FAQ

Use the built-in prompt. On first launch, choose Set as default when asked. Later, open Settings → Launcher → Default launcher (or tap Set as default on the home notice if it appears). Android opens the system Home app screen — pick CheatCode Launcher.

You can also change it anytime in system Settings → Apps → Default apps → Home app.

Swipe a sequence of directions on the gesture box — up, down, left, right, or tap. When the sequence matches an assignment, the launcher runs that action (open an app, toggle a setting, and more). Sequences time out between inputs, so you build them one gesture at a time.

Use Settings → Launcher → Backup & restore to move your full launcher setup between phones or keep a safety copy.

Back up settings exports a .ccbackup file containing:

• Cheat codes (apps, shortcuts, quick actions, collections, Tasker, media, launcher actions, and theme codes)
• Saved themes and your active look (including gesture box and home wallpaper images when set)
• After-shortcut links and auto-switch rules
• Launcher preferences (drawer, gesture input, hints, and more)
• Label notes (the five ${note1}–${note5} slots)

Live Tasker/MacroDroid label values are not in the backup — only the ${tasker:slot} tokens in your labels. After restore, those placeholders stay empty until Tasker or MacroDroid publishes again. Notes are included.

After export, you can save the file anywhere or share it through another app.

Restore settings replaces your current setup with the backup. You will see a summary (code counts, theme count, and similar) before confirming.

After restore

• Codes for apps or shortcuts that are not installed yet are kept — they work once those apps are available.
• If the backup used media controls, notification-based gesture labels, or album-art backgrounds, you may need to grant notification access again (Settings → Cheat codes).
• If the backup enabled contact search in the drawer, grant contacts access again (Settings → App drawer).
• Backups from an older app version restore normally. A backup from a newer app version may require updating CheatCode Launcher first.

Restore does not transfer Android system settings such as your default launcher choice — set CheatCode Launcher as home again if needed (how to set default launcher).

None are required for core launcher use: home screen, app drawer, cheat codes, themes, and collections all work without granting extra permissions.

Optional permissions unlock specific features:

Permission	Used for	Where to grant
Notification access	Media controls (play/pause, skip), now-playing and notification placeholders on gesture box and home screen labels, album-art gesture background	Prompted in Settings → Cheat codes, Look & feel → Gesture box, or Look & feel → Home
Contacts	Search contacts by name or phone in the app drawer	Settings → App drawer when “Include contacts” is on
Calendar	Next-event and alarm placeholders on gesture box and home screen labels	Prompted in Settings → Look & feel → Gesture box → Gesture box labels or Look & feel → Home → Home screen labels
Usage access	Screen-time placeholders; better After-shortcut detection when you return from apps not launched by this launcher	Settings → After shortcuts, Look & feel → Gesture box → Gesture box labels, or Look & feel → Home → Home screen labels
Accessibility	Optional lock-phone and open-notification-shade shortcuts from empty home space or matching cheat codes	In-app disclosure and Agree, then Android Accessibility settings — see Why does CheatCode ask for Accessibility?

Not needed

CheatCode Launcher does not need camera permission for the flashlight launcher action — it uses the torch API only.

Denying optional permissions does not break the launcher. You lose only the features that depend on them. After restoring a backup, you may need to grant notification or contacts access again if your backup used those features.

Only for optional shortcuts that lock the phone or open the notification shade — from empty home space or a matching cheat code. Android requires AccessibilityService access for those system actions.

Before Android’s Accessibility settings open, CheatCode shows an in-app disclosure. You must tap I agree & continue to proceed; Not now leaves those shortcuts off.

CheatCode does not read your screen content, click for you, collect this data, store it off your device, or share it with third parties. You can turn the service off anytime in Android Accessibility settings; the rest of the launcher keeps working.

For screen-reader support (TalkBack), see TalkBack is enabled — can I still use cheat codes?. Related permissions are listed under Which permissions does CheatCode Launcher need?.

Open the app drawer, long-press an app row, and choose Assign code. Enter your sequence in the gesture box, then confirm. You can assign multiple codes to different targets — apps, shortcuts, and quick actions.

Yes. The drawer works like a conventional launcher — search, scroll, and tap to launch. Codes are optional speed paths for things you open often. Settings also offers a visible control to open the drawer if you prefer not to use gestures.

The Open URL quick action sends a standard Android “open link” intent. CheatCode Launcher does not maintain a fixed list of allowed sites — if Android can route the link to an app, it should work.

