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App Swap Drawer - T9 Search?
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Popularity Score: 44
This app was mentioned in 117 comments, with an average of 3.44 upvotes
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AppSwap does this, but even better.
You can have a set of apps display by default, search by T9 or regular keyboard, plus a ton of other options.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch&hl=en
Let me preface this with the fact that I don't think that PC or Android are 'better' than their Apple counterpart. They all have different strong and weak points.
But your colleagues are correct that Android is more customizable than iOS, here are the points I can think of at the top of my head:
- Android allows for placing widgets anywhere on the 'homescreen'
- Android allows replacing the default 'homescreen' by installing 'Launcher' apps. This can drastically change the user experience.
- Android allows for choose default apps. Prefer Chrome over Safari or Spotify over Google Music/Apple Music? This will make sure that links will always open in Chrome and Songs will always play in Spotify
- Android(P and Q) allows for different ways of navigation. Options are 3 button, 2 button and full gesture navigation
- Some skins of Android allows for theming including changing system colors.
- Android allows for changing app icons on the 'homescreen'
- Android allows for heavy task automation with apps like Tasker
- Android allows for drawing content over other apps. Resulting in features like Facebook Chatheads and always accessable app drawer apps like this
I'm not talking about system launchers, but about apps like App Swap
And I agree, a huge part of why i like Android is because of the customizability. Removing overlays will remove a lot of that.
An alternative option is App Swap Drawer. Unlike App Dialer, it's not limited to just 3 apps (App Swap displays 8 in the mini mode, and you can bring it up in full screen mode too). Also, App Swap can be activated by multiple gestures from anywhere (eg: swipe up from home). However it doesn't have a homescreen widget - it's intended use is to bring it up from anywhere, and reduce the need to go to the homescreen each time to launch your apps.
I use App Swap. I have it pop up instead of Assistant when I long press the home button and it shows a T9 search as well as my most frequently launched apps.
Hey hope it's okay to post my thoughts here:
Lot of my shortcuts are disappearing. Specifically, ones I made as a QuickShortcutMaker shortcut (as in via the launcher shortcut selection (the old one, not app shortcuts))
I'd like to see the overlay as something more like App Swap so I can use it as an app drawer for non-Nova launchers and still have my sesame shortcuts. (Maybe collaborate with this dev like with Nova to integrate Sesame? ��)
Actually, the current "darkened wallpaper" overlay would be alright for my intention mentioned above but I need a better way to trigger sesame, like with a shortcut on my launcher or a widget maybe.
Or at least a swipeable area on the bottom edge of the screen, not just left or right
Thanks! I remember when this app first came it, it's come a long way and my launcher experience now absolutely requires Sesame as a part!
Edit:
Can you also add some search engines like Wikipedia? I know the app doesn't support it in the normal way, but this would be great!
Honestly I think you could save yourself a lot of trouble by using a T9 app launcher such as App Swap; that way you can launch any app from any screen in the way you described, using a swipe up/from the side type of gesture.
I realize this is something of a non-answer, but I recommend that you at least try this out first before trying to solve it in Tasker, since (in my opinion at least) I think that might prove to be too much of a hassle.
App Search Plus is possibly the best no-frills app drawer alternative, but in case anyone is looking for more options rather than fewer, I heartily recommend App Swap Drawer.
App Swap gives you the same search-from-anywhere-with-your-keyboard experience, but also has a T-9 keyboard and can filter by icon color or app category, search contacts, open apps in floating windows (with Xposed), and theme the whole experience. Or, if you'd rather, set it up to act like the standard Google app drawer until you need the fancy stuff (which is a tap or swipe away). It's all cleanly presented and looks like something Google would include in stock Android, just with a bit more functionality and customization options.
I have been using App Swap for years and I absolutely love it. Has edge launch so you can open from any app. It can search contacts (tap to open, call or text) or apps. And my favorite part is it uses T9 to search instead of having to type on a full keyboard. Tho you can set it to keyboard if you prefer.
App Swap Drawer - T9 Search — is the fastest and most effective search for apps on Android (imho) — T9, recent list, the color of the icon; there are labels (categories).
A tiny launcher, and I mean tiny.
I've just got second hand S7 edge and love most of the default stuff except the launcher.
I tried a few little ones - Evie, Lightning, Lean Launcher, Lawnchair, but they all seem either too simple (eg no way to hide the dock, rubbish app drawer, too bloated for simple launchers) and at the moment I'm sticking with Nova because I've paid for it.
