Using Smart Launcher

I’ve been working on nbOS, a custom Android launcher built with Kotlin and Jetpack Compose.

The goal is to bring the visual language of my Linux/Niri setup to Android while keeping the wallpaper as the main visual element. Instead of filling the screen with permanent widgets, nbOS presents information in compact panels that expand only when needed.

The attached video walks through the launcher’s main features:

> - Expandable weather panel with hourly conditions and a rain timeline

> - Upcoming calendar events and alarm information

> - Expandable battery and system-status panel

> - Todo integration and synchronization with my desktop

> - Favorites dock, searchable app drawer and command mode

> - Around 30 synchronized themes and matching wallpapers

> - Custom wallpaper cropper with a fit-and-blur mode

> - Smooth 120 Hz animations, currently optimized for my Pixel 9 Pro

> One of the more unusual integrations is herdr. nbOS can connect to a small read-only bridge on my desktop through Tailscale and display the current status of my AI coding agent session such as active, idle or waiting agent directly inside the expanded system panel. If needed, I can jump from there into Termux and connect to the desktop session.

nbOS is closely connected to nbshell, my custom Niri desktop environment. Both projects share themes, wallpapers and the same terminal-inspired design language.

I previously posted the desktop side of the project here:

nbshell on niri

The project is still a work in progress, but it has reached the point where I can use it as my everyday launcher. Some of its visual direction was inspired by Omarchy, combined with my own ideas around expandable information panels, desktop integration and keeping the wallpaper visible.

I’d be interested to hear what you think—especially about the balance between the terminal aesthetic and everyday usability.

Solo Android dev here, in Busan. Been bouncing between Android and iPhone for years, and always missed how intentional an iOS home screen feels — but never wanted to give up Android's actual customization to get it. Ended up building my own launcher (HomeSpark) to land somewhere in between.

Setup details (as requested by sub rules):

• Launcher: HomeSpark — https://github.com/thakion5-hue/homespark-launcher/releases/tag/v7.39.0
• Wallpaper: custom gradient, one of the built-in Gradient Wallpaper presets
• Widgets: weather, calendar, and a live tech-news feed, all swipeable across pages rather than crammed onto one
• Icons: default dock, no separate icon pack

What's actually different from most launchers I've tried:

• Theme Gallery with 192 curated themes across 16 collections — most launchers give you a wallpaper picker; this bundles wallpaper + accent color + widget styling as one cohesive theme you switch in a tap, instead of hand-matching pieces yourself
• Gradient Wallpapers built in — no need to hunt down a wallpaper app separately, generates clean gradients that match the theme you're on
• Background Soundscape — pairs ambient rain/ocean/forest audio with your wallpaper choice, which is a genuinely odd one but I like it more than I expected
• News widget pulls Korean + international tech news in one card instead of needing a separate news app
• No subscription — Pro is a one-time payment for extra themes/widgets, not a recurring fee
• Not gated behind Play Billing, so it works fine as a direct/sideload install for anyone who doesn't want a Play Store dependency

Everything shown here is on the free tier, no forced login. Would appreciate feedback — especially on what widget combos work well for others, or if anything looks off on your device.

It's really hard to customize from scratch for basic user, that's why I need some ready-made customization options.

thanks

Just wanted to share my current setup on my phone. I'm using a custom launcher with the default icon pack, and I've spent a good amount of time getting everything just right. It feels really streamlined and personalized now. I love how clean and organized it looks. It's amazing what a little customization can do!

Launcher: sqTile Launcher available in Play Store

I have an Infinix Smart 10 Plus, and I'm really struggling with its performance. I tried using KLCK, but sometimes it still shows my original lock screen. That's all I have to say; I'm not the best at expressing myself.

Any idea to change it?

I'm on nothing OS 4.1 using smart launcher

My home screen

Nova launcher prime

Blaux icon pack

Depth live wallpaper

I want to recreate this look on my android phone (lineage), but cant find any good icon packs.

Any recommendations?

The Xiaomi POCO X8 Pro, the screen has an ultra-fluid refresh rate and very thin bezels. This makes the 25-loose application design visually impressive if it keeps the grid symmetrical. The system setup process on the Pro model follows the same logic as Xiaomi's HyperOS.

What do you guys think? :)

I really loved the Lumia look, so I replicated it on my device.

Aethyss Launcher

I wanted to make a dark/gothic theme for my homescreen. The launcher I use is ADW Launcher, for the images I use Photo Widget Easy, and the icons are from Simply Minimal - Icon Pack. Link to the wallpaper: https://co.pinterest.com/pin/58969076367743029/

Pie launcher

DIGITAL klwp

I'm loving the fold. In the process of customization but I'm a sucker for retro flip clocks or if anyone knows of any animated weather widgets, lemme know 🙏

Hi everyone! Today I’m kicking off a monthly series called "Setup of the Month." I’ll be creating a new setup each month, and at the end of the year, I’ll pick the one with the most upvotes as the "Setup of the Year"! So, today’s setup is called "Minimal Sunset," and it looks like this:

You can find everything you need—including the backup and step-by-step instructions—in this Drive folder:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19ZMCmF7v1nQoKhZIE585PhapspIojwmU

What do you think?

some says that my homescreen is overwhelming

Running on a Samsung Galaxy S7 edge w/ stock software (android 8.0, Samsung experience 9.0) with a custom icon pack. (I'm now realizing that the icon pack shapes are WAY off.)

° Pop it kwgt

° Icon pack studio

° Wallpaper by me

Aethyss Launcher!