Web pages — example.com, https://docs.example.com/guide, and other http:// or https:// links. If you omit the scheme, https:// is added automatically.

App deep links — links that open directly in an installed app instead of a browser. Common examples:

• Spotify — spotify:track:…, spotify:album:…, spotify:playlist:… (copy a share link from Spotify and use the spotify: form, or paste an open.spotify.com URL if your device resolves it)
• YouTube — https://youtu.be/… or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=…
• Maps & navigation — geo:… or Google Maps URLs
• Other apps — any custom scheme the app registers (mailto:, tel:, ftp://, and similar)

What to expect

• The target app must be installed and must claim that link type on your device.
• Some https:// links open in a browser; others open in an app if the app handles that domain (for example, a Spotify share URL may jump into Spotify when it is installed).
• If nothing on the phone handles the link, Android shows a “no app found” style error — that is outside the launcher’s control.

Add the quick action from Settings → Cheat codes → Add quick action → Open URL, paste or type the link, assign a cheat code, and draw the sequence.

Quick actions are cheat-code targets that are not tied to one installed app. Add them from Settings → Cheat codes → Add quick action, enter the details, then assign a gesture sequence.

Built-in quick actions:

• Send SMS — open the compose screen for a phone number
• Dial — open the dialer for a number
• Compose email — open your email app (address optional)
• Open URL — open a web page or app deep link (what kinds of links work?)
• Copy text — copy a saved string to the clipboard (invite links, site URLs, and other snippets you paste often)

When you create one, you can add an optional display name. If you set it, that exact name is what you see in settings, the drawer, and search — not a generated label like “Text +1…”.

Related coded actions in the same settings screen, but separate from quick actions:

• Launcher actions — built-in shortcuts such as opening the app drawer, toggling the flashlight, or editing notes
• Media controls — play/pause, next, and previous track (requires notification access for whatever is currently playing)
• Tasker tasks — run a Tasker task by name when Tasker is installed

Quick actions count toward your cheat-code limit. The app shows your current entitlements in Settings.

A collection groups related apps and actions under one cheat code. Draw the sequence, then pick what to launch from a short on-screen list.

Good uses: a “Work” bundle (mail, calendar, docs), a “Media” bundle (music apps and playback shortcuts), or any set you open often but do not want as separate codes.

What you can add to a collection

• Apps
• App shortcuts
• Quick actions (SMS, dial, email, URL, copy text, timer — see What are quick actions?)
• Tasker tasks

Create and edit collections in Settings → Cheat codes → Collections. Each collection gets its own code assignment. You can adjust how long the picker stays visible under the collection display duration setting on the same screen.

Optionally, turn on Show collections at top under Settings → App drawer to list collections above the A–Z app list. Tap a collection to open the picker; hold to assign or edit its cheat code.

Free vs Lifetime

The free tier includes 2 collections. Lifetime unlocks unlimited collections (along with higher cheat-code and after-shortcut limits — see What’s included in the free version?).

Collections are included in backup and restore.

The gesture box gives quick haptic and visual feedback when a sequence fails. Your inputs fade on a timeout, so you can start fresh. Double-check assignments in the drawer — coded apps show their sequences on the right side of each row.

After shortcuts are quick-launch chips that appear on the home screen after you leave a linked app. They answer: “I just closed this — what do I usually open next?”

Example: link Camera to Photos and Messages. Close Camera, return home, and those shortcuts appear for a few seconds so you can jump straight there without drawing a cheat code.

Set up

1. Open Settings → After shortcuts and turn the feature on.
2. Long-press an app in the drawer and choose the after-shortcuts option for the fastest path, or tap Add linked app in settings.
3. For each linked app, add up to three destination slots — other apps, coded actions, quick actions, collections, or Tasker tasks.

You can adjust how long shortcuts stay visible and whether they appear above or below the gesture box on the same settings screen.

Limits

The free tier includes 3 linked apps. Lifetime unlocks unlimited links (free version details).

Usage access (optional)

After shortcuts work without it for apps you launched from CheatCode Launcher. Usage access helps the launcher detect when you return from apps opened elsewhere (for example, from a notification). Grant it from Settings → After shortcuts if shortcuts sometimes miss the app you just left.

Troubleshooting

After shortcuts follow the app Android reports you left — not always the name in Recents. See Camera and similar handoff issues if shortcuts do not appear when you expect them.

After shortcuts are included in backup and restore.

Yes. You can run a Tasker task from a cheat code. Tasker or MacroDroid can also push text onto gesture-box and home-screen labels, or apply a saved theme.