I just want a super small super quick launcher that allows me to use my own icon pack, has no dock, and an app drawer that isn't Holoyolo and allows sorting by most used.
I have used App Swap Drawer which does a fairly decent job but I'd rather have a launcher with it built in.
I use it to share markdown-formatted links to apps from App Swap Drawer, so it's easy to share apps on r/Android and r/AndroidQuestions (using the linkme bot is ugly and unreliable).
Sometimes I'll have an app show up in AD I don't want there, but not often.
I have a different app that I use to launch favorite apps, a mix of a few side launchers.
I don't use the AD widget, strictly double tap on home screen with Nova Launcher to launch App Dialer.
Sometimes I have the missing icon, normally it's from an app that I have uninstalled but still in AD cache. Usually it goes away or I can reload AD app list in the settings.
Have you ever tried App Swap?
App Swap at times has almost replaced AD. It probably would if I could make the T9 Dialer bigger. I wish both AD and App Swap's T9 dialers could be resized.
Anyhoo, suppose it comes down to personal preference.
What's really unique is skipping the launcher screen entirely with something like App Swap or, if you have hardware buttons, App Dialer
I'm hooked on App swap.
Swiftly switch may be more what you're looking for with the pre-set favourites though.
Ex-user of Appsi here. It's a great app, especially the search feature, and more especially when setting the gesture to open your keyboard ready to search on swipe. Just want to point you in the direction I went...I wanted a more Material Design experience, and there was Appsii, an update to Appsi, but after trying that and many other apps, I recommend App Swap.
App Swap - Launch apps and contacts from anywhere. Every other side bar launcher app is locked behind paywall, subscription and look ugly. This is beautiful, stable and works the fastest with T9 Keypad
FreqUAW - Frequently Used Apps Widgets. As the name implies, place this widget on home screen to launch the most used apps right. Can be configured to blacklist, apply icon pack, reshape widget to show more apps.
I haven't opened my app drawer since many days with these 2 apps
You can swipe from edge (on any screen) and use the T9 keypad shown to easily search for apps/contacts. (like the phone dialer style). You can see certain apps there too, if you feel the need to quickly switch to those.
Hope it helps.
App Swap was last updated on July 2017
5 years and I have yet to find any app which comes close to it. KISS launcher is my next favourite.
I would make similar app if I could code but alas...
Try App Swap, it can be opened from any app too, for example, change the default digital assistant app to this, or use "gesturePlus" to launch it by one tap on the gssture nav bar. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch
App Swap - not a launcher, but an app launcher so you can use it with any. Has T9 app/contact search. Very customizable. Swipe gestures for 6 apps I think. T9 is the reason I've kept this over Sesame.
Same. Do you use a particular app or your launcher's search? I use App Swap since it has T9 search. It also can show apps by color and a bunch of other features. I would switch to sesame if they would do T9
Two possibles - neither pulls down from the notification shade, but both can be run from any screen by swiping a configurable hot zone - pretty much the same thing, IMO.
AppSwap lets you start an app by typing its name; as you do, it displays the icon or icons of the app(s) matching your input. It matches on as little as the first letter you enter and narrows the group of possible matching apps with each additional letter. I've used it for a year or two and like it a lot. I don't think it's actively developed any more, though.
Linkme: AppSwap https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch
Zone Launcher is a recent app (I learned about it in this sub a couple of months ago, when the dev introduced it). It works in something like the same way as AppSwap, but uses an index along the right side of the screen to let you select the first letter of the app you want to run -- for example, if I select A , it pops up the icons for aCalendar, aCar, AquaMail, and so on, and I swipe over to the one I want. Actively developed by a friendly, responsive dev. (You can learn more about it by searching for "Zone Launcher" in this sub.)
Linkme: Zone Launcher https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bialy.zonelauncher
They both work really well, and they give you a clean, uncluttered screen, since they only show when you swipe them open over your current screen. I'm actually running both - each has unique features I like and I haven't settled on either exclusively.
Try them, they're both out of the right bottle ;)
Edit: added links
There are lots of different app drawers. If it's just an app drawer with alphabetical sorting (like the one Nova has) it's really not much better than not having an app drawer at all. But once you try usage frequency sorting you won't go back.
So far the best solution I've tried is App Swap. It hasn't been updated for two years but it still rocks. It combines the comfort of usage sorting with a quick search tool.
