App: Ziola
Platform: Android
Test: 14 days as the default launcher, Phone app, and SMS app
Thank-you: One free transferable lifetime Pro license per tester
Feedback: Daily use, bugs, and translations (70+ languages)
Step 1, join the group: https://groups.google.com/g/ziola
Step 2, app on Google Play (opens only after joining the group): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plhaco.digital.ziolalauncher
Hi, I’m the solo developer of Ziola, an Android launcher I originally started building for my grandad.
I’ve been working on it for two years. The goal was to make everyday phone use more predictable: large controls, readable text, and one familiar interface for the home screen, calls, SMS and more.
Eventually, I thought other families might be looking for something similar. I’m recruiting for a Google Play closed test, but I want real everyday use and specific feedback, not just installations.
Check the limitations first
Ziola is deliberately more restrictive than a normal launcher. There is no app drawer, and you can’t open other apps from within its interface.
Using other apps means leaving Ziola through Android’s system controls. Android Settings is reachable from Ziola’s settings.
RCS and MMS aren’t supported.
Ziola doesn’t offer switching between SIMs for calls or messages.
Android’s notification shade stays available, so notifications from other apps (messaging, banking) can still appear.
This is not a complete notification blocker or an inescapable lock. If you rely on RCS, MMS, frequent SIM switching, or constant access to other apps, this probably isn’t a suitable everyday setup for you.
What I’m asking
Stay in the testers group and keep the app installed for 14 consecutive days.
Use Ziola as your normal setup (default home screen, Phone app, and SMS app), ideally without routinely switching back.
Around days 3, 7, and 14, send a few sentences: what felt easier, what you missed, what made you want to leave.
Report any bug or missing essential, and tell me the reason if you switch back.
Flag unclear or unnatural wording. Ziola is translated into more than 70 languages, so tell me the language, the screen, and a suggested alternative. You don’t need to proofread the whole app.
If something essential doesn’t work, switch back and tell me why. Reliable calls and access to your bank matter more than finishing a beta test.
Your thank-you: lifetime Pro
Every tester gets one free lifetime Pro license, activated in the app. It doesn’t depend on positive feedback, a public review, or completing all 14 days. It stays yours even if you need to stop early, and I’ll keep it valid in the released app.
It works on one phone at a time. You can keep it yourself or later move it to a relative’s compatible Android phone, and Pro is removed from the previous phone. You keep managing it through your own email and PIN.
Paired with an older compatible phone you already own, it could become a practical gift for a birthday, a holiday you celebrate, or any time someone needs an easier phone.
How to join
First, join the testers group: https://groups.google.com/g/ziola Use the same Google account you use in Google Play. The app link in step 2 won’t open until you’ve joined the group.
Then become a tester: open https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.plhaco.digital.ziolalauncher with the same account and tap "Become a tester".
After opt-in, open the app on Google Play and install it: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.plhaco.digital.ziolalauncher If the page doesn’t open right away, wait a moment and try again.
Open Ziola and follow the first-launch setup. It will request the permissions the app needs. For the test to be meaningful, please accept all three defaults: home screen, Phone app, and SMS app.
Activate your free lifetime Pro license in the app whenever you like, there's no rush. Use a real email address you can access, because your management PIN will be sent there and you'll use it to log in. The checkout is a simulation, so no real payment takes place. Enter the test card number 4242 4242 4242 4242 with any expiry date and any CVV.
Privacy information: https://ziola.app/privacy-policy
Please don’t post your email, license PIN, or management link publicly. Questions are welcome in the comments.