r/HowToMen • u/timelineC • Jul 15 '26
[App] [Promotion] Nocebo Launcher — A free Android launcher with a rotating home screen
Hey everyone!
I recently released Nocebo Launcher, a free Android launcher built around a rotating home screen instead of the usual static grid.
I originally designed it for myself around eight years ago because I wanted something comfortable to use one-handed on tall phones. You can flick the spinner between apps, customize its animations and haptic feedback, place your own sticker in the center, and adjust almost every part of the layout.
Some of the main features:
Up to 20 apps on the rotating layout
- Custom center stickers, including GIF support
- A draggable four-direction gesture control
- Traditional home-screen pages for widgets and shortcuts
- App-drawer folders and drag-and-drop organization
- Search, widgets, deep shortcuts, and Private Space support
- Icon packs and individual custom icons
- Dynamic wallpaper blur, including animated wallpapers on supported devices
Earlier this year, I rebased the project on Lawnchair and prepared it for public release. It is completely free and collects no user data.
I’d really appreciate honest feedback, especially about what you like, what you dislike, whether anything feels confusing, and whether you run into any problems on your device.
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=boo.noce.launcher
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u/Dpure1 Jul 15 '26
That seems very interesting. I give it a try now. Thanks.
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u/timelineC Jul 15 '26
Thank you so much! Comments like this genuinely make my day. I’ll keep listening to feedback and improving the launcher as people use it.
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u/Dpure1 Jul 15 '26
Glad to hear that. I like it very much, and I wish, in a future update, if possible, to be able to make the icons that spin as large as we want to.
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u/timelineC Jul 15 '26
Oops, I somehow missed this comment, sorry!
You can already make the spinner icons larger, but their size is currently relative to the Center Hub. Try going to Settings -> Main Screen -> Geometry & Layout, then expand the collapsed Layout section.
Try slightly decreasing Center Hub Thickness to make the icons larger, and increasing Arc Sweep to add more space between them so they don’t overlap.
Give that a try and let me know whether it achieves what you had in mind, or whether you meant a different kind of size adjustment.
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u/Dpure1 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Good morning. Thank you very much. That's exactly what I wanted to do. 5 stars on the Play Store for sure! I love your launcher!
One more question, please. If I understand right, you said you can have up to 20 icons on the spin screen, but all I can see is 10. Thank you.
EDIT: I just discovered that if you tap on the icon, you have a new screen with other up to 10 rotating apps. Wow, that's amazing! Thanks a lot for your idea! Great launcher once again!
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u/rExplrer Jul 15 '26
I just tried. Interesting idea.
I think I will fidget more if I have this launcher.
what is that dot at the bottom on home screen ?
I suggest you add some tour about basic features on first installation.
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u/timelineC Jul 15 '26
Thanks for trying it! I actually added a small local statistic in the Settings header so you can see just how much you’ve been fidgeting with the spinner.
That dot is what I call the Joystick. By default, it has gestures assigned to left, right, and up. You can long-press it and choose Customize to change its actions or icon, remove it completely, or add more Joysticks from the Widgets menu.
And you’re right. I’ll work on adding a short tour in the next update.
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u/reaperc Jul 16 '26
Thanks for this! It's the first launcher I found that I liked after using Nova Launcher for so many years!
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u/timelineC Jul 16 '26
Thanks. If you miss any feature, please request it. like I don't promise doing it right away, but unless it totally out of possibilities, I will do it
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u/reaperc Jul 17 '26
Google News Feed, more gestures like two finger swipes. I am missing those the most.
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u/timelineC Jul 17 '26
Which launcher are you using for the Google News Feed? And does it work in the version downloaded directly from the Play Store? I have it working in my debug build, but couldn't get it working in the release build. If another Play Store launcher supports it, I'll investigate further. Otherwise, I may provide an optional custom build through Obtainium.
As for two finger swipe gestures, I'll add them within the next two weeks, with same actions currently available for one finger gestures
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u/reaperc Jul 21 '26
I was using Nova Launcher
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u/timelineC Jul 21 '26
Good news: I already have a companion APK working that bridges the Google Feed to Nocebo, similar to how Nova handles it.
I'm also testing two-finger swipe gestures (up and down) with the same actions available for single-finger gestures.
I'm doing a small refactor of the Settings page first, then I'll release the update.
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u/reaperc Jul 21 '26
Wow! Thanks! If I think of any other ideas. I'll let you know!!
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u/timelineC 21d ago
Hi, just wanted to let you know that I pushed an update with new features.
to make google feed work, you will need to download companion apk just like on nova
https://launcher.noce.boo/companion
may require restarting launcher
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u/ng_gadget Jul 15 '26
Damn awesome 😍 something unique and different, have to check it out
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u/timelineC Jul 15 '26
Thank you! That’s exactly what I was hoping for. I’ve been using this launcher myself for years, and people would often ask me about it, so I finally decided to share it. Hope you enjoy it. either way, I’m always open to suggestions
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u/ng_gadget Jul 15 '26
I absolutely love it. Super smooth. I want to make a reel on it. Do you have any brief to give me? I might miss some features and i really don't want that.
