# Smile App Launcher — user reviews > 216 indexed App Store user reviews of Smile App Launcher by Eggvelop ApS, rated 4.75/5 from 257 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smile-app-launcher/id6612008811/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smile-app-launcher/id6612008811.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 158 · 4★ 16 · 3★ 5 · 2★ 2 · 1★ 3 ## What do users think of Smile App Launcher? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Amazing free alternative - 👍 Best free app - 🚀 Drastically decreases screen time - 👍 Seamless functionality - 👍 Highly customizable - 🚀 Smooth and efficient - 👍 Simple and minimalist design - 🚀 Productivity booster - 👍 Helps reduce phone addiction **Cons** - 🐛 Occasional glitches with app launching - 🐛 Widget name not fully customizable - 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions **Commonly reported bugs** - Phone app shortcut not working - Some apps not available in the list - Widget disappearing after iOS update **Most requested features** - More widget pages/slots - Ability to hide widget name - Support for iPad - More font options - Spacer widgets for layout customization ## Newest reviews (16 of 216) ### 2/5 — Buggy *2026-08-15, version 1.5.0* Difficult to set up, buggy, but concept is good. Didn’t keep it ### 3/5 — Useful *2026-07-28, version 1.5.0* Helps declutter ### 4/5 — one bug *2026-06-05, version 1.5.0* Great app, just needs to fix the bug where menu items will automatically capitalize. I prefer all lowercase entries but they show up in the widget with the first letter capitalized. (edit: this got fixed) i would like to be able to drag and drop items from one widget to another also. ### 5/5 — Phone (shortcut not available) *2026-05-19, version 1.5.0* Everything about the app is great but can a shortcut be made for the phone app on iOS? Or an update coming soon? ### 5/5 — Makes a minimal phone setup possible! *2026-05-12, version 1.5.0* After looking at various options, settled on Smile to help try and take back control of smartphone use. It’s not perfect (setting up and customising shortcuts took some time to understand and on the latest iOS versions there’s some limitations with customising home screen appearance) BUT… all other apps designed to help with this seem to be paid so kudos to Smile for making it possible to do for free! ### 5/5 — 5 Stars as long as it’s free! *2026-05-05, version 1.5.0* Thank you for keeping the app free! ### 5/5 — No subscription AND no data collection? *2026-04-13, version 1.5.0* Kudos to the dev for putting together an app that doesn’t collect any data and neither asks for a subscription/purchase. The app gets you 90% of the way compared to other paid apps. But those apps are at least 10-50x the app size and have subscriptions. ### 5/5 — Works Like a Charm *2026-04-08, version 1.5.0* The Smile App has been helpful in customizing and simplifying my phone’s Home Screen and layout. You ought to give it a try! ### 5/5 — Love it! *2026-04-01, version 1.5.0* So useful! Thank-you for creating this app ### 5/5 — Great app *2026-03-29, version 1.5.0* Thank you for providing this app. Much better than the excessively priced alternatives 🙌🏼 ### 3/5 — Jus started *2026-03-20, version 1.5.0* Jus started ### 2/5 — Just what I needed but glitchy *2026-03-18, version 1.5.0* The app shuts down every time I exit and come back. It’s infuriating. The simple shortcuts are also glitchy and sometimes don’t work. And the instructions to set up the smooth ones are super confusing. ### 5/5 — So grateful for it *2026-03-15, version 1.5.0* Very grateful for this app! It has been a huge help in making my phone back into a tool. I highly recommend it. It takes a little while to set up, but they walk you through it very well and it is well worth the time. ### 2/5 — I want to like this app but it doesn’t work *2026-03-13, version 1.5.0* A good deal of care went into making this app and it’s clear. It’s awesome that this is available for free, and for apps that have an up to date (or easy to find) URL it works great. Unfortunately, I cannot get shortcuts made with automations to work at all. Whenever the Shortcuts app opens to create an automation, I follow all the steps properly. However, if I ever leave the Smile app, which is required to create the automation, Smile essentially reloads/crashes and I can’t complete the shortcut creation. This is one of the only apps on my phone that I cannot multitask with without it resetting. It likely doesn’t help (and probably ultimately comes down to) my iPhone being older at this point (13 mini). But you’d think this app should be somewhat lightweight compared to Safari with multiple tabs, or Reddit. I cannot switch between them without the apps reloading most of the time. This app does that every time, and reduces the utility of using this launcher significantly. ### 5/5 — Incredible App *2026-03-12, version 1.5.0* Completely free and incredibly considerate. Best minimalistic launcher hands down. Unfortunately, ios 26 ruins the effect but that’s on apple’s part. ### 5/5 — Yup this is it *2026-03-06, version 1.5.0* Free, helpful, perfect- thank you smile for helping me break my phone addiction and get my life back <3 ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — Maybe I’m just too old *2026-07-12, version 1.5.0* The people who are leaving reviews saying this app is