Requirements

1. Tasker installed on the device
2. Allow external access enabled in Tasker (CheatCode shows a banner in Settings → Cheat codes → Tasker with a link to Tasker’s settings if access is blocked)
3. At least one task defined in Tasker

Add a coded task

Open Settings → Cheat codes → Add Tasker task, pick the task, then assign a gesture sequence. Tasker tasks also appear in collections and After shortcuts.

Drawer search

Turn on Include quick actions in Settings → App drawer to find coded Tasker tasks (and other quick actions) while searching, with their cheat codes shown.

Show a Tasker or MacroDroid value on the home screen

CheatCode cannot read Tasker’s (or MacroDroid’s) variable list. Those apps can push a string into a named slot:

1. In a gesture-box or home-screen label, insert Tasker value and finish the token, e.g. ${tasker:location}.
2. In Tasker, add Plugin → CheatCode: Set value. Slot location, Value %LOC (or any template).
3. In MacroDroid, add Action → Tasker/Locale Plugin → CheatCode Launcher. Same slot; use magic text such as {v=location} in Value.

When that action runs, the label updates immediately. Last value survives reboot. Restoring a backup or theme restores the ${tasker:…} token but not the live value — it stays empty until the host fires again.

A profile that fires every second can keep waking the launcher while you are in another app. Let the host schedule updates only when the value actually changes.

Apply a saved theme from Tasker or MacroDroid

CheatCode cannot read the host’s variable list. Those apps can push an apply of a theme you already saved:

1. Save the look under Settings → Look & feel.
2. In Tasker, add Plugin → CheatCode: Apply theme and pick that theme.
3. In MacroDroid, add Action → Tasker/Locale Plugin → CheatCode: Apply theme.

When that action runs, the look applies immediately and auto-switch pauses until you resume it. If the theme was deleted, the action fails in the host — there is no banner on the home screen. High-frequency fires can wake the launcher; apply only when the look should change.

If something breaks

• Renaming or deleting a task in Tasker can make an assignment stale — re-pick the task or assign a new code.
• Tasker tasks count toward your cheat-code limit (free vs Lifetime).

Tasker assignments are included in backup and restore.

The app drawer is a full launcher list — search, scroll, and tap as usual. Several settings extend search beyond app names.

Open Settings → App drawer → Search:

Prioritize frequently used (on by default) — apps and actions you launch often rank higher among similar text matches, so habitual picks rise without hiding better text matches.

Include quick actions — shows coded quick actions and Tasker tasks in results, with their cheat codes on the row.

Include app shortcuts — shows shortcuts published by installed apps (long-press a shortcut row to assign or edit its code).

Include contacts — matches contact names and phone numbers while you type (requires contacts permission).

Include web search — when you type, shows a search action at the bottom of results. Choose the engine under Search engine (Google by default, or DuckDuckGo, Bing, Brave, Yahoo). Custom lets you paste a URL template and put %s where the search terms go — for example https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=%s. If nothing local matches, press search on the keyboard to search.

Press search to launch

While typing, the top match is highlighted and the search field shows Press search to launch {name}. Press the keyboard’s search/enter key to launch that result without tapping the row — handy one-handed.

Coded-only browse

With an empty search field, turn on the Coded only chip to browse only items that have cheat codes assigned, grouped by Apps, Shortcuts, and Quick actions when multiple types appear.

For using the drawer without memorizing codes at all, see Can I use the drawer without memorizing codes?.

Gesture previews (related)

Under Settings → Gesture input, Show match while entering names the target when your in-progress sequence already matches a code. Show branch previews (requires match preview) lists up to four codes that share the same starting gestures — useful when codes overlap. Hide icons in overlays (off by default) shows labels only on match preview, after-shortcuts, and collection picks; the app drawer and settings keep icons.

Go to Settings → Look & feel for built-in looks, saved themes, and auto-switch, then drill into App, Gesture box, or Home to adjust fonts, gesture box colors and position, or wallpaper. From the home screen, long-press empty space and choose Look & feel in Quick settings to jump there.

Built-in looks are bundled starting recipes. Applying one changes your current look and does not use a saved-theme slot. If a saved theme is already active, it shows as Modified until you Update it or Save as new. Auto-switch pauses, same as any other manual look change.

Saved themes are named presets you can recall later. Manual tweaks change your current look without updating a saved theme until you tap Update.

