YoukiDex-Android-Desktop

Introduction: YoukiDEX is a full Android desktop experience built on top of Smart Dock — no launcher swap needed. Runs as a system overlay with full UI customization, persistent dock, notification panel, icon pack support, and massive stability improvements.
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YoukiDEX

A full desktop experience layer for Android — no launcher swap needed.

Latest release License Download APK Android


Once installed and permissions are granted:

  1. Open the YoukiDEX app and configure your basic settings
  2. Navigate to your device's notification/status bar
  3. Add the YoukiDEX shortcut tile to your quick settings panel
  4. Tap the shortcut — and you're in! 🎉

⚠️ Important

Some features require granting elevated permissions via ADB. Without them, certain functions like secure settings or recent apps will not work.

adb shell pm grant com.youki.dex android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS
adb shell appops set com.youki.dex GET_USAGE_STATS allow

📋 Changelog

🩹 v2.6 — Hotfix

Fixed:

  • SecurityException crash on Accessibility connect — The most reported crash: app crashed immediately after granting Accessibility permission on Android 12+. Root cause was a BroadcastReceiver registered without RECEIVER_EXPORTED / RECEIVER_NOT_EXPORTED flag.
  • 3 Kotlin type errors in DockServiceminOf operator precedence bug, unsafe calls on nullable SeekBar? / ImageView? / ImageButton? types, and Int vs Long mismatch in postDelayed.
  • NotificationService staying alive after app is closed — The notification listener service was not receiving a stop signal when the app shut down, leaving notifications active in the background.
  • Quick Settings tile failing silently without permissions — The tile attempted to enable Accessibility programmatically without checking for WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS. It now detects missing permissions and shows an explanatory dialog before redirecting to the correct settings screen. Same check added for Notification Listener access.

🔥 v2.5 — Material DEX

Major update — Material You improvements, Shizuku integration, window enhancements, and bug fixes

New Features:

  • Default Launcher Support — YoukiDEX can now be set as your default home screen launcher so the desktop loads automatically on every boot
  • Shizuku Integration — Replaces wireless ADB with a clean privileged shell bridge. Install Shizuku once via ADB, then everything is automatic
  • Home Screen Shortcut — Automatically prompts to add a YoukiDEX shortcut to the home screen on first launch
  • Centered / Floating Dock — New KDE-style centered dock mode with bottom margin, switchable from the classic edge-pinned Windows style
  • Fully Transparent Theme — New theme option for a completely invisible dock background
  • Bubble Color Customization — Choose between Material You dynamic colors or a fully custom color for dock button bubbles, with adjustable opacity
  • Hide Status Bar — Hide the top Android status bar for a cleaner desktop look
  • Built-in Shell Terminal — Run shell commands directly inside the app using ShellServer or Shizuku
  • Deep Shortcuts Support — Long-press any app in the dock to access app-specific shortcuts
  • Material You Improvements — Better dark surface handling, improved palette refresh on wallpaper/theme change, proper alpha support across all UI elements

Bug Fixes:

  • Fullscreen Fix — Apps set to fullscreen mode now correctly launch in fullscreen
  • CPU / RAM Monitor Fix — Resource monitor counter now resets correctly, fixing incorrect readings
  • Window PerformanceTYPE_WINDOWS_CHANGED accessibility events debounced (250ms), eliminating dozens of redundant calls per second
  • Notification Bubble — Bubble color re-applied correctly after background resource changes
  • Context Menu — Dock app context menu now centered on screen with proper window flags
  • Removed Arabic language support

🔥 v2.1hotfix

Critical bug fixes based on user reports

Fixed:

  • UnsupportedOperationException: startActivityAndCollapse — crash on Android 14+ when tapping the Quick Settings tile

    Root cause: startActivityAndCollapse(Intent) was deprecated and fully blocked in Android 14 (API 34). Fixed by switching to startActivityAndCollapse(PendingIntent) on API 34+.

  • Dock disappearing completely on launch

    Root cause: dex_mode_active SharedPreference defaulted to false, forcing the dock overlay to GONE on every service start.

  • Dock hiding every time an app is opened

    Root cause: LAUNCHER_PAUSED broadcast fired on every onPause(), triggering unpinDock() on every app switch.

