Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
I’ve been using Niagara Launcher for about a year now, and I’m genuinely impressed with the overall experience. There’s plenty to like about it, including its focus on simplicity, the ability to group notifications, and the option of changing app icons with just a few taps.
However, there is one feature that stands out from the rest — a core piece of functionality that I use constantly. It’s a feature so simple and well-thought-out that I believe it should be a standard component of every single Android phone. At the very least, I’d like to see it adopted on Pixel phones, as that might finally convince me to switch back to the device’s default Pixel Launcher.
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Mitja Rutnik / Android Authority
Regardless of the launcher I use, the space on my home screen is always limited. I try to put the apps I use regularly front and center, allowing me to avoid searching for them deep inside the app drawer. However, that space runs out quickly, and since I refuse to use folders and hate the clutter of having more than one home screen, I have to be extremely selective about which apps earn a spot.
I regularly use apps like YouTube Music, Spotify, and Balance (my meditation app), and it would make perfect sense to have them easily accessible. But here’s the thing: I only ever use these specific apps when my phone is connected to my headphones via Bluetooth or paired with my car’s speakers. And this is where the genius of Niagara Launcher comes in.
The launcher lets me select apps that pop up on my home screen only when I connect my phone to a Bluetooth device. This means the apps appear exactly when I need them, eliminating the need to keep them cluttering my home screen at all other times. It’s a brilliant, context-aware solution that works flawlessly.
This feature is part of the premium version of the launcher — Niagara Pro — and it is worth upgrading to for this capability alone. It’s incredibly simple yet extremely valuable, and it makes perfect sense to standardize it across the entire Android ecosystem. After all, most of us have apps we use exclusively when connected to a Bluetooth device, making this a highly practical feature for a large number of users.
I don’t know many people who use Spotify without headphones, or who launch a meditation app without audio privacy. Given that this kind of contextual logic isn’t technically difficult to set up on Android, I sincerely hope Google takes notice and implements it.
Is there anything like this out there?
Joe Maring / Android Authority
In short, not really. This exact feature doesn’t exist on my Pixel, and I haven’t come across it when testing out any other Android phones. You can, however, get something similar on Galaxy devices as part of Samsung’s Modes and Routines feature.
With Samsung, you can set up a routine where connecting to a specific Bluetooth device automatically opens an app of your choice. That’s great for basic automation, but it’s not quite as useful as what Niagara Launcher offers — at least not for me.
Niagara doesn’t automatically launch a single app but shows me a list of relevant ones instead.
The key difference is that Niagara doesn’t automatically launch a single app; it shows me a list of relevant apps, and I select the one I want to use. This selection-based system is superior because I don’t always use the same app in the same context. Sometimes I want a meditation app, and other times I want a music streaming app. Having the choice of which one to open is a must, and in my opinion, it’s a better option for most people.
Pixels also have a basic Rules feature, but it’s highly limited at the moment, specifically lacking the option to create a routine based on Bluetooth connectivity. I assume this functionality will be available sooner or later, though.
The future of contextual app access
Joe Maring / Android Authority
I suspect that most manufacturers, including Google, will likely follow Samsung’s version of setting up routines based on an “if-then” protocol. This means you can set things up like, “When I connect my headphones, open Spotify.” I doubt we’ll see an implementation where a pop-up screen will appear with a multi-app selection, but I truly hope I’m wrong.
Samsung’s implementation falls short for me, but it may work for others. For instance, if you use only one specific app with a specific Bluetooth device, Samsung’s solution is good enough. You can set it to open a meditation app when connected to your headphones and open Spotify when connected to your car’s stereo. But if you’re like me — someone who uses multiple apps with a single Bluetooth device (my headphones, in this case) — then the limitations of the single-app routine become frustrating.
Would you like to see this Niagara Launcher feature on all Android phones?
24 votes
Yes
46%
No
4%
I don’t really care
50%
Would you like to see this multi-app selection feature from Niagara Launcher made standard on all Android phones, or is Samsung’s single-app routine sufficient for your needs? Let me know in the poll above and share your thoughts with me in the comments.
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