Current Version: 0.4.0
Requires Android: 4.0 and up
Category: Personalization
v0.4.0 update:
Sorry for the long delay for this update!
Landscape and custom header (based on your system wallpaper) support is now available in 0.4.
Additionally, this build changes the icon pack (for plus users) to one unified setting for favorites and all apps (though it can still be changed under either section).
If you want early access to new updates (starting with the next one), request join the G+ community at http://alamoapps.net/sftester
This will use the new Google Play beta feature.
Overview:
This is a beta of an alternate homescreen that is designed to be simplistic, yet beautiful and customizable.
As it is beta, it is still somewhat buggy and there are many more features that I would like to add in the future.
The top section of the launcher is a header with the time, date, and a graphic of a the San Francisco skyline from Google Now. This image changes based on the time of day. You can configure at what times the images change from header settings. There are now eleven headers available along with configurable tap and long press options for the clock and the header image. You can also shrink the height of this header.
As of 0.4, you can now use your system wallpaper as the header. Just check “Use Wallpaper As Header” under Header and Themes in settings (this will uncheck Use Header As Wallpaper if you currently have it enabled). You will be prompted if you want to set your system wallpaper or leave it as is.
Below this is the widgets section. Tap on the card labeled “Add…” to add a new widget card. Swipe in this area to switch widget cards. Long press on a widget and select “Remove Widget” in the popup that appears to remove it. Eventually, you will be able to rearrange widgets. From widget settings, you can adjust the height of the panel.
Below this is the favorites section. This will be empty at first, but you can add favorites by long-pressing on apps in the all apps list. You can remove favorites by long-pressing and selecting “Remove favorite.” You can also change icon size and number of columns. SF Launcher Plus users can also select an icon pack (best with ADW packs). To rearrange them, long press on one and select “Rearrange favorites.” This will open a new page where you can drag and drop to rearrange. I would eventually like to integrate this better.
Swipe right from the favorites section to access the list of all apps. From this page, you can long press on an app and select “Add favorite” to add it to your favorites. You can also long press and select the option to uninstall the app.
As of 0.4, landscape will work, although the app is still not perfectly optimized for tablets.
You can set a light or dark theme for the app. You can also set the theme to auto, which will cause it to change to light while showing the dawn and day images (default is 6 AM to 6 PM, although this can be changed) and change to dark while showing the dusk and night images. If you set a tap or long press action to toggle the theme, it will override the automatic theme.
From Header and Themes settings you can also disable the status bar and select to use the current header image as your system wallpaper.
If you want to try SF Launcher, but would prefer to use another launcher as your default, it is accessible from the apps list of other launchers.
If SF Launcher had been restarting frequently prior to 0.3, that update should fix most problems. If you are still having issues with restarts, and you are rooted, convert SF Launcher to a system app and it should be persistent.
If you like SF Launcher, you can now get SF Launcher Plus (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.alamoapps.launcher.plus) for $1.99. It currently only adds custom icon packs, although more plus features will be added soon. There is also a link to it available on the settings panel for easy access. Not all icon themes will work, but most ADW-compatible themes will work as of 0.2.6
Known Issues:
-Long press on the widgets is finicky, and sometimes triggers at the wrong time
-When expanding the panels while the status bar is hidden, the status bar will unhide (required by the system). It won’t disappear again until you interact with the app in some way. I’m looking for a more elegant solution.
-I know that the settings aren’t ideal, but I can’t just put them in the menu overflow because of devices without menu buttons.
Please let me know if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions at sflauncher@alamoapps.net
