Mur Launcher Unites Niagara & Nova Magic

Android launchers generally choose a side: minimalist flow or maximal control. Mur Launcher is one of those rare new options that actually manages to fit squarely into both categories, marrying Niagara’s ultra-sleek single-handed vertical rhythm with the beloved Nova depth of customization and power user features. The end product doesn’t feel like some Frankenstein’s monster of a device, and it falls right into the sweet spot so many fans have been asking for.

Why a hybrid Android launcher matters today

Niagara and Nova are at opposite ends of one spectrum. Nova, with more than 50 million installs on the Play Store, factors layout freedom and custom iconography into its reputation, as well as some of the best search shortcut options around. Niagara, which has millions of installs — but probably more benign, fluttering around Google Play and doing arts and crafts with decoratives than an aggressive user base waiting for me to mess up — popularized many things you take for granted in 2020: a vertically scrolling home screen, an alphabet scrubber that made large phones feel legitimately one-handed. A hybrid is powerful for the same reason that today’s phones are so chunky but power users still crave speed, structure, and the ability to aim precisely.

The Niagara DNA: Minimalism With No Restrictions

Mur takes the one small piece of Niagara that matters most daily: a vertical home screen that makes it easy and fast to move around with your thumb.

You can stack “collections” of apps and widgets from top to bottom, flick through however many result pages your search throws up, and, at the end, jump into an A–Z list in a particular app. But if you’d prefer to keep things separated, Mur lets you move entire collections to the side — the effect is a bit like having several vertically scrolling boards for images and inspiration, work stuff, personal stuff, or media — but without sapping that Niagara-like flow.

Key is, this isn’t a minimalist straitjacket. Collections can include folders, widgets, or oversized icons, and you may place as much into them as you like. It lends itself to order by default, but it never prevents you from outgrowing neatness on a single screen if your tastes evolve.

The Nova Edge: Deep Customization and Shortcuts

Where Mur leans, Nova is about freedom. You can resize icons up to widget scale, tune the spacing and mixed grids don’t feel like a hack. How about a compact cluster of utilities next to a big calendar tile? Do it. Do you like a clean line of monochrome icons and media control alerts? Also possible. This gridless quality is partially what Nova helped make popular all those years ago (and yes, another reason Mur doesn’t feel much like a Niagara knockoff).

Catering again to the power user crowd, there’s a universal search panel that acts similarly to the popular Sesame integration. Pull down into the dedicated search page and you’re not just locating apps: you can deep link into actions. Think jumping right into a specific chat, pulling up a recent document, or kicking off a task inside a productivity app without slogging through menus. You can also change the web search engine, a small but welcome nod to users who don’t use Google.

Smart search and app actions that speed up tasks

Universal search is what keeps the launcher experience feeling fast. In Mur, entering a colleague’s name brings up one-on-one chat options, and searching a show title brings up the appropriate video app. With deep links, you can collapse everyday friction, and they count when you’re juggling dozens of apps. Nova users who depended on Sesame’s app actions will feel right at home, and Niagara switchers get a serious productivity bump without having to litter their home screen.

Live icons and wallpaper-aware theming options

In addition to layout and search, Mur includes touches that feel modern. Active apps can become “live tiles,” showing controls (say, for audio playback) right on the icon. A long-press on a media app, for example, can surface an interactive overlay without taking users into the app entirely. It’s a subtle way of bringing glanceable controls to the foreground without dedicating any widget real estate.

Theming is equally thoughtful. Mur can match icons based on color to your wallpaper with various levels of intensity, from a light tint to a vibrant, closer-ish look. Android 12 and later has system-level palette theming introduced in Google’s Material You, and broader forced icon theme elements are under consideration for Android R previews; Mur brings that sort of aesthetic to much older phones, going all the way back to Android 7 as per its catalog page. It’s cohesive, it adapts well to third-party icon packs (such that they feel optional rather than required), and in general just feels good in the hand.

Pricing, value, and early quirks to consider

Most of Mur’s core features are free to try out. Power-ups — such as live events and an automatic app library that organizes your entire collection — are tucked away behind a modest monthly subscription (around a quarter or so), with the occasional flash sale providing lifetime access for about 25 good ol’ dollars. For context, Nova Prime was routinely bought by fans of the launcher over years, and Niagara’s backers would often unlock extras; Mur is styled in that accessible tradition.

Of course, like any young launcher, there are caveats. Early adopters say they’ve seen the occasional stutter or momentary unresponsiveness, and features are fast-changing. If having a try-before-you-buy period is important to you, give the free option a go and see if it fits into your daily schedule. The deep links on the search page are also dependent upon the support within each app, so your mileage will vary by service.

Who should switch to Mur Launcher and why

If you’re drawn in by Niagara’s efficiency but miss Nova’s “tweak everything” approach, Mur strikes a rare happy medium.

It’s snappy to navigate, intelligent about showing actions, and flexible enough to evolve with your habits. The blend is not just additive; it also makes your phone feel intentional again; you tap less and control more.

Niagara showed that you don’t need a huge launcher to be effective. Nova made it clear that power doesn’t have to look brutish. Mur weaves those philosophies into a whole that’s more a synthesis than a compromise, and that’s the quality that sets it apart in a market overloaded with lookalikes.