A quieter home screen for your Android phone
Sparse is a minimalist launcher that replaces bright icons with plain text and adds a short pause before the apps that eat your day.
Free. No account. No subscription. Your wallpaper stays yours.
"I pick up my phone for one thing and lose twenty minutes."
- The icons pull you in. Bright badges and colors are built to be tapped, so you open apps you never meant to.
- Detox apps want a subscription first. You set everything up, then hit a paywall or a three day trial.
- Launchers break your phone. Rating pop-ups, a wallpaper you didn't choose, a layout that resets after an update.
Text, not icons
Your home shows a clock, the date and the four to ten apps you choose, as plain words. Everything else is one swipe away in an A to Z list with search. Rename or hide any app from a long press.
A pause before the habit
Flag any app and Sparse shows a five second breathing countdown and how many times you opened it today. Tap "Not now" and you're back home. Open it and it opens. No Accessibility permission needed.
Time you can see
A thin day line under the date fills as the day goes. Start a 15, 25, 45 or 60 minute focus session from home, and see your week when it ends. Turn on screen time to see today's total under the line.
See it in 30 seconds
The real screens: home, the pause, the app list, a focus session and the themes. Ink and Paper are free; Tide, Dusk, Serif and Mono open for 7 days after one short video you choose to watch.
Set up in under five minutes
- Install and set as home. Tap "Make Sparse your home screen" once.
- Pin what matters. Long-press any app to pin, rename or hide it.
- Flag the time sinks. Turn on "Pause before opening" for the apps that pull you in.
- Start a focus session. Tap Focus at the bottom of home when you need an hour.
Questions
- Is it really free?
- Yes. There is no subscription and nothing to buy. Sparse is supported by ads you choose to watch, plus an occasional full-screen ad when you leave Settings or finish a focus session. Never on your home screen or app list.
- Will it change my wallpaper or settings?
- No. Sparse never writes your wallpaper or lock screen. Switch back to your old launcher any time in Android settings.
- Does it read my screen or need Accessibility?
- No. The pause works inside the launcher itself. Screen time on home is optional and uses Android's Usage access, read on your phone only.
- What data leaves my phone?
- Your app list, names and focus history stay on your phone. Ads use Google AdMob, which may use your advertising ID. See the privacy policy.
- Will my layout survive updates?
- Every change is saved the moment you make it, so pins, names and hidden apps survive restarts and updates.
Make picking up your phone a choice again
Free, no account, and you can switch back to your old launcher in two taps.