easy to use must work in tech, use apps that are only in the “commonly used” list, or maybe, like the title of this review suggests, I’m just too old. How the heck do I find an apps path name (or whatever the heck it’s called)? Why does the app need to re-launch every time I’m out of it for more than 15 seconds while I do something, outside of the app, in order to use the app? Why do I have to dig around for instructions (making the re-launch feature even more frustrating) that seem to be out of date because the screen grabs don’t look a thing like what’s on my phone? The whole experience was so frustrating I never got a widget setup before deleting the app. Love the idea, love that it’s free, love that they don’t data mine, just wish it was easier to use with basic tech knowledge. ### 1/5 — App crashes to main screen mid-shortcut creation *2026-07-07, version 1.5.0* I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling this app five times now and the problem is the same. Every time I try to create a new shortcut, which takes you to the shortcuts app, the smile app crashes and reopens to the main menu. This has kept me from being able to add any of the shortcuts which would make this app work for my needs. Hopefully it’s just a bug, but I won’t be using this app until this gets fixed. ### 1/5 — All These Apps are Just Wallpapers for Your Lock Screen *2026-05-22, version 1.5.0* Nothing about this actually makes your phone into a dumb phone and if you want to add an e-reader shortcut to your list, GOOD LUCK. ### 1/5 — It’s free, but very frustrating *2026-03-05, version 1.5.0* Every time I swipe out of the app to open Shortcuts (a requirement to get some apps to work, and something the Smile app does for you) and go back into Smile to finish setting things up, it loads a black screen then starts at the beginning. After following instructions, the shortcuts rarely work and instead jump to the Smile app, then Shortcuts, then to the selected app. Very inconvenient and frustrating. ### 1/5 — Update broke the app. *2026-01-24, version 1.4.3* How dare you break the app and then force me to write a review. Kys ### 1/5 — can’t use preexisting shortcuts *2026-01-03, version 1.3.2* title ### 1/5 — Can’t launch the phone *2025-09-13, version 1.3* This app doesn’t really do anything. You create a widget with certain apps you want. The phone launcher doesn’t work and some apps don’t have the option to be included (Amazon Music is one of many). It’s actually one more piece of clutter rather than simplifying things. ### 1/5 — doesn't work in 2025 *2025-09-11, version 1.3* This app isnt useable anymore. ### 1/5 — What does it do? *2025-05-03, version 1.3* Wrongly categorised, no explanation of what it does. Deleted after 5 mins ### 1/5 — Doesn’t seem to work :/ *2024-11-16, version 1.3* In New Shortcut, shortcuts, smooth mode after tapping add shortcut and adding an open app shortcut with the name being the same as in “shortcut name” field in smile app, the shortcut doesn’t get added. I hope this gets fixed soon because I’d love to try it. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Best at what it does… for free *2026-08-23, version 1.5.0* Enough said ### 5/5 — Life changing *2026-08-22, version 1.5.0* This app could potentially save livelihood, mental health, and people. ### 5/5 — Just what I needed *2026-08-10, version 1.5.0* Took me a little while to get the hang of the shortcuts workings, probably a me problem. Does what it says on the tin. Very flexible. Smooth links to apps. And of course free and no ads, a very rare beast these days. While it does not block app usage, the clean menu has changed the way I use my phone, at least for now. Thank you Developers. ### 5/5 — Brill *2026-08-07, version 1.5.0* Got everything. Free ### 5/5 — Great way to dumb your phone for free! *2026-08-07, version 1.5.0* Smile helped me drastically reduce my screen time! I also highly recommend switching your phone's display to grayscale to complete the look. :) ### 5/5 — Good for being tech wise *2026-08-06, version 1.5.0* Allows for better tech management ### 5/5 — Simple(ly fantastic) Choice! *2026-07-10, version 1.5.0* I’ve been eyeing the utility and style of the light phone (and not the price) so I’ve known about launchers for a while. What usually deterred me was the limitations certain of their services, as hosting an app in the store is not cheep. Now this is no exception to that limitation but the execution is clean, customizable and lack the data collection that we’ve gone accustoms too in app stores for the kind price of using a service. I keep finding new things to love about it. For those who want to go through using what they need on their phone and no more <3 ### 5/5 — Great app. Totally free *2026-06-23, version 1.5.0* Thank you!! ### 5/5 — Great app *2026-06-07, version 1.5.0* Love that it's free I do really recommend turning on reduce motion in accessibility settings ### 5/5 — Just what I needed *2026-05-29, version 1.5.0* Literally the only one of like eight apps I tried that did what I wanted without paying, specifically open instagram DMs instead of the home page, along with the regular things that most do. It does use a slightly more complex system of adding apps but that comes with a degree of added control and is easy enough to do with just a minute of googling. --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-04.*