I'm considering switching to an iPhone next year and the crappy homescreen iOS has is likely to be one of the biggest issues.
Ive never been a mod but can't the users themselves be the eyes by utilizing the report feature?
Suggestion: AppSwap - T9 popup app/contact search like Sesame with less integration, but has 6 app quick launches, independent icon pack, and search apps by icon color.
Some feedback, after 4-5 days experience.
(As background, I've been using App Swap for several years. It uses a fairly similar metaphor, so I'm enjoying Zone a lot.)
I've thought of a few things you might want to do, none of them make-or-break in my view.
° Larger letters in the alpha index. I'd be willing to sacrifice a column of icons for this if that's what it would require. It's probably something that will get easier with use, but right now I usually have to fiddle around to end up on the right index letter.
° Persistence. I'd like the option of lifting my finger and tapping an icon to launch. This is a carry-over from using App Swap, and I'll probably find that index-and-drag becomes natural over time, but right now I often forget and lift my finger, causing Zone to close and requiring me to start over (and fiddle with the index again). When there are more apps than screen real estate and I need to use the down-arrow or up-arrow to navigate between screens, this is more noticeable - maybe there's some lag re-drawing my screen or something like that, but it's definitely more fiddly. That's the only area where Zone feels anything like clumsy to me.
° A zone that automagically learns my frequently-used apps (another App Swap feature) and displays them.
° Multiple trigger areas - so that I can set both Center Left and Center Right, for example.
° Ability to scale or crop, and especially to rotate, the background image. So far, the photos I've set as background all were taken in portrait mode but display rotated into landscape mode.
This is a great launcher, though, and these are just minor points.
App Swap has this as a feature. It's an app search app. I use it instead of the app drawer most days. You can use T9, type it out, swipe gestures for up to 6 presets, and color coded.
It's great, and I didn't think I could ever switch from app dialer.
This one is good too, and it beats them both in looks/customization. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch
App Swap isn't a home app but it's a launcher that shows apps by play store category, among other things (most used, recent, even colour of the icon!)
What device and OS version were used in these tests? Google Now is just about instantaneous finding apps for me on a Oneplus One. It's kind of surprising because it used to suck for finding apps. I've been using App Swap before but I think I'll start using Google Now.
Yeah, I use App Swap for that (linkme: app swap) but I actually don't use it that often anymore.
EDIT: the bot done got it wrong. I meant App Swap
I use App Swap to switch between apps. It binds to the swipe up from the navigation bar shortcut that usually has Google search, so you can swipe up from any screen and get to any app by typing a couple of letters on the t9 keyboard (enable in settings).
You can also set up up to 8 shortcuts which you can reach by swiping from specific points on the app (4 either side, requires the paid upgrade) and set your most used apps to stick in a certain position.
If that doesn't work for you, there's another app called Appdialler that does the same thing with less options.
Apps:
Amazon: Offers some paid/iap apps for free. Just change your Amazon account country to the US.
APKPure: Play Store alternative. Lets you download region-locked apps (Pokémon GO in my case) much more easily than using a VPN.
App Swap: T9-style app launcher. I used to use App Dialer but I've found this to be better.
Automate: Tasker alternative. Has good documentation and can do pretty much anything.
CloudMagic: Mail app.
Dict Aide: Popup dictionary. I like setting the gravity to bottom so it's similar to the dictionary in Play Books.
Fleksy: Keyboard. The swipe gestures have saved me so much time tbh.
Flynx: View and save links in bubbles. I used to use Chromer but Flynx just feels better for me.
LeafPic: Quickpic alternative.
MiXplorer: File manager.
NewPipe: YouTube alternative. Lets you listen in the background and download videos too.
Pie Control: Adds pie controls.
Rocket Player The only music player I've found that automatically reads my SD card.
Ticklr Free Brings back the notification ticker.
Root:
Games:
250+ Solitaire Collection: Has basically every solitaire game you can think of and then some. The interface is dated but the functionality outweighs it.
Bounce: A remake of the old Bounce Nokia game.
Hatoful Boyfriend: The dating sim everybirdie should play. Full of fun characters, a great story, Hatoful Boyfriend is the game we don't deserve but got anyway.
Kept Man Life: Simple wait and click game but the story is one of the funniest I've seen.
Xposed:
ChromePie: Adds pie controls to Chrome. (Note: Some functions weren't working in Chrome Dev last I checked. I rolled back to an older version and haven't updated since so idk if it's already been fixed.)
