MinkLauncher OpenSource
A minimal, keyboard-first Android home-screen launcher
New in version 1.5.5
MinkLauncher Open 1.5.5 improves the Virtual Contact Card, large-display Settings, and release handoffs.
Contact photos now remain valid for Compose to draw after loading, fixing the crash that could occur when showing a vCard with a selected photo. A new optional Show values on card setting displays selected link names and values on the Home vCard; the encrypted preference is also preserved by portable backup.
Settings now follows the optional two-panel layout on eligible tablets and unfolded
Contact photos now remain valid for Compose to draw after loading, fixing the crash that could occur when showing a vCard with a selected photo. A new optional Show values on card setting displays selected link names and values on the Home vCard; the encrypted preference is also preserved by portable backup.
Settings now follows the optional two-panel layout on eligible tablets and unfolded
MinkLauncher OpenSource is a focused Android home-screen launcher and keyboard-first assistant designed around fast input and low visual noise.
The responsive Home panel combines a preview of up to five to-dos with eight configurable icon shortcuts. Home slots and the compact drawer can open apps or actions published by apps, while every installed launcher app remains one keyboard search away. Accessible work-profile apps and shortcuts appear with a work badge and stay outside Mink’s Day limits.
Appearance settings can use Mink’s monochrome treatment, original app icons, or an installed Nova/ADW-compatible icon pack. Icon-pack mappings and previews are read locally, and apps not covered by the selected pack retain their original icon.
On a physical-keyboard phone, just start typing from Home. The already-focused Magic Box appears with the first character preserved; no tap is required. It can also open over another app when MinkLauncher OpenSource is selected as Android’s assistant.
Magic Box commands:
• @ — choose a contact, then send carrier SMS or hand the message to an integrated messaging app
• # — choose a contact, confirm, then call or choose a calling provider
• - — add an internal to-do
• / — create a multiline note through an installed notes app
• + — create a calendar event
• ? — find and immediately launch an installed app
• Plain text — search local filenames, open a web search, or hand the query to a selected compatible AI app
To-dos can be added, checked, edited, confirmed before deletion, and reordered by drag. Local file results are grouped into photos, videos, documents, and audio, with thumbnails where Android provides them. Document search uses only folders you explicitly select through Android's system folder picker.
Optional spaces remain one swipe away:
• Conversations groups active Android message and email notifications into compact threads. Inline reply is offered only when the originating app supplies Android’s reply action, and content remains transient in memory.
• Mink’s Day measures foreground time and launch counts for the Android Social-category apps or custom apps the user chooses to include. Set a collective limit from 0 to 23 whole hours, then pause those apps in MinkLauncher all the time, only after the limit, or never. Paused apps are hidden from Magic Box and app drawers while shortcut tiles remain visible with a reminder. This is a launcher barrier, not a system app suspension or parental-control feature. Other apps never enter Mink’s Day totals.
• Widgets hosts up to eight Android widgets with grouped provider previews, correct responsive sizing, reordering, and removal.
When another app requests Add to Home screen, MinkLauncher can place its shortcut in a Home slot or Top 8. Choose a stable full page or a faster confirmation sheet in Settings. Legacy shortcut requests are also supported for older apps and devices.
Backup & restore exports a versioned local JSON file containing portable launcher settings, layout, app choices, icon preferences, Mink’s Day configuration, and to-dos. This makes it possible to move between F-Droid and GitHub installs. Android-managed permissions, roles, widgets, accessibility and notification access, and document-folder grants must be configured again after reinstalling.
Integrated messaging:
• Choose System Messages or an installed supported messaging app in Settings
• Send automatically with that app, or choose an app for each one-time @ message
• Supported deep links carry the contact and message when the receiving app allows it
• Other integrations carry the message and let you choose the contact in the receiving app
• Returning to Mink keeps your selected contact and message until you send or clear it
• Conversation replies still use the reply action supplied by the notification’s source app
Privacy is a core feature:
• No accounts, ads, analytics, trackers, or application server
• An optional, twice-daily GitHub release-metadata check sho
The responsive Home panel combines a preview of up to five to-dos with eight configurable icon shortcuts. Home slots and the compact drawer can open apps or actions published by apps, while every installed launcher app remains one keyboard search away. Accessible work-profile apps and shortcuts appear with a work badge and stay outside Mink’s Day limits.
