When comparing Signal vs Nova Launcher Prime, the Slant community recommends Signal for most people. In the question“What are the most useful Android phone apps?” Signal is ranked 3rd while Nova Launcher Prime is ranked 6th. The most important reason people chose Signal is:
Signal uses an advanced end to end encryption protocol that provides privacy for every message every time.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Provides security and privacy
Signal uses an advanced end to end encryption protocol that provides privacy for every message every time.
Pro Free and open source
Signal is free and open source software, enabling anyone to verify its security by auditing the code. It's the only private messenger that uses open source, peer-reviewed cryptographic protocols to keep your messages safe.
Pro Supports encrypted group chats
Pro Has a desktop app
Signal Desktop can be used on multiple devices and has most features of the Android version, although it still requires you to register with your phone.
Pro Supports sharing of various different media types
Signal supports: emoji, pictures, videos, audio, contacts, any location and GIF.
Pro Note to Self feature
Allows you to "send: messages to yourself and sync to desktop so you can use Signal as a kind of encrypted Pushbullet alternative
Pro You can easily view all media exchanged
You can easily view all media shared in the chat without scrolling back to when it was shared.
Pro Annonymous Sender (Encrypted)
The sender credentials can be encrypted with the rest of the message, leaving only the recipient address readable by the Signal server. Even if Signal wanted they couldn't see who is talking with who by this mean.
Pro Works everywhere in every country
Unlike most messenger apps, Signal works reliably in all countries by securely circumventing internet censorship.
Pro Recommended by Edward Snowden
Edward Snowden uses this messenger and recommends it to everyone who is concerned about his privacy.
Pro Has a more customizable stock Android experience
Nova Launcher provides an experience that's similar to stock Android, but adds multiple customization options. Customization ranges in ways that interactions and the user interface can be changed both aesthetically and functionally.
Pro Fast
Speed of Nova Launcher is one of the app's key points. Even with a lot of widgets Nova Launcher performs speedy.
Pro Drawer style options
Options include horizontal pages, vertical scrolling or list. The user is also able to adjust the background transparency. This way the users drawer can look unique while also offering more or less apps on the page depending on their preference.
Pro Custom grid size
From the Nova Settings menu, users can create a custom grid size for their desktop and app drawer, up to a maximum of 12 columns and rows. Discriminating users can also adjust the size of the margins on the top, bottom, left and right. This allows for users to set how many widgets and apps can fit on these screens.
Pro Custom icon packs
Not all custom launchers allow custom icon packs. Nova supports most custom icon packs that are in the Play Store.
Pro Infinite home screen scroll
Turning on infinite scrolling allows the user to move seamlessly among all of their home screens, rather than having to scroll backward when the last page is reached. This proves particularly useful if the user has a large number of homescreens. Infinite scrolling can also be enabled in the app drawer.
Pro Extra dock pages
There are extra bottom row dock pages accessible when swiping left or right on the dock. In Nova's settings there is support for a maximum of five dock pages and a minimum of one.
This way you can set up to 25 shortcuts in the dock that can be scrolled though, leaving plenty of room on the home screen for widgets and other apps.
Pro Tapping & swiping a shortcut can have different results
Nova has the ability to add an assortment of action shortcuts to the home-screen which can be performed when swiping on particular areas or icons (as opposed to when tapping).
Pro Folders in the app drawer
Nova Launcher has the ability to add folders into the app drawer making for easy sorting of many apps.
Pro Can automatically sort inside of folders alphabetically
The user can sort their folders in the drawer and home-screen alphabetically.
Pro Tablet support
The app drawer and widgets take full advantage of a tablets extra screen real estate.
Pro Outstanding widget support
With the custom grids, most widgets can be sized to specifications which give added control over Android home screens.
Pro Allows hiding the status bar
Within Nova's setting the user can set the notification bar to stay hidden, allowing for more screen real estate.
Pro Desktop lock
It has an option to lock the icons and widgets in place as well as locks out the ability to delete apps, preventing accidental rearranging or deletions.
Pro Folder contents synced between drawer and homescreen
- Create a folder in the drawer.
- Drag the folder from the drawer to a home screen.
- Add more items to the drawer folder.
- The item gets added automatically to the home screen folder (because it is the same folder).
In addition, the user can set a custom icon for the folder (or for each shortcut).
Pro Google widget customizations
Pro Sesame Shortcuts integration
Pro Gesture support
Use gestures (swipe up, double tap, etc.) to easily launch apps.
Pro Stable
Solid performance for getting work (and play) done, no crashes, no slow downs.
Pro Useful visual customization options
Allows you to customize scroll effects, scroll speeds, animation speed, app animations, gestures.
All of these options allow for very individualistic differences in how the launcher performs and looks, making for a great way to set ones phone apart from others.
Pro A free version available
A free version, Nova Launcher is available, but it lacks gestures, unread counts, custom drawer groups, ability to hide apps from the app drawer, icon swipes and additional scroll effects.
Pro Backup option available.
Users can save their configuration in a backup file and quickly restore it.
Pro Unread counts
Nova Launcher Prime offers unread counts for all supported apps, a feature not available on all launchers. Although it requires the free installation of TeslaUnread.
What TeslaUnread does is add unread count numbers to certain application icons in ones application drawer and home screen, giving a quick overview of how many unread notifications they have in that supported application.
Cons
Con Needs access to your phone number and contacts to work
Con Single device
Signal can only be registered to one mobile device at a time. But you can link Signal to Signal Desktop.
Con Servers hosted in the US
A security risk due to National Security letters, which require giving up data to the US state, and making it illegal to disclose that.
Con Unreliable notifications
Sometimes messages won't be received if the Signal app has been closed for a long time or hasn't been opened after booting the device.
Con Lacks automatic backup
There is no way to automatically back up settings or content. Reinstalling the launcher on the same device will lose all settings and content.
Con Overwhelming at first
Nova Launcher offers such a huge amount of customization that at first it is quite a bit overwhelming. There are settings everywhere and other launchers offer more of a step-by-step setup process. Nova Launcher could take you hours to set up how you like it. On the other hand the pure amount of settings allows you to set it up almost exactly how you like it.
Con Notification count not included
Notification count need tesla Unread app to be installed
Con unable to inherit icon size on dock - dekstop - drawer
you need to set icon size separately on dock - dekstop - drawer
Con Less icon packs
This launcher has less icon packs. The system icons it has, are not HD quality.
Con Memory utilisation is a bit high
With all of the features and options Nova Launcher offers there is an understandable loss of RAM, though it could always be optimized better.