Android Police reports that there will be a new Nexus launcher in the 2016 Nexus phones, to be released in the second half of 2016. According to their sources, the new features in the Nexus Launcher will debut in devices like the Nexus Marlin and Nexus Sailfish.
The first change to the launcher is that it does away with the app drawer icon, which is typical of all Android devices. Instead of the app drawer icon, the launcher features an arrow just above the static icons found at the bottom of the home screen. If the launcher is released, users will access the app drawer by tapping on the arrow or sliding app on the space above, “frosted glass”. To close the drawer, swipe down on any part of the screen except the status bar, or simply hit the ‘Back” button.
Because there is no app drawer icon, you can now have five static icons at the bottom of the home screen. Also, the app drawer will now feature a large and refreshed search bar at the top. The app icons are bigger too.
The second significant change is the widgets positions. The calendar widget has moved to the top of the home screen, and it cannot be moved or removed. There is Google Search widget, represented by the letter “G” and has a pull-tab design, on the top left. Tapping on the “G” launches a search similar to the search bar on the Google Now launcher. Android Police sources believe that Google will introduce an Android Assistant in the G pull-tab. Please note that the “G” and calendar widgets are only on the primary home screen.
Android Police is very confident with their sources. But at the moment there are official reports to corroborate their sources. We can only wait and see if Google will implement these changes in the upcoming Nexus Devices.
Do these changes improve the Google Now launcher? Would prefer Google made the changes or otherwise? Please let us know in the comments section.