Android 15 Brings Snappier Animations and Smarter Widget Recommendations to the Pixel Launcher

As Android continues to evolve, so does the experience of using a Pixel device, thanks to ongoing updates to the Pixel Launcher. With Android 15 on the horizon, Google is poised to roll out several enhancements that promise to make your home screen not only smarter but also more intuitive.

The upcoming update will introduce a revised swipe-to-home animation that’s quicker and more fluid. This will enhance the visual appeal with a more pronounced wallpaper zoom effect. This step up from Android 14 provides a smoother, more responsive feel as you navigate through apps.

Further improvements include a redesigned recent screen, which now features a new title bar. This change makes accessing various functionalities, such as app info and split-screen mode, easier. This change is designed to make these options more apparent and user-friendly, hopefully reducing the “hunt-and-peck” frustration currently experienced by many users.

Widgets are also getting a significant upgrade. The widget selector within the Pixel Launcher will offer smarter, more relevant suggestions. These are neatly categorized, making finding the perfect widget to complement your setup much more straightforward. From essentials to entertainment, the new system uses an algorithmic approach to recommend widgets, potentially including selections from third-party apps.

Moreover, adding widgets will be more straightforward by introducing an “+ Add” button. This new feature allows you to place widgets on your home screen with a single tap, eliminating the need to drag and drop and streamlining the customization process.

These changes, while minor, signify Google’s commitment to refining the user interface in subtle but impactful ways. It’s important to note that these features are currently visible only in the beta version of Android 15, and they require enabling specific flags to be accessed. While it’s not guaranteed that all these features will make it to the final release, their inclusion in the beta indicates what’s to come.

These enhancements aim to enhance the Pixel Launcher’s aesthetic appeal and functionality, making it more intuitive and user-friendly. As this launcher is exclusive to Pixel devices, it remains to be seen how many of these updates will be adopted by other Android manufacturers in their custom skins.

More details and new features are available in Google’s blog post, but most of the changes now are more for developers.

The Pixel models supported are:

• Google Pixel 6
• Google Pixel 6 Pro
• Google Pixel 6a
• Google Pixel 7
• Google Pixel 7 Pro
• Google Pixel 7a
• Google Pixel Fold
• Google Pixel Tablet
• Google Pixel 8
• Google Pixel 8 Pro