Smart Launcher FAQ

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​Update to Smart Launcher 6​
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​Tutorials​
​Differences between versions​
​Device specific issues​
Installation
I can’t set Smart Launcher as the default launcher
This is not a Smart Launcher bug but a behavior set by your device manufacturer to try to “convince” you to use again the built-in launcher. If you like us think this is wrong, we encourage you to contact your device manufacturer and complain. 
To find the solution to this problem, relative to your device, please check our "device-specific issues" section:
Device specific issues
Is Smart Launcher compatible with my device model?
Yes, most probably! Smart Launcher supports any device running Android Jellybean or higher with support to third-party launchers. However, some brands are more launchers friendly than others. If you are looking for your next device and you want to use Smart Launcher on it, we suggest giving a look at the list of device-specific issues here.
Please note, Smart Launcher requires Google Play Services to work and verify licenses, so many Huawei and Honor devices released after 2019 are not officially compatible with Smart Launcher.
Device specific issues
I installed Smart Launcher but I don’t like it. How can I revert all the changes?
Just uninstall Smart Launcher like any other app.
Is Smart Launcher safe?
My antivirus reports Smart Launcher contains viruses or malware. Should I be worried?
If you downloaded Smart Launcher from the Play Store there is nothing to worry about. 
Some "cheap" antivirus algorithms work by reporting as malware anything that matches certain requirements, like a set of permissions. This causes a lot of false-positive but scares the users into thinking the antivirus has some value. Apps like Android launchers require specific permissions to work, so they are often victims of these behaviors.   
Of course, you don't have to believe what we write here, we encourage you to repeat the scan using a different antivirus or check if other Android launchers are marked as malware by the same antivirus.
I installed Smart Launcher using an APK downloaded from the web. Is it safe?
Short answers: No, we suggest uninstalling it and installing it from the Play Store. Installation files distribuited by the Play Store are always protected with our signature. 
Long answers: The APK is safe if it uses the same signature of our APKs you can download from the Play Store (for example those offered for download on our website here). However, checking the APK signature is a task for tech-savvy users, the best option remains to install Smart Launcher from the Play Store.
APKs that do not use our signature may be manipulated, maybe to remove security checks or to include dangerous code.  
I see invasive ads while using Smart Launcher or other apps.
Smart Launcher is completely ad-free. If you are experiencing this issue, you probably installed a malicious app that is showing advertising using popups while you normally use your phone. 
We suggest using an antivirus app to try to detect the app that is causing the problem or to uninstall apps that are not distributed by well-known developers.
Does Smart Launcher drain battery?
Generally, Smart Launcher does not drain your battery faster than your built-in launcher and depending on how you use it, it may also improve your battery drain. 
Smart Launcher has been designed and is continuously optimized to use as few resources as possible and when it is running replaces the built-in launcher. Extremely few tasks are performed while Smart Launcher is running in the background (SL reacts to apps installs and uninstalls by creating or deleting some icon). 
However, even if Smart Launcher should consume less battery than your build-in launcher, your battery usage is much more influenced by other factors, like how and how much you use your device but also conditions that do not depend on you, like network quality and environmental brightness.
Finally, the Android battery stats are not always reliable. If you start noticing something strange about the battery usage of Smart Launcher or any other app, we suggest checking your battery stats regularly to see if the problem persists. 
While I was using my Huawei/Honor device, a message appeared saying “Your phone has just recovered from a serious error caused by Smart Launcher”. What does it mean?
You should completely ignore that message, it’s just an attempt by the system to convince you to come back to the built-in launcher. That message appears after a simple crash or a freeze not necessarily caused by Smart Launcher itself. There is absolutely nothing to worry about it.
Huawei / Honor
Common issues
The clock reports a wrong alarm time. I didn’t set any.
At the moment we know that some Xiaomi devices, show completely wrong alarms, while some Samsung devices anticipate the next alarm of some minutes.
The problem doesn't depend on Smart Launcher, so we cannot fix it on our side. However, as a workaround, you can install and set your alarm using a different alarm app like the Google clock app.
Device specific issues
My Google feed page is often blank or it doesn't work as expected
The Google feed works thanks to an experimental and not official plugin. Google never released a public API to integrate Google feed in 3rd party launchers like Smart Launcher, so unfortunately we cannot guarantee its working. 
Smart Launcher displays everything in black and white. I can’t see colors anymore.
Probably you accidentally enabled Grayscale mode. You can disable it from
Preferences → Global Settings → Grayscale mode.
After using the double-tap to turn off the screen I cannot unlock my device using fingerprints
Unfortunately, this issue depends on a system limitation. Android provides no way to programmatically turn off the screen. The only way to do it requires invoking a forced security lock or using some sort of workarounds. You can choose a different screen lock method in Preferences, Global Settings, Screen, Screen lock method.
I tried to add a shortcut to the home page but when I try to launch it a message says “The system doesn’t allow Smart Launcher to perform this action”.
Sometimes, device manufacturers, limit some features to work only with their own apps. This happens especially with quick dial shortcuts. Unfortunately, Smart Launcher can’t circumvent this limit. Our suggestion is to install and use a different app to add the same shortcut.
