Nova Launcher on HTC ONE - infos needed

[Rikirm]

Hello everyone.
I am a new Android user, coming from several years of iOS experience.
I like very much my HTC ONE but I am attracted by the Nova Launcher personalization possibilities.
However I am not exactly sure of what a "launcher" actually is. Is it just an App that somehow modifies some features and appearences
of the OS or is it more akin to a custom ROM? It won?t affect Sense 5.0 in any way, will it?
Is it installed and uninstalled easily just like any app or will I need to root the device?
I am interested in the feature of this launcher but I don?t want to male deep changes to the OS or make it somehow
difficult to get back in case I don?t like it.

Thank you

 

[Sizzers]

A launcher is what enables you to customise your homescreens and app drawer to how you want to use your phone. As you have obviously gathered there are several third-party launchers available with varying degrees of features and customisation options so it?s a case of finding the one which best fits your needs.

You install a launcher just like any other app and you don?t need to root your phone, although it will replace your stock launcher ? in your case Sense ? when activated. However, you don?t ?lose? Sense: you can switch between launchers at will, and if you don?t like Nova or any of the others you may try then you can simply uninstall them and you?re back as you are.

For what it?s worth I use Nova Prime, but to try Nova just download the free version first and see how you get on. If you don?t like it you can always try others, and if you don?t like any of them then you can always go back to Sense.

Hope this helps

 

[Rikirm]

Thank you very much.
That was helpful.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Sizzers]

Thank you very much.
That was helpful.

Posted via Android Central App

You're welcome.

Hope you like it!

 

[ffejjj]

Silly me, i thought this was a launcher...

Launcher is the default primary weapon for the Soldier. It is a typical rocket-propelling device with a protruding metal side and a wide exhaust port.
The launcher can hold up to four loaded rockets and fires them as projectiles at a speed of around 1100 Hammer units per second, roughly 47 mph.

 

[Gathomblipoob]

Silly me, i thought this was a launcher...

Launcher is the default primary weapon for the Soldier. It is a typical rocket-propelling device with a protruding metal side and a wide exhaust port.
The launcher can hold up to four loaded rockets and fires them as projectiles at a speed of around 1100 Hammer units per second, roughly 47 mph.

No. A launcher is what you sit in when you're on your laun.

 

[dragone7e]

Just beware that while you won't lose Sense 5 function, you'll lose the ability to use Sense 5 "widgets" like Blinkfeed.

 

[HalizDad]

Just beware that while you won't lose Sense 5 function, you'll lose the ability to use Sense 5 "widgets" like Blinkfeed.

*Unless you switch back to the Sense 5 launcher. I usually run in Sense for a week, then back to Nova for a week...Depends on how bored I am, or if I want to use Blinkfeed...

 

[jlongrc]

I like Sense enough as a launcher and I did use Blinkfeed, but what sold me on Nova was my ability to fit more "stuff" onto each home screen. Being able to resize widgets as I please and just generally get a bit more space makes it a big winner for me. Looks a bit more like stock Android as well.

 

[Rikirm]

So I will lose Blinkfeed if I install the launcher but not the other Sense features, correct?
And I can always switch back to the original Sense launcher. Ok, thanks everyone for the inputs.
I?ll give it a try

 

[Loiter]

So I will lose Blinkfeed if I install the launcher but not the other Sense features, correct?
And I can always switch back to the original Sense launcher. Ok, thanks everyone for the inputs.
I?ll give it a try

Actually you can still use Blinkfeed. You can easily have a shortcut for it with Nova Launchers.
As in your case, I'm new to Android and still not sure (insert random Fry meme) what I like and not.
So I installed Nova Launcher and can access my Blinkfeed with double-tapping on my homescreen (or you can use another gesture as long as you have Nova Prime).

