The Pixel Launcher in the latest Android 14 build includes a hidden setting that lets you choose your default system-wide search engine.
  • Empricorn@feddit.nlEnglish
    331·
    10 months ago

    Even if you like using Google, they overreach and offend. I was enraged to learn that I couldn’t move the search bar to the top of the screen of my new Pixel. Like, at all. I’m now using a custom launcher just for that… Isn’t Android supposed to be about choice!?

      • quirzle@kbin.social
        192·
        10 months ago

        The ability to use a custom launcher to work around a stupid decision doesn’t make the decision less stupid. Not being able to customize something to easily customizable by default is a stupid decision. I strongly feel that applies to the search bar placement and the default search engine.

  • kratoz29@lemm.eeEnglish
    12·
    10 months ago

    This is a good welcome and I’d take it, despite all the hate it gets, I like Pixel Launcher because it is smooth as fuck, but this is mainly because Android stopped supporting 3rd party launchers… The joke of support that we have nowadays is… Well that, a fucking joke lol.

    Anyway Pixel Launcher lacks a lot of stuff to be usable for many… But god, it is also one of the few that freaking has a feature to automatically show the keyboard when you pull up the app drawer, then you can quickly type down for apps… Why is that so hard to implement? Even iOS has a quick search function…

    Anyway, as I said, PL is good, but tools like Pixel Launcher Extended are excellent, sadly it is stuck at Android 13 at the moment.

    • lolcatnip@reddthat.comEnglish
      11·
      10 months ago

      Android stopped supporting 3rd party launchers…

      Um, what? I’m using one in my Pixel 8 Pro.

      • kratoz29@lemm.eeEnglish
        6·
        10 months ago

        With downgraded animations for sure…

        It is not that bad, but it is a bad implementation, I could use them too in my custom ROM (I can’t with MIUI or HyperOS) but I never want to use them, that if you use full screen gestures ofc, I think they work better with Android buttons.

      • soulfirethewolf@lemdro.idOPEnglish
        4·
        10 months ago

        Not really “stopped supporting”, but really made changes in a way that made non system launchers unable to integrate with QuickStep (The app switcher of android). The end result is uneven animations when moving from an app to the home screen, or from the home screen to the app switcher.

        You might not notice if you use button navigation or turn off animations. But I don’t really consider those solutions, not to mention that it can be even worse on pixel tablet with the transient taskbar. Where the taskbar is embedded in animations with the PL, and if you’re using another launcher, it seems to cause all sorts of problems when doing certain things like going from the home screen to the app switcher. I actually had to move from button navigation (which I prefer on larger screens compared to smaller ones. Coupled with androids lack of gestures like on iPad) back to the default because the taskbar would just constantly disappear.

      • Scrollone@feddit.itEnglish
        4·
        10 months ago

        How? I tried, but 3rd party launchers work worse because they load up after you close an app. Pixel Launcher has privileged permissions and can have smooth animations

        • FooBarrington@lemmy.worldEnglish
          5·
          10 months ago

          I use Lawnchair and don’t have this problem. I also didn’t do anything special, just set it up as the default launcher.

        • Martin@feddit.nuEnglish
          21·
          10 months ago

          It sounds like the launcher app is killed while in the background. Make sure that the app is allowed to run in the background and not have any battery optimization enabled.

        • 13617@lemmy.worldEnglish
          13·
          10 months ago

          They (kinda) work on Samsung now if you turn off the animations. Regardless, the custom launcher on Android is dead.

          • MaXimus421@lemmy.worldEnglish
            31·
            10 months ago

            Well I don’t prefer gesture navigation but to suggest custom launchers on Android are dead is some of the most absurd shit I’ve read in a while.

  • ULS@lemmy.mlEnglish
    153·
    10 months ago

    They can probably still track everything.

  • soulfirethewolf@lemdro.idOPEnglish
    6·
    10 months ago

    Honestly, I only really want to use the pixel launcher at this point because it feels like several things have broke because of me using a third party launcher. Especially on my pixel tablet with its custom taskbar.

  • ExLisper@linux.communityEnglish
    4·
    10 months ago

    I’m sure it differs from phone to phone but on the one stock android phone that I have somewhere it’s impossible to remove the search widget from the screen which is pretty insane. I can’t imagine using a stock android any more.

  • petrescatraian@libranet.de
    1·
    10 months ago

    @soulfirethewolf it would be great if the Pixel Launcher could be updated through the Play Store on other 3rd party stovk Android phones as well, such as Nokia. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will get this feature myself.

  • DeltaTangoLima@reddrefuge.comEnglish
    23·
    10 months ago

    The freedom to choose your own, but not the privacy. What’s the bet that shit will get logged and sent back as “telemetry” or “usage statistics”?