These features will make me fall in love with Pixel Launcher

I love the versatility and ingenuity of third parties Android -launches. I often ditch standard home screen on new phones as soon as possible, but when it comes to Pixel Launcher who commands Pixel 8, I am quite fond of Google’s standard home app. It is fast, smooth and easy to set up, although it is often very restrictive. I have learned to Work within the scope of Google’s launch restrictionsBut I admit that it can be done even better with just a few nips and tucks.

Pixel Launcher’s functional set is missing compared to the high level set by third party and other OEM launches. More importantly, many of these holes are simple improvements to quality of life that Google can quickly implement on a finger. To give the company a shock in the right direction, I have detailed some core supplements that will make Pixel Launcher my absolute favorite home experience.

The one in a moment widget got a lot of love from Google over the years, but it is still not nearby as powerful as it could be. It is designed as a kind of live information that ticks, and shows useful information when relevant, such as boarding information at flight time or weather insight in the morning. After I installed SmartSpacerI quickly realized that Google Iss didn’t get the most out of the most important cut on the home screen.

SmartSpacer allows a lot of third-party apps and other Google services to view information through this widget. It offers smarter weather forecasting details, package tracking, digital wellness information, football points, economic tickers and even a sweet greeting overlay that makes my phone feel more personal. However, SmartSpacer is not an immediate victory. It requires some setup via ADB and ShizukuTo put it out of reach for inexperienced users – the more reason why Google will concentrate on improving the standard by a moment.

Maybe I would be willing to let for a moment’s shortcomings go if Google would let me hide. Like Google’s other pixel edge furniture, it cannot be completely disabled. Instead, to disable the feature, still leaves me part of useless space that another widget can occupy. The same goes for the search box at the bottom of the screen. Since I can easily start a search by swiping up, I don’t necessarily require a dedicated search box.

It is clear that Google wants to pull me through its products and services, but to force me to recognize that the constant presence just makes me want a flexible third -party Launcher even more. So Google, please let’s hide your stupid Ui elements on Pixel Launcher.

I use dozens of apps to get me through the day, and it’s important that I can see as many of them within a single screen as possible. On third -party launchers, I can expand the applist for my taste to keep sweeping and touching to a minimum. However, Pixel Launcher has other ideas. Google is arbitrarily limiting me to just five options, three of which are virtually useless on today’s Big screen android phones. Even the most comprehensive option, a small 5 × 5 route network, is not almost enough for my taste.

Unnecessary to say that Pixel launch would benefit from more fixed and user-defined options perhaps extends as far as Nova launcher‘s free-select 12 × 12 grid. This flexibility will be tremendously welcome, especially for phones with larger screens that Pixel 9 Pro XL and 9 Pro Fold.

Most third-party launchers let me easily hide apps from the Master Apps list, preventing them from occupying valuable space. Some apps include separate Premium lock apps installed as multiple apps. Apps that are also included an unnecessary secondary icon. However, hiding these from viewing is not an option on Pixel Launcher. If there is an app I would rather keep from my applist, I must either smile and carry it or use a sledge solution as a private space.

I don’t think private space just equals to hide an app. The Android 15 The privacy feature is a separate virtual smartphone with its own Google account and credentials. I want a much simpler option to hide app icons from the list of masters apps.

As you go a step further, Pixel Launcher needs an option to rename apps. If you have ever installed multiple gallery or weather, you will understand this grip. Choosing one of five apps, all called “Weather” or “Gallery”, is a game of WHACK-A-MOLE I don’t want to play on every single lock. Receiving a new name is not a luxury; It is a necessity. I have also detailed How I use this feature on Kvaesitso To improve my personal app security on my device and it would be a useful addition to pixel devices.

Custom icon packages offer more than exciting blooms of style or color; They are important for throwing a smooth visual identity across all apps. Since Android does not have icon guidelines that dictate the aesthetic elements of an app, these small differences between them can often be distracting.

While Google is trying to fix this with the theme icons feature, the implementation remains buggy and unreliable. It often disregards ordinary app icons, leaving me a confused applist to standard and theme -Squircles. With third-party icon package support, Pixel Launcher would allow me to more consistently mask icons on my device.

Widget stacks are incredibly useful, especially for users like me who tend to plaster their home screens with all kinds of information boxes. Placing multiple widgets on top of each other not only reduces their total room requirements, but also allows me to hide important widgets that do not match the unit’s aesthetics. Hosting all important widgets in the same piece of screen also makes it easy to turn through all of them with a swipe.

More launches, including Samsung’s One Ui Home and Niagara Launcher, offer Widget stacking support With great effect. Pixel Launcher doesn’t.

I have enjoyed using Pixel Launcher since I received Pixel 8; However, it has the potential to be so much better. With these minor changes, Google could transform into a powerful Pixel users launch plate and interrupt my desire to use a third-party alternative once and for all.