Slate
Minimal text-only Android home screen. No icons. No analytics. Zero network.
New in version 1.6
Features:
- Added language support for German, Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Turkish and Indonesian
- Added a language spinner in settings
- Added multi-select apps feature; supporting bulk pin, hide, uninstall, move and color
- Added a selection highlight setting
Fixes:
- Fix a hidden or unhidden work app not updating the home list at once
- Remove a folder when its last app is moved out
- Added language support for German, Spanish, French, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Turkish and Indonesian
- Added a language spinner in settings
- Added multi-select apps feature; supporting bulk pin, hide, uninstall, move and color
- Added a selection highlight setting
Fixes:
- Fix a hidden or unhidden work app not updating the home list at once
- Remove a folder when its last app is moved out
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, with an opt-out
* Work-profile apps are listed too, marked with the profile name and grouped into a folder on first sight
* 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
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, with an opt-out
* Work-profile apps are listed too, marked with the profile name and grouped into a folder on first sight
* 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
- Author: Rouf Syed
- License: MIT License
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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-
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.
Download APK 2.6 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log
-
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.
Download APK 2 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log
-
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.
Download APK 2.0 MiB PGP Signature | Build Log
New in version 1.5
Features:
- Add a setting to PIN-gate long-press menus
- Highlight folders that contain a notified app
- Add a homescreen layout picker to onboarding
- Add a default text color setting for folders
- Remember custom colors as swatches in the color picker
Fixes:
- Include the homescreen layout in backups
- Fix Back not leaving folders when the search bar is shown on home
- Fix swipe down not opening notifications when the search bar is shown on home
- Add a setting to PIN-gate long-press menus
- Highlight folders that contain a notified app
- Add a homescreen layout picker to onboarding
- Add a default text color setting for folders
- Remember custom colors as swatches in the color picker
Fixes:
- Include the homescreen layout in backups
- Fix Back not leaving folders when the search bar is shown on home
- Fix swipe down not opening notifications when the search bar is shown on home
New in version 1.4
Features:
- Implemented app shortcuts
- Add enabled-count hint and enabled-first sort to the shortcut app picker
- Add direction toggle for most-used sort (top/bottom)
- Add custom TTF import to the Quick Toggles font picker
- Allow folders to be pinned to the top of the home screen
- Add setting to ignore silenced notifications when highlighting apps
- Add opt-in setting to keep hidden apps in Recents
- Add Work profile apps
- Add a marker style picker for work profile apps
Fixes:
- Fix crash
- Implemented app shortcuts
- Add enabled-count hint and enabled-first sort to the shortcut app picker
- Add direction toggle for most-used sort (top/bottom)
- Add custom TTF import to the Quick Toggles font picker
- Allow folders to be pinned to the top of the home screen
- Add setting to ignore silenced notifications when highlighting apps
- Add opt-in setting to keep hidden apps in Recents
- Add Work profile apps
- Add a marker style picker for work profile apps
Fixes:
- Fix crash