With the launch of an entirely new Pixel smartphone lineup, Google also unveiled the redesigned Pixel launcher app and wallpapers picker. Both these applications are already available unofficially for anyone to download, however, Google has now brought them to the play store but there’s a catch. The Pixel launcher is currently not available for non-Pixel handsets meaning you won’t be able to download even on a Nexus, you can, though, install the wallpapers app.
By bringing the Pixel launcher to the marketplace, Google is surely aiming for more frequent updates. Although, it is quite bewildering how the company has even left out their own Nexus brand. Nevertheless, we expect it to be available for anyone in the near future like the Google Now launcher. If you can’t wait, you can go ahead and download the APK file which will, in fact, work on your phone. The new Pixel launcher comes stuffed with a rather minimal interface, replaces the old dock button with a swipe-up gesture for revealing the app drawer, comes with a cleaner Google button up top, an overhauled calendar widget, and a dynamic calendar icon. One other thing worth noticing here is that the Google Now page is absent from the left side.
The Google Wallpapers app features a splendid collection of wallpapers divided into sub-categories such as Earth, Landscapes, Cityscapes, patterns, and more. All of these files are being extracted from 500px and if you’d like, you can turn on a live wallpaper which will alter your phone’s wallpaper automatically every day. Additionally, it shows the artist’s name and consists an “explore” button which will redirect you to the respective web page. It’s nothing groundbreaking but the wallpapers are gorgeous and worth a shot. Unlike the Pixel launcher, you can download this directly from the play store.