GrapheneOS is such a staple for me now. Been waiting for it to be released for the Pixel 8 since I got the phone at launch… it doesn’t have the annoying search bar or the unmovable widget telling you the weather… Regardless of the security and privacy it offers… And its just pretty.
I know Android plans on fixing this but it’s wild that FIOD2 functionality requires Google Play services.
Have you used KISS launcher? I run that on Android when I can’t get GrapheneOS on it.
I’ve never bothered with alternative launchers, I tired one once and it drained my battery so quick I removed it.
ah well it’s worth the effort of installing fdroid anyways.
https://f-droid.org/packages/fr.neamar.kiss/
Fdroid is a staple, so is Aurora store