Appearance settings can use Mink’s monochrome treatment, original app icons, or an installed Nova/ADW-compatible icon pack. Icon-pack mappings and previews are read locally, and apps not covered by the selected pack retain their original icon.
On a physical-keyboard phone, just start typing from Home. The already-focused Magic Box appears with the first character preserved; no tap is required. It can also open over another app when MinkLauncher OpenSource is selected as Android’s assistant.
Magic Box commands:
• @ — choose a contact, then send carrier SMS or hand the message to an integrated messaging app
• # — choose a contact, confirm, then call or choose a calling provider
• - — add an internal to-do
• / — create a multiline note through an installed notes app
• + — create a calendar event
• ? — find and immediately launch an installed app
• Plain text — search local filenames, open a web search, or hand the query to a selected compatible AI app
To-dos can be added, checked, edited, confirmed before deletion, and reordered by drag. Local file results are grouped into photos, videos, documents, and audio, with thumbnails where Android provides them. Document search uses only folders you explicitly select through Android's system folder picker.
Optional spaces remain one swipe away:
• Conversations groups active Android message and email notifications into compact threads. Inline reply is offered only when the originating app supplies Android’s reply action, and content remains transient in memory.
• Mink’s Day measures foreground time and launch counts for the Android Social-category apps or custom apps the user chooses to include. Set a collective limit from 0 to 23 whole hours, then pause those apps in MinkLauncher all the time, only after the limit, or never. Paused apps are hidden from Magic Box and app drawers while shortcut tiles remain visible with a reminder. This is a launcher barrier, not a system app suspension or parental-control feature. Other apps never enter Mink’s Day totals.
• Widgets hosts up to eight Android widgets with grouped provider previews, correct responsive sizing, reordering, and removal.
When another app requests Add to Home screen, MinkLauncher can place its shortcut in a Home slot or Top 8. Choose a stable full page or a faster confirmation sheet in Settings. Legacy shortcut requests are also supported for older apps and devices.
Backup & restore exports a versioned local JSON file containing portable launcher settings, layout, app choices, icon preferences, Mink’s Day configuration, and to-dos. This makes it possible to move between F-Droid and GitHub installs. Android-managed permissions, roles, widgets, accessibility and notification access, and document-folder grants must be configured again after reinstalling.
Integrated messaging:
• Choose System Messages or an installed supported messaging app in Settings
• Send automatically with that app, or choose an app for each one-time @ message
• Supported deep links carry the contact and message when the receiving app allows it
• Other integrations carry the message and let you choose the contact in the receiving app
• Returning to Mink keeps your selected contact and message until you send or clear it
• Conversation replies still use the reply action supplied by the notification’s source app
Privacy is a core feature:
• No accounts, ads, analytics, trackers, or application server
• An optional, twice-daily GitHub release-metadata check sho
- Author: Katoa Apps
- License: Apache License 2.0
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Versions
Although APK downloads are available below to give you the choice, you should be aware that by installing that way you will not receive update notifications and it's a less secure way to download. We recommend that you install the F-Droid client and use that.
Download F-Droid-
arm64-v8aarmeabi-v7ax86x86_64This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.
It is built and signed by F-Droid, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.
Download APK 14 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log
-
arm64-v8aarmeabi-v7ax86x86_64This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.
It is built and signed by F-Droid, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.
Download APK 14 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log
-
arm64-v8aarmeabi-v7ax86x86_64This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.
It is built and signed by F-Droid, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.
Download APK 13 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log
New in version 1.5.4
MinkLauncher Open 1.5.4 introduces an encrypted, device-local Virtual Contact Card. Build a reusable vCard with optional contact details, links, and a photo, then show its QR directly from Home. It is a contact card rather than an app profile, is never sent to Mink servers, and is never used for account management. Contact details and photos are protected locally; portable backup exports include readable contact details only after an explicit warning and continue to exclude photos.
The launcher
The launcher
New in version 1.5.3
MinkLauncher Open 1.5.3 expands Home appearance with device-sized image wallpapers and an in-app pinch-and-drag crop screen. The finished crop stays on-device, remains stationary behind the Home and Widgets pages, and is applied to Android’s Home wallpaper so system surfaces match. Mink’s Day keeps its focused solid background, and the lock screen is never changed.
The Home pill now has adjustable transparency, adaptive readable content, and no lingering shadow when transparency is enabled. Hea
The Home pill now has adjustable transparency, adaptive readable content, and no lingering shadow when transparency is enabled. Hea