Google Now Launcher available for all devices running Android 4.1+

By Michael H.

Aug 01, 2014, 10:25 PM

Google Now Launcher available for all devices running Android 4.1+

The Google Now Launcher began life on the Nexus 5 when it was released this past Halloween. It expanded to other Nexus and Google Play edition devices in February (although plenty of you probably sideloaded it). Today, the app has expanded once again, and can now be installed on any Android devices running Jelly Bean or higher. There are no feature updates to the app, but it is still one of the better alternative launchers for Android if you want the stock experience.

The Google Now Launcher is mostly a stock experience, but there are a few very nice extra features, which are (obviously) focused on Google Now. First of all, Google Now gets a permanent home to the left of your main homescreen, which is surprisingly convenient, even if you usually use the quick access gesture of dragging up from the home button. The other nice feature is being able to use the "OK Google" hotword from any of your homescreens to automatically trigger voice commands.

As for the smaller features, you can import your homescreen layout from any other launcher, and the status and navigation bars are translucent to really let your wallpaper pop. The app description also gives some features like "easy access to your favorite Google products" and having access to a dedicated search box, but those are pretty silly given that any launcher could offer the same.