I first introduced GCA Launcher 3 years ago as an inspirational project based on Chromium OS and over the years of development and continuous feedback from the userbase, GCA Launcher has evolved into a one of kind launcher experience that is now considered competitive against its own kind. GCA is not a traditional android grid homescreen launcher app but a single screen homescreen experience. We sacrifice the cluttered homescreen experience for a focused workspace where users can place apps that are apart of their daily routines while retaining the ability to access to important features like shortcuts, notifications, actions and personalization. The app drawer has been designed for a one handed experience while retaining the organization and filtering experience users need to search for apps that are important to them. Below, Il talk about sections of the launcher in more detail.
THE HOMESCREEN
The homescreen was designed for users who want the Pixel experience on their devices but also provide them with a simple tier experience that has no clutter, that is easy to understand, have full control and have access to some inhouse features that are unique to GCA. The Homescreen was designed for both the big screen and mobile scene. Users can pin as many apps to their Shelf as they want. You can do so by going into your app drawer, long pressing on an app to access its popup menu and select pin to shelf. This then creates a hotseat for that specific app sets a unique ID to that speicif hotseat so its protected against other possible replicas the user may create. This in turn opens a door in the future that will allow me to add Actions, Groups, and other possible actions I can allow users to add to the shelf. Users can choose between using GCA Launchers built in Quick Search Bar to bond to their shelf or choose a specific searchbar widget to bond to the shelf or hide it all together. To access the app drawer, users simply swipe up from the shelf to access the app list. Users are also able to use either GCA Launchers built in Widget that simply works as a search bar and displays the Google App and Chrome app shortcuts or use a specific widget of their choice. The homescreen also has a set of customizeable gestures the user can bond actions and shortcuts to.
LAUNCHER SHEETS
While developing GCA Launcher, I wanted something that spoke material design (Besides the Material You theming features baked in) that was unique to the launcher. The idea came about while browsing the Material Component website by google and Material Sheets caught my eye.
By default, GCA uses the Navigation Menu to display the launcher menu on the homescreen but I decided to take this a step further and tap into its full ability to display content. There are 2 types of sheets that function in GCA Launcher. App Sheets and Launcher Sheets. Launcher Sheets display content that can interact with the user while App Sheets display information regarding the target its referring to. For EX: After accessing the popup menu, selecting the hamburger menu in the quick action list in the popup will open te App Sheet of the selected application, this will display System Actions and Setting Information. Launchers Sheets display information like the Launcher Menu, Quick Search, Notifications and more to come. Launcher Sheets can be bonded to gestures to quickly access them and they dont interfere with your homescreen. Its very similar to the quick space in Action Launcher.
BADGES
GCA Launcher brings 4 different app badges to the table. Dots, Badge Counts, Underline and Dynamic.
Dots have been redesigned to behave abit differently than pixel launcher. As notification counts increase, the border of the Dot will get darker.
Underlines are just, well underlines...
Badge Counts will show the current count of active notifications for an app.
Dynamic Badges are something new. I wanted to create something similar to Nova Launcher but ofcourse from my own perspective. As notifications increase for an app, it monitors the notifications in the background and watches the notification icons used. The icon is than rendered as a badge and placed on the app.
ICON EDITING
I have not cut any corners when it comes to Icon Editing. From applying 2 different icon packs for your app drawer and your shelf, to editing labels and choosing specific icons from installed icons packs to crafting your own icon from an image in your gallery, their are all sorts of possibilities for Icon Management. GCA Launchers uses its own Adaptive Icon Rendering library to manipulate icons to any size, shape, dim and even creating material you themed icons on your Shelf.
LAUNCHER SETTTINGS
The launcher settings was the most interesting part about this project. I wanted a complete redesign. A complete do over. Something new and fresh. The Launcher settings was designed for both new users and existing users in mind. The Interface uses a Rail Navigation for the core categories most users are focused on while pressing on the navigation button will expand the Navigation Menu that allows the user to access even more settings for the launcher.
