Just Another Minimal Launcher
Your phone, in plain text.
JAML // Just Another Minimal Launcher // is a text-only Android launcher. Your apps are words on a screen: no icons, no widgets, no notification dots. Just the handful of things you actually opened your phone to do.
Free · No ads · No accounts · No internet permission · Android 8.0+
What it does
Everything a launcher needs. Nothing it doesn’t.
Built in Kotlin and Jetpack Compose for one job: getting you into an app and back out again without a detour.
- 01
Text, not icons
Your home screen is a list of words you picked. No grid, no badges, no widgets, no folders. Nothing moves unless you move it.
- 02
Home, Favorite, Hidden
Every installed app sits in one of three buckets. Hidden is the default, so your home screen only ever holds the apps that earned a place on it.
- 03
Search finds everything
Swipe up and type. Results filter across every installed app — including hidden ones — as you type. Turn on auto-launch and a single match opens itself.
- 04
Set your own background
Keep your Android wallpaper and let JAML draw straight over it, or switch to a flat background in any color — eighteen presets, or type a hex value. Set the text color to match and the whole launcher follows.
- 05
Set up in two minutes
The first-launch wizard walks the full list of installed apps once. Tag the handful you care about, confirm, done.
- 06
Long press to re-file
Hold any app name to move it between Home, Favorite and Hidden. No settings menu, no drag-and-drop targets.
- 07
Typography you control
Font family, size, color, line spacing and alignment — left, center or right. Set the home screen order by hand. Changes apply everywhere, instantly.
- 08
Nothing between you and the screen
The status bar and navigation bar stay transparent, so your background runs edge to edge. Swipe down for notifications, exactly as Android does everywhere else.
- 09
Screen time, only if you ask
An optional line in the corner shows today's total, like 3h 19m. It is off until you switch it on and grant usage access.
Make it yours
Your background, your call.
Minimal doesn’t have to mean black. Leave JAML in wallpaper mode and it draws nothing behind your apps — whatever photo you set as your Android wallpaper shows through, edge to edge, status bar included. Or switch to color mode and give it a flat background of your own.
How it works
- Step 01
Install and set as home
Android asks which launcher to use. Pick JAML and your home screen is replaced — every other app on your phone is untouched.
- Step 02
Sort your apps once
The wizard shows everything installed. Mark a few as Home, a few as Favorite, leave the rest Hidden. You can change any of it later with a long press.
- Step 03
Open your phone on purpose
Tap a name to launch. Swipe up to search everything. Swipe down for notifications. That is the entire interface.
Privacy
It can’t phone home. Literally.
JAML ships without Android’s INTERNET permission. There is no server, no account, no analytics SDK and no crash reporter — not as a policy promise, but as a property of the app you install. Your categories, order and appearance settings live in local storage on your device and go away when you uninstall.
QUERY_ALL_PACKAGESReads the list of apps installed on your device. A launcher that can’t see your apps can’t list or search them. Names and package IDs never leave the device.
PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS— optionalPowers the screen time line, and only if you turn it on and grant access in Android’s system settings. Deny it and the rest of the launcher works exactly the same.
Specifications
| Platform | Android 8.0 and newer (API 26+) |
|---|---|
| Current version | 1.3.0 |
| Package | com.jaml |
| Price | Free — no ads, no in-app purchases |
| Network access | None. The app has no internet permission. |
| Accounts | None. There is nothing to sign in to. |
| Built with | Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Room, DataStore |
Questions
Frequently asked
What does JAML stand for?
JAML stands for Just Another Minimal Launcher. The name is the whole pitch: it is not trying to reinvent your phone, only to get out of its way.
Can I set my own background?
Yes. JAML has two background modes. In wallpaper mode — the default — the launcher draws nothing behind your app names, so whatever photo you have set as your Android wallpaper shows through, edge to edge. In color mode you pick a flat background from eighteen presets or type any hex value, and you can set the text color to match it.
Is JAML free?
Yes. JAML is free to download and use. There are no ads, no in-app purchases, no subscription and no paid tier.
Does JAML collect any data about me?
No. JAML has no analytics, no crash reporting and no accounts. The app is not even granted Android's INTERNET permission, so it cannot send anything anywhere. Your app categories and settings stay in local storage on your device.
Do I lose my app drawer?
No. Swipe up from the home screen and start typing — search matches every installed app, including the ones you marked Hidden. Tap a result to launch it.
What happens to apps I install later?
New apps are filed as Hidden automatically, with no prompt. They never clutter your home screen, and search still finds them the moment they are installed.
Can I switch back to my old launcher?
Any time. Open Android Settings, go to Apps → Default apps → Home app, and pick your previous launcher. JAML does not lock you in.
Does JAML support widgets or icon packs?
No, and that is deliberate. JAML is a text-only launcher — adding widgets or icons would undo the point of it.
Which Android versions are supported?
Android 8.0 (API level 26) and newer.
Do I have to grant usage access?
Only if you want the screen time line on your home screen. That setting is off by default, and every other part of the launcher works without it.
Do I have to make JAML my default home screen?
You can open JAML from your app drawer to look around first. It asks once whether you want it as your home app, and you can change that decision in Android Settings at any time.
Fewer things on the screen.
Free, quiet, and about two minutes away from being your home screen.