From a saved theme’s menu you can Assign code so a gesture applies that theme instantly. Open Settings → Cheat codes to edit theme codes you’ve already assigned, or assign launcher actions that jump straight to Saved themes or Auto-switch themes. Previous theme and Next theme cycle through saved themes in list order (wraps at the ends; needs at least two themes) and pause auto-switch, same as applying a theme.

Auto-switch themes (Lifetime) applies a saved theme when conditions match — for example while charging, on certain weekdays or times, when an app has a notification, on narrow vs wide screens (useful on foldables: a minimal cover theme and a spacious unfolded theme), or in low light / bright surroundings via the ambient light sensor. Rules run top to bottom; the first match wins. If you change the look manually, auto-switch pauses until you resume it. Find it under Settings → Look & feel → Auto-switch themes. It works best with multiple saved themes.

Apply a theme from Tasker or MacroDroid

CheatCode does not read those apps’ variable lists. They can push an apply:

1. Save the look under Settings → Look & feel.
2. In Tasker, add Plugin → CheatCode: Apply theme and pick that theme.
3. In MacroDroid, add Action → Tasker/Locale Plugin → CheatCode: Apply theme and pick the same theme.

When the action runs, that look applies and auto-switch pauses (same as a theme cheat code). Resume auto-switch in Look & feel when you want rules to run again. A profile that fires every second can keep waking the launcher; let the host apply only when the look should actually change.

Yes. In Settings → Look & feel → Gesture box, import a PNG, JPG, WebP, or GIF (size and format limits apply). Animation pauses when the gesture box is hidden or the launcher is in the background to save battery.

This only affects the gesture box fill — not the full home screen. For a full-home layer that themes can switch, see What is Home wallpaper?.

Home wallpaper (Settings → Look & feel → Home) is a launcher-drawn layer behind the gesture box. You can leave System wallpaper (your Android wallpaper shows through), pick a Solid color, or use a still Image. On an image wallpaper, optional Wallpaper filter (Off / Peg lights / Arcade / ASCII) is a mutually exclusive treatment of the photo — Peg lights, Arcade dither, or ASCII. Themes can include it and crossfade when a theme applies or auto-switches — without changing Android’s system wallpaper.

That is separate from Gesture box background, which only fills the gesture box chrome itself (see Can I use a custom background image in the gesture box?).

Why not only use the system wallpaper? Mutating Android’s wallpaper is slow and cannot crossfade with your saved Look & feel themes. A launcher layer keeps home Look updates instant and theme-aware.

Gesture box labels add live text inside or around the gesture box on the home screen — time, calendar info, now playing, notifications, and more. They are separate from cheat-code glyphs; codes still work normally underneath.

Configure them in Settings → Look & feel → Gesture box → Gesture box labels. Add one or more label lines and insert placeholders that resolve at runtime:

Time & date — current time, date, time in another timezone, a countdown to a date you pick, days since a date you pick, or time of day (Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Night)

Calendar & alarms — next calendar event (title, time, relative “in 2 hours”), or the 2nd–5th upcoming event; next alarm. Use Calendars on the labels settings screen to choose which device calendars count (handy for ignoring a daily weather calendar).

Device — battery level (number only — add % in the label if you want it), today’s screen time, free storage

Notes — five short slots (${note1} … ${note5}). Empty notes stay hidden on the home screen; they still show a fallback while you move labels so you can grab them. Edit them from Edit notes on this labels screen, or assign Edit notes under Settings → Cheat codes → Launcher actions. Notes are included in backups, not in saved themes.

Status — Airplane, Do Not Disturb, headphones, charging, or battery low. These show only while that state is on. Insert a chip to get a default word (${airplane:Airplane}), then change the text after the colon to customize what appears.

Now playing — song title, artist, album, or player app from active media

Tasker — live text a Tasker or MacroDroid profile publishes into a named slot (${tasker:weather}). Values are pushed when that profile runs; CheatCode does not read the host’s variable list. Slot values stay on this device and are not included in themes or backups.

Notifications — title, text, or count from a specific app you choose (for example, unread count from a messaging app)

Permissions

Some placeholders need optional access — the settings screen prompts you when required:

• Notification access — now playing and per-app notification placeholders; also used by media controls and album-art gesture backgrounds
• Usage access — screen time
• Calendar — next-event and alarm placeholders (Android calendar permission)

If access is missing, that placeholder shows empty or a fallback — it does not block gestures or codes.

You can add up to 8 labels.

Labels are saved with your look and included in themes and backups.

For live text on the wallpaper itself (under widgets), see home screen labels.

