So I just got a Moto Razr and am going to start setting it up. I’ve been outside of the android ecosystem for a long time. Can I get some recommendations for anything and everything? I recently read the Nova launcher has gotten much worse since I last used it. I’m also not sure if I should do a launcher or just use the base OS. I know that there are loads of articles out there, but I’m getting really tired of wading through AI gen articles and would love your personal experience.
I’m currently a fan of YAM Launcher. I seem to change my launcher every few years, just to mix things up a little. I’ve been using YAML for over a year now and I don’t really think about it. Minimalist, nothing flashy going on, just works.
For YouTube with no ads, download revanced manager and use it to patch a YouTube apk. I believe the current recommended version is v20.14.43. Use microG to log in to your account.
After using iOS for around 3 years and going back to Android, Android has more simple, pragmatic and free apps.
I like droidify as a store for FOSS apps (comes with several repos enabled by default, including F-Droid and Izzy).
For the basics: Breezy Weather for weather, CoMaps for navigation, Markor or Fossify Notes for notes, Aegis for 2FA, Gadgetbridge for smartwatch.
As for launchers, people like Niagara, but it’s subscription for the pro version. Lawnchair is a classic-style customizable launcher. Other mainsteam apps are pretty much the same as iOS.
I appreciate it! Especially the store recommendation, because wow trying to use the stock store is crazy for me right now. If you switched recently do you mind me asking how you migrated all the saved passwords and such?
If you want to go for privacy, specifically through using a “vanilla” system (as close to the base Android as possible, at most with some FOSS apps), you’ll lose some stuff, like most banking apps, since those usually require Google Services.
Also though the main app source for Android is Google’s Play Store, you can find some useful stuff on places like F-Droid (for utilities from my experience) and Itchio (for games in my experience). There’s some more places but they’re usually much smaller or not as easy to sort by Android.
I have a bias that favours tinkering systems, so if you’d be curious about something different or if I use some jargon you don’t know, please do point out.
Ah yeah, I do need the banking apps unfortunately. I used to love tinkering, and love this fresh start, but it is a learning curve as I get older. Do you have a preferred method of sideloading? Appreciate you responding BTW
For “sideloading”, I don’t have much of a preferred method, going mainly by what I can find that works.
But aside from the aforementioned Itchio and F-Droid, I also use git-based services like Github, game stores and Patreon-like sites if/when they have Android contents, through Aurora Store if the program is on Google Play only and either I paid for ir already or it’s free, and some times I even download the apps directly from the Play Store from another device, generating an APK from it with an appropriate tool and moving to my main phone, which uses a vanilla system.
Also I back up everything I can, and test them in both my main phone while in airplane mode, and in a virtual machine running BlissOS 15 (Android ported to the x86 architecture).
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I’m currently a fan of YAM Launcher. I seem to change my launcher every few years, just to mix things up a little. I’ve been using YAML for over a year now and I don’t really think about it. Minimalist, nothing flashy going on, just works.
For YouTube with no ads, download revanced manager and use it to patch a YouTube apk. I believe the current recommended version is v20.14.43. Use microG to log in to your account.
https://revanced.app/download
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/youtube/youtube-20-14-43-release/
Just start with the base launcher. They’re all decent nowadays. If you really want to change it after a while Lawnchair is one of the favorites.
Really though each side is more and more similar. It’s a phone, it isn’t all that different anymore. Phones are boring now.
With the Razr I will say get in the habit of using the outside screen as much as possible.
Thanks, that was what I was thinking. I’m looking forward to getting used to both the new OS and the hardware side of the second outside screen
I have been using https://apt.izzysoft.de/packages/de.mm20.launcher2.release , I really like their search functionality. There is also the famous lawnchair https://apt.izzysoft.de/packages/app.lawnchair which is kind of the default FOSS launcher nowadays.
I didn’t get if you’re using the preinstalled OS or trying to install a custom ROM? It makes quite the big difference for recommendations
Right now I’m using the stock Moto launcher.
After using iOS for around 3 years and going back to Android, Android has more simple, pragmatic and free apps.
I like droidify as a store for FOSS apps (comes with several repos enabled by default, including F-Droid and Izzy).
For the basics: Breezy Weather for weather, CoMaps for navigation, Markor or Fossify Notes for notes, Aegis for 2FA, Gadgetbridge for smartwatch.
As for launchers, people like Niagara, but it’s subscription for the pro version. Lawnchair is a classic-style customizable launcher. Other mainsteam apps are pretty much the same as iOS.
I appreciate it! Especially the store recommendation, because wow trying to use the stock store is crazy for me right now. If you switched recently do you mind me asking how you migrated all the saved passwords and such?
Stock launcher is fine. Everyone feels the need to be “special” from the general population… Gimme a break 🙄
If you want to go for privacy, specifically through using a “vanilla” system (as close to the base Android as possible, at most with some FOSS apps), you’ll lose some stuff, like most banking apps, since those usually require Google Services.
Also though the main app source for Android is Google’s Play Store, you can find some useful stuff on places like F-Droid (for utilities from my experience) and Itchio (for games in my experience). There’s some more places but they’re usually much smaller or not as easy to sort by Android.
I have a bias that favours tinkering systems, so if you’d be curious about something different or if I use some jargon you don’t know, please do point out.
Ah yeah, I do need the banking apps unfortunately. I used to love tinkering, and love this fresh start, but it is a learning curve as I get older. Do you have a preferred method of sideloading? Appreciate you responding BTW
For “sideloading”, I don’t have much of a preferred method, going mainly by what I can find that works.
But aside from the aforementioned Itchio and F-Droid, I also use git-based services like Github, game stores and Patreon-like sites if/when they have Android contents, through Aurora Store if the program is on Google Play only and either I paid for ir already or it’s free, and some times I even download the apps directly from the Play Store from another device, generating an APK from it with an appropriate tool and moving to my main phone, which uses a vanilla system.
Also I back up everything I can, and test them in both my main phone while in airplane mode, and in a virtual machine running BlissOS 15 (Android ported to the x86 architecture).
Nova launcher is still fine. I’ve used most of the others and keep coming back.
Problem of Nova is that even if it works, you can’t be sure it is/isn’t a Trojan Horse.