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BLNAK

2 min read #features #design

Feature: Search-first launching in BLNAK

Type two letters. Launch. That is the entire interaction model. Here is why it beats icon grids, and how BLNAK's fuzzy search actually works.

BLNAK’s core interaction is one input and one output: you type, an app launches. There is no home-screen grid to scroll through, no folders to open, no app drawer to swipe up. The search bar is the launcher.

How the search ranks results

Type the letter i. BLNAK shows every app whose name contains that letter, ranked by:

  1. Exact prefix match — apps starting with “I” come first.
  2. Word-boundary match — “Google Images” ranks above “Instinct Pro”.
  3. Frequency — apps you launch often float higher.
  4. Recency — apps you launched recently get a small boost.

By the time you’ve typed three letters, the app you wanted is almost always at the top. Two letters for the twenty apps you use daily. Three for everything else.

Why it’s fuzzy

Typo tolerance matters more than you’d think on a phone keyboard. Typing msg matches Messages. Typing gpay matches Google Pay. Typing insta matches Instagram but also Instacart — and then the frequency ranker picks the one you actually use.

What it doesn’t do

  • It does not search your files, SMS, or emails. Those live in their respective apps.
  • It does not send queries anywhere. Everything happens on-device in memory.
  • It does not log queries. Even to your own device.
  • It does not show “suggested” or “trending” apps. The only things in the result list are apps you actually installed.

Contacts as first-class results

If you grant the optional contacts permission, typing a person’s name surfaces them alongside apps. Tap to call, message, or open their contact card. This is the only launcher feature that reads anything beyond the app list, and it is entirely optional — most users never turn it on.

The payoff

The search-first model forces a tiny but consequential moment of intent before every launch. You have to name the app, which means you have to want the app. Over weeks, this converts a large fraction of what used to be reflexive unlocks into deliberate actions. Install BLNAK and watch your unlock count drop without doing anything else.

Search is not just a feature in BLNAK. It is the entire interface.