Methods to use the Pixel launcher t...

Personalizing your telephone along with your favourite apps is among the defining options of smartphones and is on the market on mainly any of those you should purchase: Android, iOS, or in any other case. Past that, your capacity to customise your telephone can fluctuate. Each telephone maker will allow you to change your wallpaper, however not all of them will allow you to change the core fundamentals of how your telephone works. A singular side of Android units specifically is their capacity to run launchers — the software program that governs how your property display screen capabilities and the way you manage and cargo into apps — aside from those they ship with.

Altering your launcher is among the largest modifications you may regulate how your telephone feels to make use of. There are dozens of great third-party Android launchers, however you might need every little thing you want with the one your telephone shipped with. The Pixel launcher that comes on all of Google’s first-party telephones and tablets is not flashy, but it surely has sufficient built-in options that it will possibly provide help to really feel extra productive and fewer connected to your telephone with the suitable setup. Here is how I am leveraging the Pixel launcher on my Pixel 9 to be a bit extra productive at work, and steering on how you must method the Pixel telephone in your pocket.

Let the launcher do the give you the results you want

Make your telephone self-sufficient

My basic logic for private devices and smartphones specifically is that you must regulate your property display screen and lock display screen in order that they serve what you might want to do in your telephone and never the opposite method round. You need to begin there, as a result of even on a telephone with a whole bunch of apps on it, you continue to spend a whole lot of time wanting on the app grid or notifications in your lock display screen. If you will get away with solely hanging on the market and never diving into an app, you must.

The primary place you will need to head to start out establishing your Pixel is “Dwelling settings,” which you’ll be able to simply entry by long-pressing on your property display screen and tapping on “Dwelling settings” within the contextual menu that pops up. I prefer to allow a number of settings in there, like At a Look, Google’s widget that pulls and shows data from throughout its companies everytime you want it most, be it your Calendar, your Gmail, or simply the climate. It is not flashy, however you may’t declare it does not work.

I’d additionally regulate the next choices:

• Flip Swipe to entry Google app on to entry information proper from your property display screen.
• Flip Add app icons to dwelling display screen off so you may determine when and if you wish to add an app to your property display screen.
• Flip Notification dots on so you realize in the event you even must faucet on an app within the first place.

Upon getting these taken care of, there are a couple of different choices I prefer to tweak within the sub-menus of Dwelling settings. Relying in your telephone’s finest guess of what app you want sounds a little bit regarding, however each iOS and Android are fairly good at suggesting apps and after they’re incorrect, the friction of discovering what you really need could possibly be sufficient to get you off your telephone when you do not should be on it.

With that in thoughts, inside Recommendations, activate Recommendations in all apps listing and Recommendations on Dwelling display screen to start out seeing the apps your Pixel thinks you must open. As a rule of thumb, I go away one spot within the backside row of apps on my dwelling display screen open for these ideas. You may additionally need to head into Search settings and make it possible for Swipe as much as begin search and Net search are each on. That method, you may simply look issues up immediately from your property display screen.

So far as your lock display screen and the overall aesthetic of each your lock display screen and residential display screen go, a whole lot of it may be left as much as private desire. Within the Settings app, the primary sections you will need to concentrate on are the Show & contact and Wallpaper & model sub-menus. As you may anticipate, you may make your telephone suit your visible aesthetic below Wallpaper & model. Google has a pleasant number of wallpapers, however I’ve admittedly had extra enjoyable taking part in with its device for creating AI-generated ones (the extra summary and pattern-like the wallpaper could be, the higher). On this similar menu you must activate Present notifications on lock display screen and determine what you need your lock display screen shortcuts to be. I take advantage of the flashlight and Do Not Disturb mode, however there are different choices like Google Pockets or the Google Dwelling app, too.

Lastly, head to Show & contact after which faucet on Lock display screen to allow the Now Playing feature so you may determine songs with out having to ask Google Assistant or Gemini. You must also make sure that Dynamic Clock is on and All the time present time and information is disabled to avoid wasting additional battery life. Tweak any remaining settings primarily based in your desire and concern for privateness. On the whole, although, the extra you are able to do with out unlocking your telephone, the higher.

Most apps solely should be glanced at

With these fundamentals set, I like to consider workflow. I primarily use my Pixel 9 for work (each for calls and e mail, and as a Android system to check issues on) whereas my iPhone 16 acts as my private telephone. The apps I need to be instantly obtainable on a piece telephone are apps that contain work duties, like Gmail, Slack, or Chrome. The remainder of my telephone I attempt to go away as widgets — issues I am monitoring, however need not usually work together with.

I prefer to have an entire display screen dedicated to a large Google Calendar widget I can verify on a whim and one other web page with no matter job tracker my employer makes use of, on this case Asana, with some other glanceable data I feel could be helpful, just like the battery lifetime of my Pixel and Pixel Buds. It is price experimenting with what works finest for you, however my technique is to have your first display screen solely embody what you want, leaving the remainder of your app icons to be reached for within the app drawer, and solely when you actually need them. That method, you keep away from the temptation of randomly checking apps and solely maintain the necessities (and what your Pixel thinks you may use) close by.

The Pixel launcher provides you simply sufficient

You in all probability want fewer options than you assume

Google’s launcher is distinct from conventional Android, but it surely’s not precisely bursting with stylistic prospers or wild options. It is restrained. And in the event you’re sincere with your self, you in all probability will not use a lot of the options of a extra difficult Android launcher anyway.

As this information hopefully exhibits, you actually do not want quite a bit to arrange a telephone that works for you slightly than towards you. The launcher preinstalled in your telephone will in all probability do the trick with the suitable settings enabled. If you’re nonetheless involved in exploring different launchers, Pocket-lint has a list of some of the best. In the event you’d as an alternative like one thing much more centered on conserving your telephone use easy, you may additionally think about learning more about Niagra Launcher.