I like a blank home screen. Not because I'm a minimalist for the sake of it — because I design my own wallpapers, and I want to see them. The phone is a canvas, and the launcher should get out of the way.
Years ago, there was a launcher that nailed this. I can't remember the name — it's been gone long enough that even searching for it turns up nothing. But it was built around gestures. Swipe here, tap there, everything accessible without a grid of icons cluttering the screen.
I spent years trying other launchers. They all did the same thing: icons on a grid, maybe a dock, maybe some folder options. Wallpaper, icon tint, widget — that's the ceiling. None of them understood that some people don't want a bulletin board. Some people want an atmosphere.
I didn't want icons everywhere.
I wanted my wallpaper to be the home screen.
Built Around Real Needs
Every feature answers a frustrationAnywhere Sideblade
I've got ADHD — my brain craves stimulation, which means I'm constantly bouncing between apps. The Sideblade slides in from the edge — from anywhere, inside any app — with your full app list, folder shortcuts, and launcher controls. One swipe and you're somewhere else.
Flow Gestures
I've never found another launcher with the amount of gestures Elysium packs in. It's not a simple swipe-up-for-drawer situation — it's deep, it's complex, and that's deliberate. Swipes, taps, multi-finger actions, edge triggers — the point isn't to give you a preset and call it done.
Order Smart Organization
I didn't want folders I had to maintain. I didn't want AI guessing where things go. It reads the category metadata Android already assigns to every app and sorts them automatically — games with games, social with social.
Mercy Layout Import
Switching launchers shouldn't mean rebuilding your home screen from a blank grid. One-shot import pulls your layout, dock, and folders over from your old launcher — you've already done the work.
Flexibility Workspaces
I've always loved how Linux desktop environments let you switch between workspaces — different layouts for different contexts, no rebuilding required. Elysium brings that idea to Android.
The Article I Found After
Turns out I wasn't aloneMonths after I started building Elysium, I came across an XDA piece. The author's complaint was simple: Google gives you wallpapers and icon colors and calls it customization. The real users want more. They want control.
I didn't build Elysium because of that article. I built it because I'd already felt every frustration it described. It convinced me I was right.
Elysium Home is in active development.