GoKawiilAndy Walker / Android Authority
The Android launcher space is the most exciting in the platform’s app industry, with a solution for seemingly every problem
I’ve covered many of my favorite examples in the past, including Niagara Launcher and its focus on efficiency, Octopi Launcher and the added value it offers on multi-screen devices, and AIO Launcher, the launcher that best suits my current maximalist bent and forms the cornerstone of my main phone.
But for every great launcher there’s one that you should probably avoid. Be it spluttering development, problematic changes, or a lack of features, I suggest you avoid the Android launchers below.
What do you think is the worst Android launcher in 2026? 12 votes Yahoo Launcher 17 % ADW Launcher 2 8 % Stario Launcher 0 % Pixel Launcher 33 % Nova Launcher 42 % Other (let us know in the comments) 0 %
Yahoo Launcher
Andy Walker / Android Authority
Yahoo is no stranger to the launcher space. It purchased one of the most promising home-screen products, Aviate Launcher, in the late 2010s, only to cancel it four years later. Nearly a decade later, it would return to the launcher game with its eponymous product, Yahoo Launcher. But unlike Aviate, it wasn’t an industry-mover or shaker.
When I heard of the company’s plans, I was excited to review Yahoo Launcher when it debuted in 2024, but I’d soon discover that while it packed several good ideas and an attractive aesthetic, it was unpolished, slow, and derivative.
I’ll give it its flowers; I quite liked its use of the brand’s prolific use of purple throughout and the Google Discover-like page displaying listings from Yahoo’s news site and a weather widget at the top, but that’s about it. I recently gave Yahoo Launcher a go on the vivo X200 Ultra (installing it via APK Mirror of all places), and I can confirm that Yahoo has fixed those performance issues, even if it hasn’t added any notable new features since my initial review.
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