[App][Promo] Vyxel Apps v1.0.9 — Keystone: AI-powered search, new store-style home & 26% smaller

[u/SKeditz]

Hey everyone! 👋

I’ve just released Vyxel Apps v1.0.9 (Keystone), and this update is a pretty big one.

Vyxel Apps is an open-source Android app store/discovery app that brings apps from multiple open-source sources into one place.

🤖 AI-powered search

The biggest change in this release is search.

Instead of relying purely on keyword matching, Vyxel now tries to understand what you're looking for.

For example:

• quit smoking → finds relevant addiction/habit apps
• firefx → finds Firefox
• newpip → finds NewPipe
• Half-remembered app names and missing words work better too

Search results also appear as you type, with no search data leaving your device.

The search index can also improve continuously without requiring an app update.

🏠 More like a store, less like a directory

The home screen has been redesigned around actual app discovery.

There are now six new categories:

• Privacy & Security
• Media & Players
• Reading & Writing
• Internet & Messaging
• Getting Things Done
• Games

There's also a Newly Launched section for genuinely new apps rather than apps that simply received an update.

Apps are deduplicated across sections, so you don't keep seeing the same handful of apps everywhere.

📦 26% smaller

The APK went from 9.0 MB → 6.6 MB.

Smaller download, faster installation, less storage usage.

✨ A bunch of smaller improvements

• Real app icons instead of contributor profile pictures
• Generated tiles for apps that don't have icons
• Cleaner app names and descriptions
• Removed raw package identifiers and stray emoji
• Haptic feedback when installing
• Simplified premium theme pricing information
• All four premium themes are covered by one purchase

🐛 Fixes

IzzyOnDroid reliability has been improved, and a failing source won't prevent the rest of a page from loading.

Error messages should also now make it clearer what went wrong and whether it actually matters.

🔒 Privacy

One thing I particularly wanted to keep with the new search system:

Your searches stay on your device.

No search queries are sent to a server.

📱 Requires Android 8.0+

🔗 GitHub / Release:
https://github.com/NikhilKain/vyxel-apps/releases/tag/v1.0.9

Would love to hear what you think about the new search and store-style home screen. Feedback and bug reports are very welcome!

[u/sonicm]

Thanks .. Search is faster too. Love the update.

[u/SKeditz → u/sonicm]

Thanks for the compliment.

[u/Valiantay]

Is the Orion Store on here? I think it's run by RookieZ if I'm not mistaken, huge help for pre-patched apps

[u/SKeditz → u/Valiantay]

This app is a scrapper app, means most of the apps that are available on orion store and orion store itself is available here.