{"id":524510,"date":"2026-06-08T12:19:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T12:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/524510\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:19:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T12:19:16","slug":"this-minimalist-android-launcher-is-my-new-favorite-for-old-devices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/524510\/","title":{"rendered":"This minimalist Android launcher is my new favorite for old devices"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"mako<\/p>\n

Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Take a moment to think about which Android app is at the center of your smartphone. If you answered the phone app, you\u2019re likely still stuck in the early 2010s. But if you answered the launcher, you\u2019d be correct. That\u2019s why picking the right home screen makes all the difference to the quality of your phone usage experience.<\/p>\n

This is even more important when choosing a home screen for an older or less equipped device. I found myself in this predicament recently when I pulled my grand old Android tablet from the depths of the defunct device drawer. One UI Home just wasn\u2019t cutting it anymore, so I sought a minimalist, lightweight Android launcher<\/a> to bring back some much-needed pep. The answer, I\u2019d soon discover after trawling F-Droid, was Mako<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What is the most important aspect of an Android launcher’s design for you?<\/p>\n

1365 votes<\/p>\n

Customizability<\/p>\n

38%<\/p>\n

Minimalism<\/p>\n

17%<\/p>\n

Performance and speed<\/p>\n

19%<\/p>\n

Aesthetics<\/p>\n

10%<\/p>\n

Integration with other services and apps<\/p>\n

5%<\/p>\n

Organization<\/p>\n

5%<\/p>\n

Widget support<\/p>\n

3%<\/p>\n

Something else (elaborate in comments)<\/p>\n

2%<\/p>\n

Mako is my new ultra-minimalist launcher obsession\n<\/p>\n

\"mako\"mako<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve used a handful of stripped-down launchers in the past, but none quite as streamlined as Mako. It drops all the fluff that many modern launchers include, from AI integrations to widget support, and prioritizes app shortcuts.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about setup first. While I could spend hours setting up Nova Launcher<\/a> and Octopi Launcher<\/a> in the past, Mako is about as install-and-go as it gets. The launcher uses a single screen that displays the most pertinent information in a single built-in widget, including the time, date, current day of the year, ambient temperature, and battery details. It\u2019s useful and adds a pop of color, but I do wish it included size tweaks and full weather condition details.<\/p>\n

Initially, Mako lists all apps alphabetically on the home screen, which is a complete nightmare if you have hundreds of apps installed. However, the launcher encourages users to create groups and structure these apps. Grouping is effectively the only organizational tool at your disposal, and this is something of a boon. I\u2019ve found that the more management tools a launcher offers, the more time I waste managing them.<\/p>\n

\"mako<\/p>\n

Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

On my old Samsung tablet, which is now my e-reader of choice, I have just a handful of apps installed. I use Mako\u2019s groups to organize my most accessed reading-related apps at the top, utilities in the middle, and everything else below. Groups can also be collapsed, allowing me to effectively hide the apps I don\u2019t use often. This works like a charm. And if you can\u2019t find what you want in the moment, Mako includes a bottom search bar.<\/p>\n

Simple doesn’t have to be ugly, and Mako is pure proof.<\/p>\n

Mako\u2019s featherlight construction translates into speedy performance. It\u2019s rapid even on my 2019 Galaxy Tab A, and while it looks good, it keeps eye candy to a minimum. That said, Mako is one of the prettiest home screen experiences on Android. Its use of sharp angles, even in the default font choice, is refreshing in a world trending towards rounded corners and soft fades.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also a fan of its pastel-based themes with quirky names like \u201cDracula\u201d and \u201cCatppuccin Moccha,\u201d featuring purple, pink, green, and blue UI elements. You can also create your own themes, perhaps the only part of this launcher where one could potentially spend hours matching hues to wallpapers. I\u2019d like to see importable themes from users in future releases of Mako, but for now, the theming system is a simple yet effective highlight.<\/p>\n

\"makoCustom theme\"makoDracula<\/p>\n

All these features (or lack thereof) contribute to Mako\u2019s polish as a minimalist launcher. I\u2019ve used plenty of productivity-geared launchers in the past, from Niagara<\/a> to Key Launcher<\/a>, but Mako is certainly the easiest to use. It\u2019s so foolproof that practically anyone can use it without issue. I\u2019d happily install Mako on my parents\u2019 devices.<\/p>\n

I might want beefier features on my smartphone, but Mako is perfect for revitalizing older hardware.<\/p>\n

While I don\u2019t believe Mako is at its best on a smartphone, at least not for power users, it certainly works well on dated hardware. I\u2019ve transformed this aging Galaxy Tab into a rejuvenated content portal, and Mako is central to this transformation. However, on a smartphone, I lust for more powerful customization options, broader organizational tools, and more functionality. Mako falls short here.<\/p>\n

\"mako<\/p>\n

Andy Walker \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n

Finally, I should touch on Mako\u2019s privacy and security features. As an open-source app<\/a>, you can dig into its code yourself to verify the developers\u2019 claims and processes. Mako includes no trackers or ads, unlike some other Android launchers I used to love<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mako has been my favorite flavor of the month ever since I installed it on my tablet. It\u2019s lightweight, quick, and simple to use; it keeps management and customization options to a minimum while still adding enough color and style to keep the home screen fresh. While its organizational options might not be as robust as those of more comprehensive launchers, this actually contributes to its usability and efficiency on slower hardware.<\/p>\n

That said, Mako might still be worthwhile if you struggle to rein in your smartphone usage or want to build more productive smartphone habits. If you plan to refresh older Android hardware, I\u2019d absolutely recommend Mako as the new lick of paint your device desperately needs.<\/p>\n

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\"google\"google<\/a><\/p>\n

Thank you for being part of our community. Read our\u00a0Comment Policy<\/a> before posting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andy Walker \/ Android Authority Take a moment to think about which Android app is at the center…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":524511,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[257],"tags":[8138,41412,18,19,17,279,82],"class_list":["post-524510","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-android-apps","tag-android-launchers","tag-eire","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-mobile","tag-technology"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116714457169101590","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524510","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=524510"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/524510\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/524511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=524510"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=524510"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=524510"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}