Sep 1, 2025

KrypticLauncher — Custom Android Launcher

A custom Android launcher built with Kotlin, featuring gesture navigation, app hiding, and a minimal design philosophy.

kotlinandroidlauncher

Why Build a Launcher?

Android launchers are deeply personal tools. KrypticLauncher was born from frustration with existing options — too many features, too much visual clutter.

Design Philosophy

Less is more.
Every pixel should serve a purpose.
Gestures > buttons.

Features

Gesture-based navigation — swipe, pinch, long-press for all actions
App hiding — hide apps from the drawer with PIN protection
Custom icon packs — full support for adaptive icons
Minimal UI — no dock, no widgets (optional), just apps
Quick search — type to find anything instantly

Architecture

Built with Kotlin and Jetpack Compose:

Launcher Activity
    ↓
App List (Compose LazyGrid)
    ↓
Search (Fuzzy matching)
    ↓
Gesture Handler (Touch delegates)
    ↓
Shortcut Manager (Deep links)

Performance

Startup time is under 200ms on mid-range devices. The app uses no background services — it sleeps when not in use.

The project is private but the gesture engine could be extracted as a library.