Backfill · 2025
#50 of 383Minimal Phone Launcher
Press shot: a smartphone screen showing a minimal launcher with a black background and white text listing five app names in a single column, with a search bar at the bottom.
The minimal phone launcher I installed replaces my home screen with a plain black background and a list of app names in white text. No icons, no widgets, no wallpaper. The idea is that removing visual stimulation reduces the impulse to pick up your phone and scroll. After 3 weeks of using it, I check my phone about 30% less than before. The launcher lets me pin 5 apps to the home screen. Everything else is behind a search bar, so accessing Instagram requires typing the first 3 letters rather than tapping a colorful icon that catches my eye. The trade-off works. The phone still does everything it did before, but it stopped demanding my attention when I wasn't asking for it.