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Slate

Minimal text-only Android home screen. No icons. No analytics. Zero network.
New in version 1.3
First release of Slate on F-Droid. See the GitHub releases page for the full feature timeline.
Slate is a minimal text-only Android home screen built for focus.

Most launchers want to keep you on your phone. Colourful icons trigger recognition without thought, notification badges create artificial urgency, and recommendation widgets are optimised for engagement, not intent. Slate removes all of that. Apps are presented 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 most appealing.


APPEARANCE

* Two homescreen layouts: Flow (apps wrap like text, sized by usage) or Minimal List (one app per line with optional alphabetical fast-scroll)
* Fully customisable background and text colours with a live colour picker
* Follow system theme: switches automatically with system dark mode
* Apply background colour to the lockscreen for a uniform look
* Per-app colour overrides to highlight what matters
* Notification highlight: app names change colour when an app has a pending notification
* Typography control: font family (Google Fonts plus import your own), weight, line spacing, word spacing
* Font size scales with usage in Flow view


INTERACTION

* Swipe up to search apps
* Configurable single-finger swipe gestures (any app, notifications, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, location, camera, more)
* Double-tap to lock screen (via accessibility service)
* Long-press an app to pin, hide, rename, recolour, uninstall, or move to a folder
* Pin apps to the top regardless of sort order
* Sort alphabetically or by most used
* Custom folders: each folder is a text label with a marker (chevron, slash, bullet, brackets, count, or plain). Tap to expand inline. Long-press to rename, recolour, or delete


QUICK TOGGLES STRIP

An optional row of text widgets at the top or bottom of your home screen. Choose from Clock, Date, Next alarm, Battery percent, Charging, Time to full, Battery temperature, Uptime, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mobile data, Airplane mode, DND, Volume, Ringer mode, Torch, Brightness, Location, NFC, and contact tap-to-call or tap-to-text shortcuts. Off by default. Pick widgets, position, and typography from Settings.


CONTROL

* Lock orientation to portrait
* Optional persistent search bar on the home screen
* Optional contact search: turn it on to surface contacts inline with apps when you type. Read at search time, never stored. Google-only sub-toggle skips duplicates from WhatsApp, Telegram, SIM
* PIN-lock the hidden apps list (4 to 8 digits, PBKDF2 hashed) with optional biometric unlock. Hidden-app launches stay out of Android Recents
* Export and import all settings as a JSON backup. Hidden-apps list and PIN are omitted by default. Opt in via Settings, with an in-memory PIN check on import


PRIVACY

Slate does not collect, transmit, or share any data. No analytics, no crash reporting, no network activity. All preferences are stored locally. App usage counts never leave the device. Each Android permission Slate declares is requested only for the specific feature that uses it. Full details in the in-app privacy policy.


OPEN SOURCE

MIT licensed. Source at github.com/roufsyed/Slate-Minimal-Launcher
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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
  • Version 1.3 (4) suggested Added on Jun 21, 2026

    This version requires Android 8.0 or newer.

    It is built and signed by the original developer, and guaranteed to correspond to this source tarball.

    Permissions
    • view Wi-Fi connections
      Allows the app to view information about Wi-Fi networking, such as whether Wi-Fi is enabled and name of connected Wi-Fi devices.
    • pair with Bluetooth devices
      Allows the app to view the configuration of the Bluetooth on the phone, and to make and accept connections with paired devices.
    • access Bluetooth settings
      Allows the app to configure the local Bluetooth phone, and to discover and pair with remote devices.
    • directly call phone numbers
      Allows the app to call phone numbers without your intervention. This may result in unexpected charges or calls. Note that this doesn't allow the app to call emergency numbers. Malicious apps may cost you money by making calls without your confirmation.
    • connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi
      Allows the app to connect to and disconnect from Wi-Fi access points and to make changes to device configuration for Wi-Fi networks.
    • expand/collapse status bar
      Allows the app to expand or collapse the status bar.
    • query all packages
      Allows an app to see all installed packages.
    • read basic telephony status and identity
      Allows the app to access the basic telephony features of the device.
    • read your contacts
      Allows the app to read data about your contacts stored on your phone. Apps will also have access to the accounts on your phone that have created contacts. This may include accounts created by apps you have installed. This permission allows apps to save your contact data, and malicious apps may share contact data without your knowledge.
    • request delete packages
      Allows an application to request deletion of packages.
    • ask to ignore battery optimizations
      Allows an app to ask for permission to ignore battery optimizations for that app.
    • set wallpaper
      Allows the app to set the system wallpaper.
    • use biometric hardware
      Allows the app to use biometric hardware for authentication
    • use fingerprint hardware
      Allows the app to use fingerprint hardware for authentication
    • com.slate.launcher.DYNAMIC_RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED_PERMISSION

    Download APK 2.0 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log

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