Smart Launcher is continuously restarted
Probably you are not experiencing a crash or a bug, it’s just your device firmware being that kills Smart Launcher in the background. There are various solutions to fix this issue, we suggest checking them here:
​dontkillmyapp.com​
Problems with Smart Launcher gestures / The accessibility service is often malfunctioning causing gestures like screen off double tap to no longer work
In order to perform certain actions like expanding the notification panel or showing the recent apps screen, Smart Launcher needs to use an Accessibility service a special kind of Android service which allows an app to execute tasks usually limited by the OS.
However, it seems like Android sometimes cannot properly restart this service when necessary and this could lead to an annoying problem when Smart Launcher is constantly asking the user to enable the Accessibility service even if it should already be enabled in the system preferences.
Again, the cause is the Android battery optimization settings which will indiscriminately turn off services (like the Accessibility Service) even when not really necessary to save battery. To resolve this, turn off battery optimization for Smart Launcher. 
Generally, you can access battery optimization settings from:
Settings -> Apps -> Manage Apps. Here you should look for Smart Launcher, the enter in the battery optimization settings. 
However, the procedure is very variable depending on your device, check the link below to find the right procedure for you.
​dontkillmyapp.com​
I can see a persistent, floating icon on my home screen
If you see the icon above on your home screen, follow these steps to disable it.
Settings -> Accessibility -> Installed Apps -> Smart Launcher Gestures -> Smart Launcher Gestures shortcut (turn off)
Notifications badges do not work for certain apps
Notifications are probably working just as expected, but Smart Launcher could exhibit a behavior different from your old launcher. 
Some built-in launchers may show notification badges also after the relative notification has already been acknowledged. For example, if you receive a new message and you dismiss the relative notification, your device launcher could still show a badge reporting the new message.
Smart Launcher instead uses the official Android API and cleans the notification badges as soon as you read or dismiss the relative notifications. This method provides reliable data without requiring access to your phone or SMS history.
The notification count notifies the wrong count/doesn’t work as expected
Smart Launcher uses Android APIs to get the number of new events for each app. Unfortunately, app developers very often don’t use all the features of this API as in the case of the notification count. In these situations, we can only try to guess the count. However, we’re continuously working to improve our notification count system and bug reports are welcome.
Gestures
I cannot set gestures to work with Smart Launcher (Android 10)
Smart Launcher 6 actually is fully optimized to work with gesture navigation, even if your device says "Not supported by your default home app, Smart Launcher". 
The problem is some firmware based on the first versions of Android 10 prevent gesture navigation to work with any custom launchers. In December 2019, Google released a patch for Pixel 2, 3, and 4. Samsung, One Plus, and other manufacturers distributed this patch to their devices with a software update starting from the start of 2020. 
If you have problem setting navigation gestures, please check you are using the latest software available for your device. If yes, we suggest continuing using the three-button navigation until a new software update will be available from your device.
Smart Launcher doesn't work well with gesture navigation (Android 10 and higher). I experience lags, blinks and/or recent app screen has changed.
Although Smart Launcher 6 actually is fully optimized to work with gesture navigation, some devices still do not perfectly support gesture navigation for third-party launchers like Smart Launcher.
If this is your case, there are only two viable solutions. You can stay with gesture navigation and wait for a future firmware update to fix your problem, or you can switch to three-button navigation.
Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do to fix the problem on our side. We are aware of the problem and we are as frustrated as you for the inconveniences it causes. 
However, manufacturers are constantly working to fix this kind of problem so we hope the situation will improve soon.  
After returning to the home screen from another app, Smart Launcher does not detect taps for a few moments
This is a known problem on Android 10 and higher. Unfortunately the problem does not depend on Smart Launcher and affects any third party launcher. As much as we would like to solve the problem, there is nothing we can do on our side. We can just hope the issue will be fixed in future Android versions.
Feedback and suggestions
What is the most appropriate place in which I can leave my feedback?
Please use the Feedback & Suggestions section of our Reddit community. It’s a great space where you can submit your ideas and get immediate feedback from other users. Your opinion is very important for us as Smart Launcher is a community-driven project.
​Reddit community​
Report a problem
I’m experiencing a problem. What can I do?
First of all, if you’re experiencing a crash, click “report” when the crash happens. This will help us collect more data about the crash. Then create a post on our Reddit or Facebook community including:
The device and Android version you’re using;
A list of steps to reproduce the problem;
Screenshots or other useful resources, if possible;
How can I uninstall Smart Launcher?
Since Smart Launcher is an app, it can be uninstalled like any other Android app. You can follow any of the procedures below:
On the relative page on Play Store, press the "uninstall" button. 
From your device settings, search the "apps" section, find Smart Launcher and press "Uninstall". (this procedure can vary depending on your device model)
Using another launcher, just uninstall Smart Launcher as you can do for any other app.
Smart Launcher cannot be uninstalled
Probably Smart Launcher is still set as the default launcher and Android is preventing you from uninstalling it. In this case, please set a different launcher as default, then try again. 
I have a question about lock screens.
Please check the lock screen page
Lock screens FAQ

