launchers available in the Play store? The answer is: Choice! So why have so many choices? Everyone has a different idea of how they would like to interact with their device. I, for one, find this to be a nice feature of Android in general. The flexibility and choice you have as a user to create your own experience is extremely important to me. You can spend days, weeks, even months customizing your device to be able to interact with it exactly how you want.

That is it! A launcher is the user interface that allows you to interact with your device. It can be customized to do exactly what you want.

In the coming weeks, I will introduce several launchers and include screenshots where I can. I will go through basic setup and customization steps to show how launchers are the same, but different at the same time.

Here are a few of the launchers that will be covered (not in any particular order):

Nova Launcher

Apex Launcher

Google Now Launcher

Go Launcher

ADW Launcher

CM Launcher 3D

If you have any launchers you would like to see demonstrated, please send me an email: [email protected]

You may also follow me on twitter: @dan_droid_hart

 

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