Pixel Launcher

Google LLC

About this app

Pixel Launcher is the home screen experience for the Pixel and Pixel XL phones by Google. Personalized information from Google is just a swipe away.

Key features:
• Swipe right from your home screen to see personalized Google cards that bring you news and personalized information, at just the right time.
• Quick access to Google Search on your primary home screen.
• Swipe up on the bottom Favorites row to find your apps from A-Z.
• App Suggestions bring the app you’re looking for to the top of your A-Z list.
• Long-press on apps that support shortcuts to jump right into where you need to go or long-press on the shortcuts to drag them to the home screen.

Ratings and reviews

"This is an app that's related to what you're typing." I get that you're supposed to use the app dock, but the launcher's built in search should allow dragging apps onto the home screen. Android 12 and its supporting pixel-flavored app suite has a lot of good things going for it, but the UX feels half-baked at times. Apple runs circles around Google on this front (and many others), and you are actively losing customers because of it.

I can't move the Google search widget, and folders do not have a simple way to add apps like in the one ui on Samsung, I cannot customize the app drawer, and I cannot customize my lock screen. Overall, the newest version of this launcher is very disappointing. It works well and it's simple to use but a lot of the things that make my life easier are missing. So take a lesson from Samsung on this one. Until then I'll find a different launcher.

The launcher is fine. I like the tap and hold features on apps and the news feed on the side. But what really kills it for me is the inability to make folders in the app drawer. I manually put all the icons grouped in folders on a side screen but sometimes when things update they get removed and I have to go find them again and put them back. But this is really not an elegant option to live with.

What's new

As of October 2016:
• The weather appears in the top right corner for your current location
• Visual refresh of wallpaper picker
• New circular folder presentation
• Shortcuts on long-press of supporting apps