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License and purchases

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Useful resources

Installation

I can’t set Smart Launcher as the default launcher

Is Smart Launcher compatible with my device model?

I installed Smart Launcher but I don’t like it. How can I revert all the changes?

Is Smart Launcher safe?

My antivirus reports Smart Launcher contains viruses or malware. Should I be worried?

I installed Smart Launcher using an APK downloaded from the web. Is it safe?

I see invasive ads while using Smart Launcher or other apps.

Does Smart Launcher drain battery?

While I was using my Huawei/Honor device, a message appeared saying “Your phone has just recovered from a serious error caused by Smart Launcher”. What does it mean?

Common issues

The clock reports a wrong alarm time. I didn’t set any.

My Google feed page is often blank or it doesn't work as expected

Smart Launcher displays everything in black and white. I can’t see colors anymore.

After using the double-tap to turn off the screen I cannot unlock my device using fingerprints

I tried to add a shortcut to the home page but when I try to launch it a message says “The system doesn’t allow Smart Launcher to perform this action”.

Smart Launcher is continuously restarted

Problems with Smart Launcher gestures / The accessibility service is often malfunctioning causing gestures like screen off double tap to no longer work

I can see a persistent, floating icon on my home screen

Notifications badges do not work for certain apps

The notification count notifies the wrong count/doesn’t work as expected

Gestures

I cannot set gestures to work with Smart Launcher (Android 10)

Smart Launcher doesn't work well with gesture navigation (Android 10 and higher). I experience lags, blinks and/or recent app screen has changed.

After returning to the home screen from another app, Smart Launcher does not detect taps for a few moments

Feedback and suggestions

What is the most appropriate place in which I can leave my feedback?

Report a problem

I’m experiencing a problem. What can I do?

How can I uninstall Smart Launcher?

Smart Launcher cannot be uninstalled

I have a question about lock screens.