 

[czervik85]

I wanted to like sense but I hold the phone in landscape too often and the portrait only home screens bugged me too much. I also have a action shortcut to sense so I can use blinkered. The only thing I don't like about nova is that in landscape 4xX widgets are stretched out.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[mcpricex]

When you install an alternative launcher like Nova and press the home button a pop up will appear asking which app you want use (eg HTC Sense or Nova) with options at the bottom to choose 'by default' or 'just once'. If you select Nova then choose by default you will be taken to Nova each time you press the home button. If you want to go back to using sense you can either uninstall Nova or go into settings>apps>Nova and then scroll down to 'clear defaults'. You will then be given the choice again when you press the home key. Easy peasy.

 

[Nemephosis]

Just beware that while you won't lose Sense 5 function, you'll lose the ability to use Sense 5 "widgets" like Blinkfeed.

Yeah, I wish I knew that before I bought it. I mean it was only $4 but still. I can't use half the widgets I have on my screens. If I could, I would use Nova pretty much exclusively, but no luck, so I uninstalled it.

 

[aztecgod106]

Yeah, but NOVA is kick *** customizable...I've been using all types of launchers and nothing compares to it...the fact that you can speed it up and change icon sizes. Swipes to open apps....it's a no brainer. You will gain special abilities and strength by swiping your dock to the side in no time...your friends will be amazed...lol

Sent from my Galaxy Note 2 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[jlongrc]

Yeah, I wish I knew that before I bought it. I mean it was only $4 but still. I can't use half the widgets I have on my screens. If I could, I would use Nova pretty much exclusively, but no luck, so I uninstalled it.

What do you lose besides Blinkfeed?

 

[Nemephosis]

What do you lose besides Blinkfeed?

Believe it or not, I do use the music player widget. It lives on my main screen and is a quick way to just get some music going. I also have a calculator widget up just to fill a screen, mainly, but it does have its uses. It's the music player I'd miss the most though.

 

[ajua]

What do you lose besides Blinkfeed?

I miss the weather/clock widgets of Sense 5, specially the slim one with weather, clock and day info. I've replaced it with EZ Weather which has a great interface and a good looking widget similar to the one I described. It's free, so that's the icing on the cake.

Another widget I liked was the calendar day view. I'm still looking for a good replacement.

Those are the only widgets I miss. I didn't use BlinkFeed that much and I could make a shortcut for it but prefer to read my news on Feedly or Press.

The good thing is that the lock screen weather widget and the music (when configured to appear on the lock screen) are still there is you use a 3rd party launcher.

 

[jlongrc]

Believe it or not, I do use the music player widget. It lives on my main screen and is a quick way to just get some music going. I also have a calculator widget up just to fill a screen, mainly, but it does have its uses. It's the music player I'd miss the most though.

I use the Google Play Music widget on my Nova Launcher. Is the stock music widget unavailable w/o stock launcher?

I miss the weather/clock widgets of Sense 5, specially the slim one with weather, clock and day info. I've replaced it with EZ Weather which has a great interface and a good looking widget similar to the one I described. It's free, so that's the icing on the cake.

Another widget I liked was the calendar day view. I'm still looking for a good replacement.

Those are the only widgets I miss. I didn't use BlinkFeed that much and I could make a shortcut for it but prefer to read my news on Feedly or Press.

The good thing is that the lock screen weather widget and the music (when configured to appear on the lock screen) are still there is you use a 3rd party launcher.

I too have been using EZ Weather, has a nice sleek look that goes well with Sense and Android in general.

I use aCalendar's day view widget as an entire home screen, though not my default home screen. Maybe you can look into that, it too is free IIRC.

As far as Feedly goes, I really wish they had a widget. I used to do lots of title browsing on my Google Reader widget, but no dice on Feedly. It's so much better than the competition in every other regard, though, that I'm getting used to clicking into the app to browse headlines.

 

[Nemephosis]

I use the Google Play Music widget on my Nova Launcher. Is the stock music widget unavailable w/o stock launcher?

On home screens apparently. A post above mine says the lock screen one works... but I have the lock screen I like.

But yes, I can't use the stock music player widget in Nova Launcher. If only I could, I'd use Nova no problem, but losing a couple of the good widgets and Blinkfeed keeps me from using it full time.