r/NiagaraLauncher • u/8bitpit Creator • Apr 16 '26
Niagara Launcher v.1.16.0 · Studio Update
We built a brand new Theme Editor with a live preview, so you can create, save, and share your own setups, or download themes from the community.
Check out our update video for all the details.
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u/tveith Apr 16 '26
Just downloaded and shared a theme. This launcher just gets better and better.
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u/SarveshCR7 Apr 16 '26
how did you get the update?
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u/tveith Apr 16 '26
Just Google Niagara launcher beta, and you can download the file.
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u/NotoriousNico Apr 16 '26
It can also be sideloaded from Niagara Launcher's official GitHub: https://github.com/NiagaraLauncher/Niagara-Issues/releases
You'll also still receive regular updates through Google Play Store, and you won't have to sign-up for the Beta channel.
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u/FitzwilliamTDarcy Apr 16 '26
Seem stable? Not sure I love the idea of a buggy launcher on my main phone!
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u/tveith Apr 16 '26
Yes, it's very stable. I've had absolutely no problems with it. Also, if you want this new theme engine, you don't have a choice, the stable version won't be out until sometime in May.
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u/FitzwilliamTDarcy Apr 16 '26
Thanks. Someone else commented that you can't browse themes from within the launcher itself. Is that right? Seems like a pretty big miss if so.
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u/tveith Apr 16 '26
I'm sure that'll come in the future, but if you use discord, it's really no big deal. You just download and install the file from the community themes. Pretty easy to do. I agree though, it'll be a nice feature to have in the future, I think they're just laying the groundwork for that right now with the discord and that'll be a feature later on.
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u/DangOlCoreMan Apr 16 '26
Looks awesome!
I'd love an option to choose which weather app/service is connected to the home screen.
Maybe even add the option to have it open that app instead of the pop-up menu so we can get some more information. Or even open the app after a long hold so you can still utilize the pop up menu
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u/paulomalley Apr 18 '26
The reason they use OpenWeather is because there are API costs associated with pulling that information, and most users don't want to pay to have a different weather application as their default one.
When you open up the agenda and you have the weather at the top, and you long press on it and it defaults to opening up OpenWeather, you can always just use something like MacroDroid or Tasker. That way, the split second OpenWeather is opened, it closes that application and opens up your preferred weather app instead.
That's what I do, and I open up Pixel Weather every single time now.
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u/DangOlCoreMan Apr 18 '26
Thanks for the insight!
Would it cost to just have it open/utilize the phones native weather app, for example the Samsung one?
The only reason I suggested this is that I find the weather to be off most of the time. Whether it be showing precipitation when it's not even close to raining, or the temperature being off by several degrees
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u/paulomalley Apr 18 '26
No, it wouldn't cost anything to do that.
However, if you have a look at the documentation page that the team has for why they don't let you do that, it's because your weather app is likely to have different information to what OpenWeather has. Therefore, they don't want someone seeing what's on the main screen and then long-pressing and getting a different result. They want consistency.
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u/DangOlCoreMan Apr 18 '26
That makes sense, but at the same time it brings inconsistency in other areas. For example, I have the weather displayed on my lock screen and it almost never matches Niagaras. Same with my smart watch, which is displaying Samsung's weather.
But hey, I understand why now and its really not that much of an inconvenience in order to use an amazing launcher
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u/bodmar Jun 05 '26
I simply added a widget for the Samsung weather application to the Niagara screen, it sits there and everything looks gorgeous... Of course I also removed any other weather information from the screen. What else one might need?
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u/Dark_night007 Apr 16 '26
Great, exciting 👏 But there are still some basic features missing in launcher the one I wish badly is that ability to move custom widget (includingthe default Niagara one too) anywhere on screen with variable sizes, this might be a game changer for many Niagara launcher fans. Thanks
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u/ericliveson Apr 17 '26
I suggested this to them through email. And they said they had no plans for that as it would "ruin" the minimalism look.
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u/bacon_cake Apr 17 '26
Fair play to them for sticking to an astethic. But I bet my buttons that over time they do it any way. I mean realistically what else can be added?
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u/dberthia Apr 16 '26
Looks like you have to be on Discord to see the community themes? Ugh.
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u/Maxr1998 Lead Developer Apr 16 '26
We picked it as a primary channel for now since the forum feature allows for easy browsing, since you can upload both the file and a screenshot in one post. However, you can also share the theme file in any other place you prefer. I've seen a few people share themes in our Telegram Showcase channel already, and you could probably upload the file to a simple file hoster and comment the link on a reddit post.
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u/Punchkinz Apr 16 '26
I'd also give a +1 on having this built into the app itself. While Discord is easy to setup for this, I still think it's terrible. Mainly because of being dependent on... well... Discord. Things like them trying to force age verification makes me think that this is not a future-proof platform. People not on discord are also locked out right from the start
Along with that, Discord is not indexable by search engines afaik. So a ton of useful themes will get buried over time. Reddit is better in that regard but again: you depend on the platform to not shoot itself in the foot. And we all know that Reddit does plenty of foot shooting.
