Smart Launcher FAQ

Here you can find some of the answers to common questions.

Useful resources

License and purchases

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.

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 cannot enable gesture navigation or I'm experiencing issues related to it

Check this section:

Gestures

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.

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. It seems the issue has been fixed in Android 13.

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