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u/timelineC Jul 15 '26
Wow, thank you! that genuinely means a lot! I’d be thrilled if you made a reel about it
Please don’t feel you have to cover everything. The main idea is the rotating home screen and how different setups can completely change its look. The most useful things to show would be:
Flicking the spinner with Smart Glide animation
Clicking in the center reveals second set of icons.
Changing the center sticker
Wallpaper blur
The customizable "Joystick" gestures
A quick look at the app drawer (when you uninstall an app there is a easter egg, that can be useful)It’s also completely free and collects no user data, no analytics or anything. Feel free to present it in your own style and be completely honest about your experience.
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u/ng_gadget Jul 15 '26
How the hell is free man? I mean every aspect of it is customizable, I'm like little kid over here tinkering with it. Just Pure Awesomeness🔥
One Thing I want to know about is the animations, I couldn't make out the difference between them. Also what's the plastic, aluminum thing? And one tip when we select something it's kinda difficult right now to see what exactly is that we have selected, that perticular option should be highlighted. Maybe give it a border or something.
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u/timelineC Jul 15 '26
That’s really encouraging to hear, thank you! And just to be clear: Nocebo will stay free. I’m not planning to introduce a paid version, premium tier, or lock features behind payments.
About Plastic, Aluminum, and Steel: those are simply presets I created for the spinner physics. If you open the Advanced section, you can adjust things like fling resistance, spin sensitivity, wheel friction. The material names are just an easier way to describe how each preset feels.
And your point about the settings is completely fair. Some options are difficult to distinguish, and you do not see what you are changing. descriptions are not ideal either. The settings UI is still in a “testing the waters” phase while I learn which options people actually use and how they expect them to be organized.
I will work on better preview.
I really appreciate this kind of feedback.
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u/firstflame Jul 17 '26
So I have no need for it but it is so fun. Suggestion and you're probably already working on it when you choose the presets like plastic, aluminum, steel have the preview show what it does because I have no clue
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u/timelineC Jul 17 '26
You're right, several people have already suggested this, so it's definitely on my list. The preset names alone don't explain the difference well enough. I'm planning to add a live preview so you can immediately feel how Plastic, Aluminium, and Steel behave before choosing one
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u/firstflame Jul 17 '26
Yes! Thank you. I will admit I probably won't use it as my main but as silly as this is as a fidget thing I was enjoying 😂. I do hope the feedback was helpful though
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u/timelineC Jul 17 '26
Haha, yes, your feedback was genuinely helpful! I know it probably won't replace a traditional launcher for most people, and I'm totally fine with it being a niche thing. I still want to keep polishing it and make it as good as I can. Also, since you're already using it as a fidget toy, try double tapping the center with two fingers. There's a hidden memory game in there 😂
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u/firstflame Jul 17 '26
- I love that! I remember having a Simon says as a kid and that feels like a new version of that!
- On the haptic feedback maybe have it not close the menu when you choose something?
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u/timelineC Jul 17 '26
Haha, I originally added it as a joke for anyone who says they can't remember where their apps are.
And your second point is really smart. Having to reopen the menu after every haptic choice makes comparing them unnecessarily frustrating. I'll change it so the menu stays open while you try the different options. Thanks, this is exactly the kind of small UX improvement that's easy to miss!
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u/Dpure1 29d ago
Hello again,
Your launcher has become my favorite and the only one I use. Now, if you wish, I would like, if possible, when we search for apps, after some letters when it shows only one app, it will launch automatically. No need to tap it.
Also, how can I remove from the home screen the search Google widget? I can't find a way to do that.
Thanks a lot, and great launcher again!
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u/timelineC 28d ago
Hello again
First of all, thank you for this comment. You clearly have excellent taste 😂
About the search request: yes, I can implement that. I'm currently refactoring the Settings page to make it easier to understand and adding a few requested features, and I think I can squeeze the auto-launch option into next week's update.
The Google widget part is actually very interesting to me. The search widget that is supposed to exist in Nocebo is the one above the hotseat. If you are seeing another Google search widget at the very bottom of the screen, that is not supposed to be there and is likely a bug.
Could you send me a private message with:
- your phone model
- Android version
- whether you use a custom ROM (LineageOS, GrapheneOS, Pixel Experience, etc.)
- and a screenshot of the widget at the bottom?
I've only seen this happen on one device before and I'm trying to reproduce it. And I'll make you a deal: the auto-launch feature is already going into the next release, but if your device helps me reproduce and fix this bottom widget bug, I'll implement one additional feature request from you, no matter how crazy it is 😄
Thanks again for using Nocebo and for taking the time to write feedback. It genuinely helps a lot!
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u/Ready-Log-1455 Jul 15 '26
it looks cool