unlock less
No grid to wander into. Type what you need.
2h 14m
19:05
Thu, 9 Jul, 87%
gym 13 · read 4 · water 7
code
tasks
music
browser
ai
money
gym 5/7
read 4/7
water 6/7
01:24:08
deep work
₹1,885
·
8,432
home · swipe up to search
android launcher · one-time buy
Your whole phone.
One quiet bar.
A text home screen is the easy part. ftw runs apps, money, habits, tasks, focus, and your own AI from a single search bar, and keeps everything in files you own.
ftw is a minimalist Android launcher app available as a one-time purchase. It replaces the icon grid with a text home screen and a Raycast-style command bar: swipe up to search apps, contacts, calculator, currency, timezones, habits, daily tasks, money logging, quick logs, subscriptions, clipboard history, system commands, deep mode, and more. A built-in AI assistant runs on your own ChatGPT account, can read your spends, habits, and screen time, and asks before it writes anything. Optional Google Drive backup goes to your own Drive. Search ranking and personal data stay on-device. No ftw account required.
no ads
·
no accounts
·
one-time
·
Android 7.0+
the idea
Not another minimal launcher.
A command line for your life.
from
icon grid
→ text apps + one search bar
from
five separate apps
→ one field that figures it out
from
cloud account
→ JSON files you own and sync
Setup takes about forty seconds. We counted.
after a week
What changes
when home is quiet.
one place
Money, habits, tasks, focus: optional, inside the launcher.
your files
Backup is a folder. Sync however you like.
the bar
One field.
It figures out what you meant.
maps
Apps, ranked by an on-device neural engine that learns what you pick. Aliases too: teach it tg for Telegram.
mom
Contacts: tap to call. Type a number and get Call or WhatsApp.
(180-29)/2
Calculator, currency (100 usd inr), timezones (5pm tokyo), date math (today + 3 weeks).
coffee 220
Money logged. Also quick logs for weight, mood, water, reading, journal, workouts: plain files in your folder.
torch
System commands: lock, screenshot, DND, Wi-Fi, deep mode. Plus settings pages, clipboard history, subscriptions.
anything else
Falls through to web search. Conversational? It offers to start an AI chat instead.
ai
An assistant that lives here.
On your own ChatGPT account.
Meet Ponshi. Rename it, pick a voice, or write your own. Connect your ChatGPT account once; ftw never runs a model of its own.
It knows your launcher
Ask about your spends, habits, screen time, or deep work: it reads them locally. Describe your day and it turns it into tasks. Every write asks first.
Memory you can read
Say "remember this" and it lands in a plain memory.md in your folder.
Chats save as JSON files next to it. Delete either whenever you like.
Or bring another AI
Prefer Claude, Gemini, or Perplexity? Type ask ai to hand files you choose
to any AI app you already have. Both features are optional and off by default.
make it yours
Quiet doesn't mean
one look.
7 fonts
Inter to Fraunces to JetBrains Mono. Applied live, everywhere.
15 inks
Curated text colors. The background stays pure black or white.
49 currencies
Pick your display currency. Old spends keep their own.
Hidden apps
Hide the apps that pull at you. Opening one takes typing its name, a written reason, and a 5-second wait.
your data
One folder.
Yours.
Settings, spends, and habits live as plain files on your phone. No cloud account. Sync or backup however you want.
ftw-root
-
your-root
-
config.json
-
finance
-
budget.json
-
2026-W28.json
-
-
logs
-
ai
-
habit.json
-
deep-work.json
-
memory.md
-
- Edit on a laptop. Sync with Dropbox, Drive, or Syncthing.
- Backup is copy-paste — not “export my data.”
- Or turn on daily backup to a hidden folder in your own Google Drive. Restore on a new phone in one tap.
- No server of ours ever sees these files.
privacy
Private by design.
Smart where it matters.
No ads. No tracking. No ftw account.
It learns you
An on-device neural engine ranks what you open — the more you use it, the faster it finds the right app. Nothing is sent to train a model in the cloud.
Stays on the phone
Search, spends, and habits run locally. The network only comes in when you ask — rates, web search, or sharing a file with AI.
Your AI, not ours
The built-in assistant runs on your own ChatGPT account; we don’t host a model.
Its memory is a markdown file in your folder, and it asks before it writes anything.
Prefer another AI? ask ai hands files to whatever app you already use.
Full policy on /privacy.
where ftw fits
Quiet home screens are free.
This is the part that isn't.
vs minimal launchers
Free text launchers stop at a quiet home. ftw starts there, then adds the bar: money from bank SMS, habits, tasks, deep focus, and an AI on your own ChatGPT account. If all you want is a text home, use a free one. If you want your phone to run your day, that's ftw.
vs app blockers
Blockers lock you out and dare you to disable them. ftw adds friction, not walls: hidden apps take typing the name, a written reason, and a 5-second wait. It's an intentional launcher, not a jail.
vs everything cloud
Your spends, habits, and AI memory are plain files in a folder on your phone. No ftw account, no server of ours. Leave anytime and take everything with you.
devices
Works where you
actually use a phone.
Android 7.0+
phones & tablets
landscape
e-ink friendly
18+ languages
one-time purchase
pricing
One payment.
Yours forever.
No subscription. No ads. No freemium wall after a week. Buy once — use the quiet home screen as long as you want.
faq
Straight answers.
What is ftw? +
A minimalist Android launcher: text home screen and a command bar. Swipe up, type, and open apps, contacts, math, money logs, tasks, deep mode, and more, ranked by an on-device neural engine. A built-in AI assistant is optional.
How much does it cost? +
One-time purchase: $10. No subscription, no ads, no paid tiers later.
Why pay when free minimal launchers exist? +
Free launchers give you a quiet home screen, and they're good at it. You're paying for what sits behind the bar: spend logging from bank SMS, habits, tasks, deep mode, Drive backup, and a built-in AI on your own ChatGPT account. If a text home is all you need, a free one is the right call.
Does ftw collect my data? +
No analytics and no ftw cloud account. Search ranking, habits, and spends run on the device. Files you care about live in a folder you pick. AI features only send what you type or approve, and only to your own accounts.
Do I have to use finance, habits, or AI? +
No. ftw is a launcher first. Life features are optional — turn them on when you want them, ignore them when you don’t.
How does the built-in AI work? +
You connect your own ChatGPT account once; ftw doesn’t host a model or charge for AI. The assistant can read your spends, habits, and screen time locally, and asks before it writes anything. Chats and memory are plain files in your folder.
Where do backups go? +
Your folder is the backup: copy or sync it however you like. Optionally, daily backup zips everything into a hidden app folder in your own Google Drive, and a new phone can restore from it during onboarding.
Where is config.json? +
In the root folder you pick at setup. Edit on another device, then refresh config in settings if needed.
Which banks work for expense tracking? +
Axis and HDFC via SMS (plus some debit alerts from notifications).
Other banks can still be logged by hand from the command bar —
type something like coffee 220.
Does deep mode block calls? +
No. Deep mode enables Do Not Disturb and blocks launching social apps. Calls are not intercepted.
Which Android versions does ftw support? +
Android 7.0 (API 24) and newer, including phones, tablets, landscape, e-ink, and 18+ languages.
Use your phone.
Not the other way round.
That's it. Enjoy the quiet. One-time — $10.