CustomShare: Customize the Share menu.
InstallerOpt: Options for Package Installer. I use it to autohide the installation screen and add the ability to launch apps from the App Info page.
Native Clipboard: Clipboard manager.
No Play Games: Remove the annoying Play Games dialog in some games.
Settings Editor: Lets you customize the Settings screen.
Statusbar download progress: Adds a progress bar to the status bar. Useful for checking big downloads without needing to swipe down.
List made using List My Apps
Edit: formatting
App Swap - I don't use Google Now, I went as far as disabling the Google app, as I do all my searches through the browser (and use DDG most of the time anyway). this little app can be mapped to the home button long press, and shows you a searchable and customizable app drawer, that can be sorted by to your most launched apps.
Automatic Tag Editor - great music tagger which, as the name suggests, has got some options to tag your library automatically. some of the features are hidden behind IAPs, but it's great for fetching album covers.
Chromer - when I tap on any a link, a Chathead-like bubble appears with the website loading in the background, so that I can jump to it once it fully loads. works great with Chrome, Brave and Firefox Nightly, but has got some issues with Firefox Focus.
Custom Navigation Bar - allows me to customize navigation buttons without root. I use compact layout so that the three buttons are closer to the center of the display, and added an additional button that pulls down notification panel, which is a life saver for phones with bigger screens. it makes one handed usage much easier, as I'm now reaching to the top part of the screen much less frequently than I used to.
DNS66 - system-wide, no root ad blocker, free and open source. easy on the battery, as well.
Fliktu - replaces standard "share using" panel with a much faster list of apps, sorted by last used. snagged it couple days ago for free on sale, although the app hasn't been updated for almost 2 years so it going free is probably the sign of complete abandonment. I'm probably going to keep it until it works, though.
ForceDoze - a tool that makes the phone enter Doze mode as soon as possible in order to save battery although I'll be honest, I'm not sure if it has got any noticeable impact on battery life on Nougat.
KDE Connect - Pushbullet or Join alternative for Linux users. shows your phone's notification on desktop, syncs clipboard between the devices, can control media playback on desktop from your phone, push files wirelessly both ways, automatically pause music playback during phonecall, serve as wireless keyboard or mouse, remotely execute preset bash commands and probably some more stuff that I forgot to mention. despite its name, it works fine on other desktop environments (I've used it with MATE and XFCE in the past).
Keepass2Android - a free and open source password manager. you can either use an offline database or store it encrypted in Google Drive or Dropbox to sync across devices. as far as I can tell, KeePass has got pretty much all features that LastPass has, but you don't have to pay any subscription. there are clients available for all major platforms - Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.
Light Flow - allows you to set custom LED colours for any notification. in addition to that, you can use it to change sound of notifications for apps that don't allow you to customize it - for example, I use it to change the message tone of Facebook Messenger Lite, as I hate the default bell sound, and change the notification sound for Slide for Reddit. you can also make it play different sounds and blink different LED colours depending on keywords in notifications. I set it up so it plays a sound and blinks LED when I get a Snapchat message, but if Snapchat shows notification that says "is typing", the phone stays silent and unblinking.
Look of Disapproval - provides a list of different kaomoji, lennyfaces and the likes. you can add them to favourites to find them quickly, or make some custom ones (or even add some copypasta if you want to). it also has got a quick tile so you can get your favourite Lennys straight from the quick tile area.
Quick App Lock Pro - locks the apps that you want to keep private with PIN, pattern or your fingerprint. there's also free, ad-supported version available. I feel like it's the fastest app lock out of several that I've tried.
SD Maid - pretty much the only legit cleaner out there. it doesn't promise any snake oil performance boost, just does its thing. it can find files that remain after you uninstall an app, search for duplicate files, and can clear cache if you really need to (even though you probably shouldn't be doing that, most of the time). you can also make it check for remaining files after you uninstall an app so that it doesn't leave anything behind, pretty handy.
Smart WiFi Toggler - uses your location to enable WiFi when you're near a hotspot that you've previously connected to, and disables WiFi when you leave the area. it determines location by your mobile network, so it doesn't drain battery. it's yet another app that hasn't been updated for almost 2 years, but it's been working fine so far.
Twilight - because, unfortunately, Sony phones don't have blue light filter and there's no way to enable it via adb on Android 7.1.1. displays a reddish overlay over the screen after sunset, making the content easier on the eyes.