  • Dock service shutting down when disabling via tile

    Root cause: disable_self handler was killing the entire Accessibility Service. Now only hides the dock UI without terminating the service.


v2.0

  • Renamed project from SmartDock to YoukiDEX
  • New package name: com.youki.dex
  • Added Resource Monitor (CPU & RAM display)
  • Added Quick Settings Panel with brightness and volume sliders
  • Toggle Minimize: tap a running app in the taskbar to hide/restore it

📸 Screenshots

 


📥 Download

Source Link
📦 GitHub Releases Download APK
🔧 Obtainium Add via Obtainium

📋 Table of Contents


✨ Features

  • Floating Dock — Persistent customizable dock as a system overlay, always on top of any app
  • No Launcher Swap Needed — Works on top of any existing launcher via Accessibility Service
  • Centered or Edge Dock — Switch between KDE-style centered floating dock and classic edge-pinned dock
  • Hot Corners — Trigger actions by moving to any corner of the screen
  • Freeform Window Support — Launch apps in resizable floating windows
  • App Drawer — Full-featured app list with search and sorting
  • Deep Shortcuts — Long-press icons for app-specific quick actions
  • Icon Pack Support — Compatible with third-party icon packs
  • Notification Panel — View and dismiss notifications from the dock
  • System Tray — Live battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and sound indicators
  • Custom Profile — Set your own username and profile picture in the app drawer
  • Keyboard Shortcuts — Hardware keyboard support for power users
  • Multi-Display Support — Works across multiple connected screens
  • Appearance Theming — Customize colors, transparency, and layout — including a fully transparent mode
  • Bubble Customization — Material You dynamic colors or a fully custom color with adjustable opacity
  • Shizuku Integration — Privileged shell access without keeping ADB connected
  • Built-in Shell Terminal — Run shell commands directly inside the app
  • Sound Events — Optional audio feedback for dock interactions
  • Resource Monitor — Live CPU and RAM usage in the taskbar

🔧 Requirements

Requirement Value
Minimum Android 8.0 (API 26)
Target Android 14 (API 34)
Language Kotlin 1.9.20
Build Tool Gradle

🔐 Permissions

Permission Purpose
SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW Draw the dock over other apps
ACCESSIBILITY_SERVICE Detect system UI events
PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS Show recent & running apps
WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS Apply system-level settings
QUERY_ALL_PACKAGES List installed apps in the drawer
NOTIFICATION_LISTENER Show notifications in the dock

⚠️ Known Issues

RedMagic & ZTE — Floating Windows not working

These manufacturers block Freeform/Floating Windows by default. To fix:

  1. Enable Developer Options (tap Build Number 7 times)
  2. In Developer Options enable:
    • Force activities to be resizable
    • Enable freeform windows
  3. Go to Settings → Display → Desktop Mode and enable it
  4. Reboot

This is a manufacturer restriction, not a bug in YoukiDEX.

Force Landscape not working on some apps

Apps that hardcode portrait orientation cannot be forced to landscape without root or system app privileges. This is an Android OS limitation.


❓ FAQ

Q: Does it work without setting it as my default launcher? Yes! YoukiDEX runs as a system overlay — your current launcher stays untouched.

Q: Why does the dock disappear after reboot? Make sure the Accessibility Service is enabled and set to auto-start in your device's battery/power settings.

Q: WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS isn't working? Grant it via ADB:

adb shell pm grant com.youki.dex android.permission.WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS

Q: What is Shizuku and do I need it? Shizuku gives YoukiDEX privileged shell access without keeping ADB connected wirelessly. You only need ADB once to start Shizuku, then it handles everything automatically. Optional but recommended.

Q: Why isn't the full source code available on GitHub? This project is developed entirely on a mobile phone with limited resources. Uploading and managing a full codebase from a phone isn't practical, so only what's possible is shared. The project is still open source at heart — contributions and feedback are always welcome.

Q: Google Play Protect blocks the APK? This happens because the APK is distributed outside the Play Store. Temporarily disable Play Protect to install, then re-enable it. The app is fully open source — you can review every line of code yourself.


🚫 Not Planned

These features will not be added to YoukiDEX:

Feature Reason
Blur / Background blur effects Android blocks real-time blur on overlay windows without system-level privileges
Google Play Store release The app requires sensitive permissions that Google does not allow on the Play Store
iOS / iPadOS support Completely different OS — not possible
Cloud sync for settings A local Backup/Restore system already exists and is sufficient
Multi-user support Extremely complex and severely limited by Android system-level permissions
Built-in Terminal (Planned, not yet implemented)
Task Manager (Planned, not yet implemented)
Widget support in the dock (Planned, not yet implemented)
Built-in File Manager (Planned, not yet implemented)
wallpaper engine (Planned, not yet implemented)

🙏 Credits

Smart Dock — The original project this is based on and heavily modified from.

The open-source Android community for tools, libraries, and inspiration that made this project possible.


⚖️ Disclaimer

This project is an independent open-source tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any company or organization.


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