Don’t buy a Google Pixel if you want to use a third-party launcher

Google and other Android manufacturers have played a big role in the declining popularity of third-party launchers. On most popular Android phones, using a third-party launcher breaks navigation or causes weird animation glitches. In September this year, many popular custom Android launcher developers teamed up to voice their frustration to Google. As a part of this, they conducted a survey, asking users about their experience with a custom launcher on their Android phones. Two months later, the survey results are in, and they might surprise you.

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Interestingly, Pixel devices ranked at the bottom of the list (via Smart launcher), with the majority of survey participants reporting issues when using third-party launchers on their phones. The team behind Smart Launcher has an interesting theory about the Pixel’s poor showing.

Major Android updates first land on Pixel phones, and they might have underlying bugs that cause issues with a custom launcher. For example, a known bug in Android 15 causes third-party launchers to freeze and hang on Pixel phones. Nonetheless, this does not change the fact that Google has not done enough in recent years to support the third-party launcher community, giving them stepfatherly treatment.

This is also something you must keep in mind if you prefer using a third-party launcher.

Source: Smart launcher

Xiaomi devices came in second from the bottom, which is understandable since the company disables navigation gestures when a custom launcher is used. It is the worst offender of the lot, as no other Android manufacturer does this.

Speaking to Android Police, Smart Launcher’s creator Vincenzo Colucci said, “Unlike Xiaomi, which intentionally makes the experience with third-party launchers worse, Pixel devices are likely just caught in the challenge of being the first to adopt new Android versions. That said, when I buy a Xiaomi/Vivo/Oppo/Realme, I kind of expect their custom OS to impact other apps behavior. With a Pixel instead, I expect nothing less than perfection, so as a user, I’m more inclined to report issues. These aren’t excuses, though—the results clearly highlight that Pixel users expect more from their devices.”

Stick to devices from Samsung, Motorola, or Nothing if you like custom launchers

Surprisingly, most Motorola users reported facing no issues with a custom launcher on their device, followed by Samsung. Nothing devices topped the survey, with most users only facing “minor issues.” So, if using a custom Android launcher is important for you, stick to devices from these manufacturers in the future.

The Smart Launcher team did not reveal how many users participated in the survey, except for mentioning on X that they did not list brands with fewer than 100 participants. Given that all popular custom launchers widely shared the survey, at least a few hundred users from each major Android manufacturer must have responded.

On an optimistic note, Vincenzo added, “Third-party launchers aren’t dying, our user base is growing rapidly, and we’ve heard the same from other launcher developers we’ve spoken with. Still, things could be much better if we had a fair chance to compete with stock launchers.”