PRO FEATURES
GCA LAUNCHER IS NO LONGER AN ALL FREE LAUNCHER (As it used to be when it first launched). With the pandemic and everything else going on in my life, I had to make the choice to make GCA Launcher a profitable project. Unlike other premium launchers where the user buys a premium key and everything unlocks, GCA Launcher DOES NOT USE THIS APPROACH. Users can now buy individual pro features based on their needs and wants. I am working on ways to reward users with discounts and/or if you have purchased pledges in the past. Pledges are just donations and don't reward you with anything however I am working on getting pledged users discounts to reep benifits from. I am also working on discount days and special events to earn pro features. This is an entirely new direction for launchers, so yeah im a tad nervous about it but being the first launcher dev to approach this but im excited at the same time. Once you purchase a pro feature, it should unlock automatically from the launcher settings or just implement itself under the hood. If it doesnt seem to stick properly, reboot the launcher or make sure the pro feature has been purchased.
PRO FEATURES FOR NONE GOOGLE USERS
Some android devices around the world do not run off of google or just is not available and I understand this and am working very hard in the background to figure out a solution that will not be abused. I will have something for you in the future.
ANDROID GO VERSION
Coming soon!
Core Features
Join the beta program to receive the newest build of GCA Launcher and to test new features before they officially release.
Links:
GCA Telegram Channel
GCA Telegram News Channel
Sign Up For Beta Program Web Android
GCA Launcher on Google Play
THE HOMESCREEN
The homescreen was designed for users who want the Pixel experience on their devices but also provide them with a simple tier experience that has no clutter, that is easy to understand, have full control and have access to some inhouse features that are unique to GCA. The Homescreen was designed for both the big screen and mobile scene. Users can pin as many apps to their Shelf as they want. You can do so by going into your app drawer, long pressing on an app to access its popup menu and select pin to shelf. This then creates a hotseat for that specific app sets a unique ID to that speicif hotseat so its protected against other possible replicas the user may create. This in turn opens a door in the future that will allow me to add Actions, Groups, and other possible actions I can allow users to add to the shelf. Users can choose between using GCA Launchers built in Quick Search Bar to bond to their shelf or choose a specific searchbar widget to bond to the shelf or hide it all together. To access the app drawer, users simply swipe up from the shelf to access the app list. Users are also able to use either GCA Launchers built in Widget that simply works as a search bar and displays the Google App and Chrome app shortcuts or use a specific widget of their choice. The homescreen also has a set of customizeable gestures the user can bond actions and shortcuts to.
LAUNCHER SHEETS
While developing GCA Launcher, I wanted something that spoke material design (Besides the Material You theming features baked in) that was unique to the launcher. The idea came about while browsing the Material Component website by google and Material Sheets caught my eye.
By default, GCA uses the Navigation Menu to display the launcher menu on the homescreen but I decided to take this a step further and tap into its full ability to display content. There are 2 types of sheets that function in GCA Launcher. App Sheets and Launcher Sheets. Launcher Sheets display content that can interact with the user while App Sheets display information regarding the target its referring to. For EX: After accessing the popup menu, selecting the hamburger menu in the quick action list in the popup will open te App Sheet of the selected application, this will display System Actions and Setting Information. Launchers Sheets display information like the Launcher Menu, Quick Search, Notifications and more to come. Launcher Sheets can be bonded to gestures to quickly access them and they dont interfere with your homescreen. Its very similar to the quick space in Action Launcher.
BADGES
GCA Launcher brings 4 different app badges to the table. Dots, Badge Counts, Underline and Dynamic.
Dots have been redesigned to behave abit differently than pixel launcher. As notification counts increase, the border of the Dot will get darker.
Underlines are just, well underlines...
Badge Counts will show the current count of active notifications for an app.
Dynamic Badges are something new. I wanted to create something similar to Nova Launcher but ofcourse from my own perspective. As notifications increase for an app, it monitors the notifications in the background and watches the notification icons used. The icon is than rendered as a badge and placed on the app.
ICON EDITING
I have not cut any corners when it comes to Icon Editing. From applying 2 different icon packs for your app drawer and your shelf, to editing labels and choosing specific icons from installed icons packs to crafting your own icon from an image in your gallery, their are all sorts of possibilities for Icon Management. GCA Launchers uses its own Adaptive Icon Rendering library to manipulate icons to any size, shape, dim and even creating material you themed icons on your Shelf.