Universal Copy - a small app that, when triggered, allows you to copy any text currently shown on your screen (except if it's some text in an image file, as it doesn't do OCR). provides a quick tile for easy access, or can be mapped to long pressing one of the navigation or volume buttons. very handy.
App Swap 3.98mb - Search apps and contact with keyboard, T9 dialer. Themes, swipe from edge to launch the dialer.
Brave 3.27mb - Open links in a pop-up. Supports history, themes, etc.
Dash 5.52mb - New reddit client with lots of features and responsive dev. Suports multis, theme, "My Random", notification badge on the corner of app icon in any launcher,mark posts as read on scroll, YouTube lock orientation, etc. Dev (/u/rikardo_92) is responsive and active on /r/dashforreddit.
Fit(X) 3.79mb - Calculate your macros, daily water intake, BMI, etc.
Flynx 4mb - Another pop-up browser. Supports ad-blocking, article view, javascript blocking, etc.
Now for Reddit 4.77mb - Under-rated reddit client here by /u/Miloco . Has tabbed subreddit browsing and navigation, animations are close to Relay, image uploading, advanced search with users and domains, multireddits, etc.
Slimperience 386kb - Alternative to lightning browser. Very lightweight, beautiful animations and material design, ad-blocking, etc.
List made using List My Apps
> swipe up from anywhere else should open the app drawer.
This is exactly what I do using App Swap Drawer. It even supports gestures within the drawer itself for even more efficient shortcut launching. :)
> To hide the keyboard you should be able to swipe down from the top of the keyboard.
SwiftKey already does that. :) (if you're not using Flow/swipe typing).
> A left swipe from the gesture pill should be the back button replacement [...] Shrink the bottom black bar in half to increase screen real estate.
IMHO swiping from the left/right edge of the screen to go back is more intuitive - Apple already does that and its very effective. Also, I know how you hold your phone but I find my thumb generally hovers around the middle-3/4 of the screen, so having to reach all the way down to the bottom of the phone one handed, especially on a device with minimal bezels, is very awkward. This is why I prefer using Edge Gestures over any other Android/OEM gestures. Combine that with Shortcutter to enable immersive mode without the navbar, and you get the best gesture navigation there is, today. No need to wait for Google or other OEMs. :)
App Swap has this but it's more an app drawer replacement than a launcher
I've been using AppSwap recently - it's a teeny bit heavier, but has a few features I appreciate
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch
I am AppSwap person myself. Much better looking and many more options.
Linkme: App Swap - find and launch apps with T9 keyboard
Bah! Didn't find the right app. Here it is https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch
Take a look at App Swap, it let's you configure the swipes. The app is awesome overall.
I find this app invaluable: App Swap
Edit: fixed link.
I actually do this already with AppSwap.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch&hl=en
Now, I can keep my homescreen clean.
I would also recommend App Swap Drawer - T9 Search — is also a great application from the same category.
in that case you might also like App Swap
App Swap, it's a sidebar launcher type app
App Swap https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch
Edit: it seems it's no longer on the Play Store for now... https://plus.google.com/+EmmanuelBoudrant/posts/JRKkYutHLBr
Check out app switch
im using this app to do something very similar, it is awesome
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch&hl=en
App Swap - FREE
Launch apps and contacts from anywhere. With T9 Keypad enabled I can open apps in 3 seconds
App Swap (last updated July 2017) is a great replacement for T9 launcher
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch
AppSwap maybe? I used it for years, before switching to Kiss, and never relied on a launcher at all.
AppSwap maybe?
It lives on!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch
^organize your smartphone apps the T9 way!
It needs the app to support Currently I reassign to this app for easily access different apps without getting back to home screen: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch
I had switched from App Dialer Pro to App Swap and never looked back. App Swap is so much better.
I'm not sure if this is what you meant, but maybe check out App Swap?
Use App Swap Drawer - T9 Search ;)
As Nova's app drawer is extremely retarded (everything else is great), I'd highly recommend pairing it with something like App Swap.
which of these T9 do you prefer? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch or https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=name.pilgr.appdialer
Try App Swap
App Swap has a long-press option to disable Edge Launch (the overlay), then tapping the notification re-enables it.
I don't really use the lsumcher app drawer, ever since I got App Swap Drawer I can open it up on any screen.
Try app swap
I like App Swap
wrong link, sorry https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch
I don't know if this is exactly what you are looking for but hopefully this helps: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.ebt.appswitch&hl=en