After a few years of beta testing, Niagara Launcher is now available for download from the Google Play Store. It was designed to replace the standard Android app drawer and the home screen grid with a layout that is easier to access with one hand.
You choose your favorite apps to pin to the home screen and the rest is accessible in an alphabetical list on the right side of the screen, a short distance from your thumb. It is fast and very responsive; you can tap the part of the alphabet you want or swipe up and down to scroll through the list of apps.
Niagara also allows you to perform quick actions from the home screen, sliding your finger on any application to display a list of options, such as setting a new stopwatch in the watch application or starting a session with Strava. Favorite apps also show a preview of the notification’s content on the home screen, and a swipe expands it to show the full text without opening the app.
These basic features are available with the free version, but further personalizing your home screen with additional widgets and displaying the percentage of battery life requires an upgrade to the paid pro version, which costs $ 6 a year.
The Niagara features a smart design and would be really useful on a large phone. I would also have appreciated that on my bus trips with standing spaces in the Previous Time, when I often clung to a grid with one hand while checking my email with the other. It is very useful on a smaller phone too, for a more informative view of notifications without requiring you to open an application.
The free version does not contain ads, which is another advantage. However, although the launcher offers the basics, it is a little disappointing not to allow you to add something as simple as a weather widget without paying for the update. Overall, though, Niagara offers a clean look and a unique solution for those of us with problems with one hand.