LAUNCHER SETTTINGS
The launcher settings was the most interesting part about this project. I wanted a complete redesign. A complete do over. Something new and fresh. The Launcher settings was designed for both new users and existing users in mind. The Interface uses a Rail Navigation for the core categories most users are focused on while pressing on the navigation button will expand the Navigation Menu that allows the user to access even more settings for the launcher.
PRO FEATURES
GCA LAUNCHER IS NO LONGER AN ALL FREE LAUNCHER (As it used to be when it first launched). With the pandemic and everything else going on in my life, I had to make the choice to make GCA Launcher a profitable project. Unlike other premium launchers where the user buys a premium key and everything unlocks, GCA Launcher DOES NOT USE THIS APPROACH. Users can now buy individual pro features based on their needs and wants. I am working on ways to reward users with discounts and/or if you have purchased pledges in the past. Pledges are just donations and don't reward you with anything however I am working on getting pledged users discounts to reep benifits from. I am also working on discount days and special events to earn pro features. This is an entirely new direction for launchers, so yeah im a tad nervous about it but being the first launcher dev to approach this but im excited at the same time. Once you purchase a pro feature, it should unlock automatically from the launcher settings or just implement itself under the hood. If it doesnt seem to stick properly, reboot the launcher or make sure the pro feature has been purchased.
PRO FEATURES FOR NONE GOOGLE USERS
Some android devices around the world do not run off of google or just is not available and I understand this and am working very hard in the background to figure out a solution that will not be abused. I will have something for you in the future.
ANDROID GO VERSION
Coming soon!
Core Features
- Launcher supports work profile apps and dual apps
- Supports to indicate paused apps
- Supports Action Dash system shortcut
- Supoorts Sesame Searchbar in the Shelf
- Launcher takes into consideration Full Screen Gestures and the Navigation Bar when needed to
- Groups allow users to create organized folders of apps available in the Groups Sheet
- Multi-tab search in the app drawer
- While enabling Recent Apps and Groups in the app drawer, this will disable the section seeker view
- Launcher Sheets are a new approach to menus and options for the launcher and apps.
- The Shelf offers specific actions for apps that differ from the Drawer apps. One option in specific is the favorite action.
- The Shelf and App Drawer apps will feature different system shortcuts and features in the app sheet. Long clicking on an app will make a popup menu appear, click the hamburger menu for a sheet menu
- Apps can be edited in 2 options. The physical editing and the personal options. Personal options are in the launcher settings and allow options like icon sizes, label editing and shape shifting. Physical options can be found in the popup menu by clicking edit. This allows adaptive override, icon pack editing, scale and label editing.
- The Shelf features a revised searchbar that can be toggled to the Top, Bottom or Removed completely. The searchbar features a shortcut to open the launcher menu, a global search feature, an assistant shortcut and has an option to store and track the usage of App Shortcuts to feature a recent actions holder.
- Hide and Edit apps right from the popup menu
- The App Drawer is built on a fastscroll functionality.
- Recent Apps now uses Usage Stats Data. This gives Recent Apps a 100% reliable stat and not clutter up the app drawer when its not in use. The list will update on a regular basis.
- The Shelf and App Drawer themes are based on a sheet style. They overlap each other creating some interesting twist to style.
- App Shortcuts and Notifications for the current app appear in the popup menu
- Active Notifications appear in app sheets showing users a preview of current notifications. Clicking on the notification will take you to that action. The notification sheet will display all your active notifications and snoozed notifications.
- Users can manage a blacklist of notification badges
- GCA Launcher does support Material Widgets in Android 12
- Widgets can be resized by long clicking on them and a resize module will appear.
- Material You theming powered by MonetCompat
- Launcher settings features smart suggestions that appear on certain variables when available
Join the beta program to receive the newest build of GCA Launcher and to test new features before they officially release.
Links:
GCA Telegram Channel
GCA Telegram News Channel
Sign Up For Beta Program Web Android
GCA Launcher on Google Play
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