MinkLauncherAndroid · Download

A keyboard-first Android launcher

Stop Scrollingand StartTyping

MinkLauncherBuilt for phones with real keys
See what the keys do
An orange QWERTY Android phone

A launcher for phones with real keys. Press a key, find a person or app, do the thing, and get on with your day.

The Magic Box

Six keys.
Six useful shortcuts.

Inspired by the upcoming and popular Minimal OS, start with a symbol so Mink knows whether you want to message, call, add a task, write a note, make an event, or open an app.

Open the Magic Box

You do not have
to memorize this.

The command list is there when you open the Magic Box. Once you start typing, it gets out of the way.

Expanded MinkLauncher Magic Box showing all six keyboard commands
Message hotkey in MinkLauncher

@ Message on a physical QWERTY phone

Integrated messaging

Start the message in Mink.
Send it where you chat.

Type @, choose a contact, and write your message. Mink uses supported app links and Android handoffs to move it into the service you choose. Apps that accept the contact get it too. Otherwise, choose the recipient there.

  • Send SMS from the home screen with Google Messages as your default
  • Or hand the message to another supported messaging app
  • Supported apps use Android handoffs and deep links, with more OAuth based API integrations coming soon
App support depends on the installed version and the handoff methods each service makes available on Android. App names and logos belong to their respective owners.
Google Messages
WhatsApp
Telegram
Discord
LINE
KakaoTalk
Viber
Messenger
Slack
Teams
Signal
Snapchat

AI Hand-Off

Your question.
Your provider. Your call.

Type a regular query, tap AI, and choose where it goes. MinkLauncher does not run a local model, connect to a remote model, or send your text to an AI API. It only hands the query to the third-party app you selected through Android sharing or a clearly labeled copy-and-paste flow.

  • Choose your preferred provider during setup or change it in Settings
  • Your query stays in Mink until you deliberately tap AI
  • Review and submit the prompt inside the provider you chose
After hand-off, the selected provider handles your query under its own privacy terms. App availability and handoff support can vary by installed version. App names and logos belong to their respective owners.
ChatGPT
Claude
Perplexity
Microsoft Copilot
DeepSeek
Meta AI
Google Gemini
Lumo

Conversations

See active conversations
in one place.

Mink groups active message notifications by person. Read the recent messages, reply when the original app provides a reply action, or open the full conversation in that app.

  • 01 Grouped by person
  • 02 Replies use the original app
  • 03 Open the full thread any time
All conversations
MinkLauncher conversation list
One thread
MinkLauncher inline conversation thread

A few useful extras

There is more here
than an app grid.

01 / Mink’s Day

Choose the apps. Set the limit.

Pick the apps you want to spend less time in and set a collective daily limit from 0 to 23 hours. Pause them all day or only after the limit is reached. Paused apps disappear from app search and the app drawer. Shortcut tiles can stay visible with a red reminder.

Mink’s Day showing selected app time, a daily goal, and the apps used today
Mink’s Day settings for choosing a daily collective limit and when selected apps are paused
MinkLauncher Home showing red block reminders over paused shortcut apps
02 / Android widgets

Your calendar can stay.

Add up to four Android widgets on their own page. Calendar, music, weather, or whatever you actually use.

MinkLauncher widget page with Calendar month view
03 / Mink Assistant

Open the Magic Box over another app.

Set Mink as your Android assistant and use the same commands without going home first. Mink does not read the screen or use the microphone.

This changes your default digital assistant. You can switch back at any time.
Mink Assistant Magic Box opened over a monthly budget spreadsheet in Chrome

No account. No analytics.

Your launcher data
stays on your phone.

MinkLauncher stores your shortcuts, to-dos, folders, and settings locally. It hands text or an action to another app only after you choose where it should go.

Premium enhanced editionPlay Store · Coming soon
Sync To-Dos across devices, additional customization features, enhanced file search & filtering, and more.
Latest OpenSource buildDownload from GitHubChecking version…Verified open-source channelDownload from F-Droid
Checking version…May have bugs and be several versions behind

GitHub and F-Droid builds currently use different signing keys. Switching channels requires uninstalling the current app first and clears its local data.

How to install the GitHub APK
  1. Download the APK. Tap “Download from GitHub” and approve the browser download if asked.
  2. Open the download. Tap the finished download in your browser or open it from your Downloads folder.
  3. Allow this source. If Android blocks the install, tap Settings, then enable Allow from this source for the browser or file manager that opened the APK.
  4. Return and install. Go back to the APK, tap Install, and review any Android or Play Protect message before continuing.
  5. Choose your launcher. Press Home and select MinkLauncher OpenSource, or open Settings → Apps → Default apps → Home app.
  6. Unlock Conversations if Android disables Notification access. On Android 13 or newer, a browser-downloaded GitHub APK may be treated as a sideloaded app. Open Android Settings → Apps → MinkLauncher OpenSource, open the top-right menu on the main App info page, and tap Allow restricted settings. Confirm with your device lock if requested. Then return to MinkLauncher OpenSource → Settings → Permissions → Conversations and enable Notification access. If the Notification access switch is greyed out, back out of that screen before looking for the App info menu.

Why this extra step? Android restricts sensitive settings for some apps installed outside an app store. Conversations needs Notification access so it can show and reply through compatible message notifications. Only allow restricted settings when you trust the APK source. Read Google’s restricted-settings guidance.

For extra safety, you can return to Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps and turn off Allow from this source after MinkLauncher is installed. Menu names can vary by phone.