Home screen labels add live text on the home wallpaper — time, calendar info, now playing, notifications, and more. They sit above the wallpaper and below widgets, so you can place them anywhere without competing for layout space. Cheat codes and the gesture box still work on top.

Configure them in Settings → Look & feel → Home → Home screen labels. They use the same placeholders as gesture box labels:

Time & date — current time, date, time in another timezone, a countdown to a date you pick, days since a date you pick, or time of day (Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Night)

Calendar & alarms — next calendar event (title, time, relative “in 2 hours”), or the 2nd–5th upcoming event; next alarm. Use Calendars on the labels settings screen to choose which device calendars count.

Device — battery level (number only — add % in the label if you want it), today’s screen time, free storage

Notes — the same ${note1} … ${note5} slots as gesture box labels. Empty notes stay hidden; they still show while you adjust labels on home. Edit them from Edit notes on this labels screen, or with the Edit notes launcher action.

Status — Airplane, Do Not Disturb, headphones, charging, or battery low. These show only while that state is on. Change the text after the colon to customize what appears (${airplane:On a plane}).

Now playing — song title, artist, album, or player app from active media

Tasker — the same ${tasker:slot} placeholders as gesture box labels

Notifications — title, text, or count from a specific app you choose

You can add up to 15 labels, with larger type than gesture box labels. Adjust on home opens the real home so you can drag labels into place and rotate them with the handle (same pattern as the gesture box and widget). Tap Done to save, or Back to cancel.

Home screen labels are independent of gesture box labels (including calendar sources). They stay visible while you enter a cheat code, and hide while All apps is open. They are saved with your look and included in themes and backups.

The free tier includes core launcher functionality, built-in looks (unlimited; they do not use saved-theme slots), and two saved theme slots. Premium (Lifetime) unlocks unlimited saved themes, auto-switch themes (apply saved themes when charging, on a schedule, and more), and theme share/import — plus higher limits on cheat codes, collections, and next-app links. Exact limits may change between releases — the app always shows your current entitlements in Settings.

Install CheatCode Launcher from the same Google Play account you used to purchase, then open Settings. Play Store restores eligible purchases automatically when you’re signed in. If something is missing, use Restore purchases in Settings or contact support with your order email.

Give Android a day to rebuild launcher caches. If issues persist, restart the device, confirm CheatCode Launcher is set as default home, and check that battery optimization isn’t aggressively restricting the app. Report persistent slowness to support with your device model and Android version.

Yes. Gesture input announces direction labels for screen readers. Core actions also have non-gesture paths: open the drawer from Settings, use visible settings controls, and assign codes through the standard assignment sheet. If something isn’t reachable, tell us — accessibility is a baseline requirement.

This is separate from the optional Android Accessibility service used only for lock and notification-shade shortcuts. See Why does CheatCode ask for Accessibility?.

After shortcuts follow the app Android reports you left — not the label in Recents. On many phones, tapping a photo in Camera opens Google Photos (or another gallery), even when the card still says Camera.

For how After shortcuts work and how to set them up, see What are After shortcuts?.

Leave Camera from the capture screen for Camera-linked shortcuts, or also link Photos/Gallery if you often open the viewer first. The same idea applies when other apps hand off to a second app mid-flow.

After shortcuts are other apps and actions—you can’t add the linked app itself as a slot (reopening what you just closed isn’t a next step).

App shortcuts are published by each app — CheatCode Launcher only lists what Android exposes. Some apps offer dynamic shortcuts that come and go: recent conversations, recent documents, and similar targets that aren’t meant to be permanent.

Google Messages is a common example. Shortcuts for recent chats may appear when those threads are active, then vanish later. A code assigned to one of those shortcuts stops working when the app removes it.

For a long-lived cheat code, prefer a stable target — open the app itself, or a fixed action the app always publishes. If a dynamic shortcut disappears, pick something permanent and re-assign the code.

Use our Support page for email and Discord. Include your Android version and device model when reporting issues.

Yes, when the site is a real Install app PWA. With CheatCode set as Home, Chrome’s Install app should appear in the site menu. After install, look in All apps under the site name, not under Chrome — then search, hide, or assign a cheat code as usual. Chrome may sit on Installing… for a minute while it talks to Google.

Add to Home screen / Create shortcut is different. CheatCode has no home icons, so those pins are not added. Use an Open URL quick action for those sites instead.

If Install app is missing after you update CheatCode, force-stop Chrome once (it remembers whether the Home app can pin) and try again.