KitKat Launcher+ brings custom Google Experience Launcher to other devices
A new Google Play Store app aims to improve the Android 4.4 Kit Kat “Google Experience Launcher” by packing in additional features and making it available free of charge to devices running Android 4.3 or later. However, the app doesn’t include Search features such as the quick access to Google Now or the “OK, Google” voice search.
In case you forgot, the Android 4.4 launcher offers a completely new experience, as all the features are packed around Google’s Search app. That’s why the feature is officially available only on the Nexus 5, as Google is not willing to bring it to other devices just yet, not even its older Nexus handset and tablets that are supported by the KitKat update.
That’s certainly understandable, as releasing such a launcher that’s baked around Google’s search features may enrage some of Google’s partners that make their money off Android smartphones and tablets that ship with a certain custom launcher on board. Using KitKat’s launcher instead of an OEM’s customized user interface is probably not something Google wants to offer users, at least not officially.
Unofficially, Google’s KitKat launcher is already available on other handsets that have received custom Android 4.4 builds.
As for the KitKat Launcher+, the app has been compiled straight from the AOSP launcher and will offer Android fans that own non-Nexus devices a close-to-stock KitKat visual experience even on devices running the latest version of Jelly Bean. Here are some of the features included in the KitKat Launcher+ so far:
Screen
- Hide the Google Search Bar
- Change grid size
- Enable a set amount of screens (do not automatically remove empty screens)
- Change grid size
- Automatically center home screen
- Configure home button behavior
- Backup and Restore
- Access to App Ops to manage app permissions
- Optimized file size
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