Forget Niagara and Nova, this minimalist launcher is my new favorite for old Android hardware

Take a moment to think about which Android app is at the center of your smartphone. If you answered the phone app, you’re likely still stuck in the early 2010s. But if you answered the launcher, you’d be correct. That’s why picking the right home screen makes all the difference to the quality of your phone usage experience.

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’t cutting it anymore, so I sought a minimalist, lightweight Android launcher to bring back some much-needed pep. The answer, I’d soon discover after trawling F-Droid, was Mako.

Mako is my new ultra-minimalist launcher obsession

I’ve 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.

Let’s talk about setup first. While I could spend hours setting up Nova Launcher and Octopi Launcher 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’s useful and adds a pop of color, but I do wish it included size tweaks and full weather condition details.

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’ve found that the more management tools a launcher offers, the more time I waste managing them.

On my old Samsung tablet, which is now my e-reader of choice, I have just a handful of apps installed. I use Mako’s 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’t use often. This works like a charm. And if you can’t find what you want in the moment, Mako includes a bottom search bar.

Mako’s featherlight construction translates into speedy performance. It’s 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.

I’m also a fan of its pastel-based themes with quirky names like “Dracula” and “Catppuccin Moccha,” 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’d like to see importable themes from users in future releases of Mako, but for now, the theming system is a simple yet effective highlight.

All these features (or lack thereof) contribute to Mako’s polish as a minimalist launcher. I’ve used plenty of productivity-geared launchers in the past, from Niagara to Key Launcher, but Mako is certainly the easiest to use. It’s so foolproof that practically anyone can use it without issue. I’d happily install Mako on my parents’ devices.

While I don’t believe Mako is at its best on a smartphone, at least not for power users, it certainly works well on dated hardware. I’ve 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.

Finally, I should touch on Mako’s privacy and security features. As an open-source app, you can dig into its code yourself to verify the developers’ claims and processes. Mako includes no trackers or ads, unlike some other Android launchers I used to love.

Mako has been my favorite flavor of the month ever since I installed it on my tablet. It’s 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.

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’d absolutely recommend Mako as the new lick of paint your device desperately needs.