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So what exactly do the launchers do differently?

S

Savatage79

Member
Sorry for such a noob question, i love these phones but i mainly got them for the net and all other basic functions.

But with my s3, im really wanting to get into some of the cool things you can do.

So touchwiz is the current stock launcher? I am reading about Apex, Nova and GO i think? Are these the best launchers and what exactly can i expect to be different if i tried a new one?

Also a side question, when it comes to icon apps such as "chrome rings"....will that app not work with the current launcher?
 
Launchers are basically the home screens and app drawer...so a third party launcher can allow you to customize that part of then user interface...
 
Metfanant said:
Launchers are basically the home screens and app drawer...so a third party launcher can allow you to customize that part of then user interface...
Click to expand...

Do they run a bit slower though than stock launchers? Im assuming a 3rd party launcher might not be as quick, or are they just as smooth?
 
Nova and Apex are very close. I'm currently using Nova. The other thing nice about third party launchers is you can find themes to download to further customize your phone. My recommendation is to download both and give each a try. What launcher each person uses is all personal preference. One isn't better than the other just slightly different. You'll need to find the one that best suits you.
 
valorian said:
Nova and Apex are very close. I'm currently using Nova. The other thing nice about third party launchers is you can find themes to download to further customize your phone. My recommendation is to download both and give each a try. What launcher each person uses is all personal preference. One isn't better than the other just slightly different. You'll need to find the one that best suits you.
Click to expand...

Awesome to hear, ill definitely do that. My last question with it is this, how do i flip between launchers?

And yea i noticed the customizing aspect seems to be greater for those other launchers.
 
Savatage79 said:
Awesome to hear, ill definitely do that. My last question with it is this, how do i flip between launchers?

And yea i noticed the customizing aspect seems to be greater for those other launchers.
Click to expand...
Hit the home button and it will ask which launcher you want to use, as long as you don't specify a default one.
 
After you install the launcher, each time you press the home button a windows will pop up asking you which launch you want to use. It will do this until you check the box saying to use this from now on. After you check the box you will always use the launcher selected. Later if you want to stop using that launcher, go into application manager and select the launcher you are using. Scroll down and select clear data and the dialog box will once again pop up when you press the home button so you can select a different launcher.
 
hi,
yeah, bin the stock launcher asap! :D
im currently using Apex pro and find it good - lots of peeps like Nova, but i found it slow to
respond
cheers
 
Messing with Nova now, gonna try Apex later...definitly liking the differences im feeling and noticing!

Hah one last question though, i know my last was the last supposedly :p but ok I downloaded "chrome rings" for my icons.

I cant get them to show up with Nova. I am bringing up the nova settings screen, not finding or seeing anything.

Do i need to have the purchased version to utilize those type of apps?
 
Nevermind those questions about the themes, got it...not sure how i missed the one button for look/feel.

I got the chrome rings theme up, looks really awesome. Only thing ive noticed is some apps dont have the chrome ring, like Pandora for instance...is there anything i can do for that by chance?
 
Savatage79 said:
Only thing ive noticed is some apps dont have the chrome ring, like Pandora for instance...is there anything i can do for that by chance?
Click to expand...

No, there is nothing you can do about that. Each icon has to be themed by the person who created the theme. If the developers did not theme the Pandora Icon it will stay stock.
 
valorian said:
No, there is nothing you can do about that. Each icon has to be themed by the person who created the theme. If the developers did not theme the Pandora Icon it will stay stock.
Click to expand...


Yea i figured out how to do some of that stuff now, there were a few icons that came with the theme such as a Pandora icon that was in chrome, so i was able to just edit out the square pandora icon and pop that in its place.

Loving the variety here, gonna really dive in and learn some new things. Thanks for any and all help here guys, much appreciated.
 
Can you install any theme pack with any launcher? Or only will Go themes go with Go launcher, Nova themes with Nova launcher etc etc....
 
bombie said:
Can you install any theme pack with any launcher? Or only will Go themes go with Go launcher, Nova themes with Nova launcher etc etc....
Click to expand...

Seems that the themes are built for specific launchers. So always just check which launcher the themes are for.

Loving the customization that comes with Android phones.
 
Nova, ADW, and Go appear to use the same theme structure. So now there are more and more themes that you can apply to any of those three (and maybe others, too).
 
dan55 said:
hi,
yeah, bin the stock launcher asap! :D
im currently using Apex pro and find it good - lots of peeps like Nova, but i found it slow to
respond
cheers
Click to expand...

I'm using Nova and have noticed a few hiccups when going between my screens, now that I'm on 4.1.1. It's not continual, but if my phones has been sitting for a while and I cycle screens, it'll do that. I'm hoping an update will fix this.

I was thinking about using a different launcher, but after paying for this one, I don't know if I really want to go for something different.
 
Savatage79 said:
Do they run a bit slower though than stock launchers? Im assuming a 3rd party launcher might not be as quick, or are they just as smooth?
Click to expand...

I find that Nova Prime feels a bit faster. I like it. It did have some minor issues and reverted back to TW a few times in the first week. Since then, I have had no issues.

I like the fact that with Nova Prime, I can get rid of that app dock that is always on the bottom of the TW launcher. Without the dock and with the large screen, I set it up to have 6 rows of icons (still with 4 columns).
 
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