Slate
A minimal Android launcher

Less screen,
more life.

Slate is a text-only home screen for Android. No icons. No app drawers. No algorithmic feeds competing for your attention - just your apps, listed by name, with an optional row of quick toggles.

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Free and open source
MIT licensed
Zero analytics, zero network
9:41 82
Theme
01 - Philosophy

A phone that waits for you, not the other way around.

Most launchers are designed to keep you on your phone.

Colorful icons trigger recognition without thought. Notification badges manufacture urgency. Recommendation widgets are tuned for engagement, not intent.

Slate removes all of that.

It presents your apps as plain text - the same way a to-do list presents tasks. You open the app you meant to open, not the one that looked the most appealing.

Phone use becomes deliberate. Less reflexive. Quieter.
“The home screen should not be a feed.”
- The Slate principle
02 - Features

Quietly powerful. Surprisingly tweakable.

Appearance

  • 01Live color pickerBackground and text - any color, any time.
  • 02Follow system themeDark and light pairs that switch with the OS.
  • 03Per-app overridesHighlight only the apps that actually matter.
  • 04Notification highlightApp names recolor when something is waiting.
  • 05Typography controlFamily, weight, line gap, word gap. Google Fonts or your own.
  • 06Usage-scaled sizeApps you open often quietly grow larger.
  • 07Apply to lockscreenSolid color wallpaper that matches the launcher.

Interaction

  • 01Swipe up to searchA keyboard. A list. That’s the search.
  • 02Single-finger gesturesMap any direction to any app - or notifications, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, location, camera.
  • 03Double-tap to lockOptional. Uses the accessibility service.
  • 04Long-press an appPin, hide, rename, recolor, uninstall - without leaving home.
  • 05Long-press the screenOpen settings or manage hidden apps.
  • 06Pin to topKeep favorites above the alphabet.
  • 07Sort A→Z or by usageWhichever way your hand already knows.
  • 08Custom foldersGroup apps under a text label with a chevron - tap to expand inline.
  • 09Quick toggles stripOptional row of text widgets - clock, battery, Wi-Fi, brightness, torch, more.
  • 10Contact searchOpt-in. Surfaces matching contacts inline. Read at search time, never stored.

Control

  • 01Lock to portraitStop accidental rotation.
  • 02Hide the status barA truly empty page. Swipe down to peek.
  • 03Persistent search barOptional. Always one tap away.
  • 04JSON backupExport and import every preference. Hidden apps and PIN are excluded by default - opt in if you need them.
  • 05Onboarding importReturning user? Drop in your file and you’re back.
  • 06System launcher pickerSet as default in two taps from inside Slate.
  • 07No account, no sign-inInstall and use. Nothing to register.
  • 08Hidden apps lock4–8 digit PIN, PBKDF2-hashed, optional biometric. Launches stay off Recents.
03 - Settings

Every detail, one screen away.

Tune typography, color, and gestures from a single, scrollable settings page.

No nested menus. Sort, theme, fonts, color presets, sizing, gestures - all flat, all immediate, all live-previewed against your home screen.

Slate settings - general and text size Slate settings - typography, colors and gestures
04 - Privacy

It doesn’t phone home. Ever.

0

Bytes of data Slate collects, transmits, or shares.

No analytics. No crash reporting. No network activity of any kind. Preferences live in SharedPreferences on your device. Usage counts never leave it.

EXPAND_STATUS_BAR

Swipe-down gesture to expand the system notification panel.

ACCESS_WIFI_STATE / CHANGE_WIFI_STATE

Wi-Fi gesture toggle. On Android 10+ this opens the system internet panel.

BLUETOOTH / BLUETOOTH_ADMIN

Bluetooth gesture toggle on Android 11 and below. Not requested on 12+.

QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES

Required on Android 11+ to enumerate installed apps so they appear in the launcher.

REQUEST_DELETE_PACKAGES

Opens the system uninstall confirmation when you choose Uninstall from the long-press menu.

BIND_ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE

Optional. Used solely to lock the screen on double-tap. Cannot read screen content or monitor usage.

BIND_NOTIFICATION_LISTENER_SERVICE

Optional. Knows which apps have a pending notification - never reads or stores content.

SET_WALLPAPER

Only when “Apply to lockscreen” is on. Sets a solid-color wallpaper matching the launcher.

REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS

Asks the system to exempt Slate so background features stay reliable. Only triggered from “Fix this”.

USE_BIOMETRIC

Declared by the AndroidX Biometric library. Only requested when you opt into biometric unlock for hidden apps. Biometric data stays inside the OS - Slate sees only a success or fail callback.

READ_CONTACTS

Optional. Only requested when you turn on “Search contacts” in Settings → Search, after an in-app consent dialog. Contacts are read in memory per keystroke and discarded - never stored, indexed, or transmitted.

CALL_PHONE

Optional. Only requested when you turn on “Direct call” for a pinned contact shortcut. Off by default - taps open the dialer instead of placing the call.

READ_BASIC_PHONE_STATE

Normal permission (no runtime prompt) used by the Mobile data quick-toggle widget on Android 13+. Reads only whether mobile data is enabled and a SIM is present.

Try it for a week.
You won’t go back.

Side-load the latest APK from GitHub Releases, or build from source. Always free. Always open.

Download latest release Browse on GitHub
$ git clone https://github.com/roufsyed/Slate-Minimal-Launcher