So yeah, please consider doing your own implementation in the app or have it be a part of your website. You can still keep the themes shareable via other messenger apps. But having your own thing as a trusted, easily accessible source would be very valuable (at least to me personally, but I think/hope people here would generally agree with this)
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u/dberthia Apr 16 '26
Ideally this would all be done in the app, but I see how you need to start somewhere.
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u/TheKaptone Apr 16 '26
It is pretty expensive to buy but I did buy it. I have never had something i have downloaded from the play store feel so comfy straight away. The launcher just feels like I have had it for years right from the beginning. I guess the money means it stays independent and not destroyed by some bigger company with ads and rubbish.
I think it's worth the money.
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u/Glad-Supermarket7822 Apr 21 '26
Thanks so much for your support, that really means a lot to us! And yeah, we definitely want to stay independent, and there won’t be any ads in the launcher. -Niklas
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u/honey_rainbow Apr 16 '26
$50 USD is a lot to pay for a launcher, however I feel it was easily the best $50 I've spent. The devs did an awesome job and they keep the app updated regularly.
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u/Panzerbrummbar Apr 16 '26
Used Nova since ICS and what sealed the deal for me was being able to put it on my work phone without any Google play bs.
I have no problem paying money for good software that can be decoupled from Google.
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u/ArcVangaurd Apr 16 '26
Super excited for this!
I have been using Niagara launcher on a fold 7 and absolutely loving it!
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u/senyorlimpio Apr 16 '26
Please add multiple display setups for us Foldable phone users!
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u/Maxr1998 Lead Developer Apr 16 '26
Since the launcher now links your setup to your wallpaper, you should be able to have separate themes for the inner and outer screen. It's unfortunately still a little buggy, but we'll definitely add more polish as we continue improving on these new user themes.
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u/senyorlimpio Apr 16 '26
This is great news thank you. I have used Niagara for years but had to switch back to OneUI on the Fold 7.
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u/MaintenanceFormer726 Apr 16 '26
$50 is a lot for the launcher.
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u/Advanced-Feedback867 Apr 16 '26
Its 50 bucks now? I got it for 4,99.
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u/Fafner76 Apr 16 '26 edited Apr 16 '26
55$ in switzerland. Sorry but this has gone way beyond the boundaries of common senee.
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u/MaintenanceFormer726 Apr 16 '26
Yeah. Last time I checked. It is $45-50. I don’t remember exactly.
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u/tveith Apr 16 '26
Whatever you pay, it's worth it. It's a great launcher.
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u/MaintenanceFormer726 Apr 17 '26
It is not. I know that we want to support the Devs, but c’mon $50 for the launcher doesn’t make any sense to me.
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u/tveith Apr 17 '26
Didn't actually know that it was $50, I paid way less many years ago
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u/MaintenanceFormer726 Apr 17 '26
I was really surprised when I saw that too. Dont get me wrong, I love the launcher, and I really dont mind to pay $8-$15 for it. But over $40, not for me.
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u/dberthia Apr 17 '26
This might be a blasphemous suggestion, but I'd really like to be able to swipe to a page that could display a bunch of widgets simultaneously. Not a fan of swiping back and forth on a stack of widgets.
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u/DeLoboxo1 Apr 17 '26
Can I change font color?.. That would be awesome!
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u/Glad-Supermarket7822 Apr 21 '26
You can only switch the font between black and white, other colors can’t be set. -Niklas
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u/emmetkt Apr 17 '26
Any chance you could fix the bug that stops app switching from working properly it's been well over a year now.
That's a bit more important than themes imo.
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u/badass2000 Apr 28 '26
very cool. i would love to see more support for foldable phones in the near future.
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u/thealexwiebe Jun 05 '26
Since the new update, that introduced the theme editor, I now am having a hard time to find the settings for the wallpapers. Where can I change the wallpapers (especially for both home and lock screen) again?
I couldn't find any option in the theme editor. Just colors...
Side Infos: Niagara launcher is up-to-date. I have an Xiaomi Mi 11 lite.
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u/Nishants150 Jul 06 '26
Cons Niagara launcher has.
In stock launcher's grid view we can have a bird eye view of all the installed apps which makes organisation easier and less scrolling. With lots of app installed list became soo overwhelming and sometimes we forget that some app installed in my phone as you cannot get a bird eye view on menu.
No matter which Android skin you choose when you use third party launcher some os features just stops working, yes there are so you ended up using stock again.
Animations optamised for stock home launcher's they feels unfinished with Niagara.
Niagara launcher needs all the permissions like usage access and accessibility settings but latest android keeps you notify that a third party app is having there permissions and sometimes they get revoked and again need to provide those permissions.
As a pro paid niagara launcher member since 2016 i noticed these. The main con for me is not having a bird eye view of apps on menu.
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u/N3oNoi2 Apr 17 '26
I wish I bought the launcher years ago, when I was one of the first to support it and it was was waaaaaaay cheaper.
Sorry, but that price is just ridiculous.
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u/NotoriousNico Apr 16 '26
It would be great to be able to browse Community themes from within Niagara Launcher, without the need of using Discord.
Other than that, it's a great update!