Lightning Launcher

While every modern Android phone comes with a home screen interface, the quality of each can vary, and the user often has little control over how they navigate their apps and files. Lightning Launcher serves as an alternative to the traditional OS, allowing you to create a launch screen that matches your particular needs. While Lightning Launcher's functions are dense and the interface can be hard to wrap your head around, it offers a whole pile of customization options that make it one of the best Android launchers on the market. The default layout of Android home screens tends to be pretty standard across all devices. Apps appear as tiles on the screen's grid, and swiping left or right allows you access to more home screen real estate. One of Lightning Launcher's more interesting functions is its ability to expand your home screen into a new dimension. With Lightning Launcher, you can create limitless interconnected screens that can be accessed not just by scrolling left or right but up and down as well. For power users, this creates the option of creating complex folders and subfolders that can be accessed with a simple swipe. If you use your phone to sort through large numbers of apps and files, it's a godsend. For those with less need for this level of functions, it can be confusing. The center screen holds all the standard home screen icons as well as an "all apps" button that lets you access a full list of the apps installed on your device. The interface for the "all apps" drawer is cleanly designed, transparently superimposed over the home screen, and locked into a page view so you won't accidentally lose track of where you are in your app list. While this is a great function, it only scratches the surface of what's available in Lightning Launcher. The amount of customization you have over your screen's management is staggering and possibly overwhelming. If you're the type of user who likes to have full granular control of how your icons are displayed, you'll be in heaven. Fonts can be customized to your liking, and Lightning Launcher is compatible with a wide range of icon packs so that you can easily skin your device's design to match your aesthetic preferences. Pressing your finger down on an icon gives you a range of options that include the ability to move it, change its size, and drag it into a folder. An unlimited amount of app icons can be pinned, ensuring they'll stay in place no matter how much time you spend manipulating the interface. Of course Lightning Launcher also includes all the standard features you'd expect from an Android launcher. You can change your wallpaper and swipe configuration from the main menu. We'd be remiss to mention that the app moves lightning fast despite the dense amount of functions it makes available to users.