Summary
- Lawnchair 14 beta brings exciting changes like expanded QuickSwitch support and global search functionality for smooth navigation.
- Featuring Smartspacer integration, the update offers improved customization options for icons, fonts, and more on Android launchers.
- Lawnchair team plans to add more features like a responsive Settings interface, updated icon pack, and more customization options in future releases.
Despite its troubled past, Lawnchair is among our favorite Android launchers. After one of the launcher’s core developers left the team in 2022, its development almost stopped, with no major release dropping since then. That’s changing now, with Lawnchair 14 beta available for download, packing plenty of changes and improvements.
Based on Android 14’s Launcher3, Lawnchair 14 beta expands QuickSwitch support from Android 10 to Android 14. This will allow you to customize the recent apps screen and enjoy smooth navigation gestures, though the feature requires root access to work. The team notes that some Android 14 exclusive features related to QuickSwitch, like the taskbar, won’t be available on Android 12 and older devices.
For non-rooted devices, Lawnchair 14 supports Google’s GestureNavContract API. While not perfect, it allows for smooth gestures while using navigation gestures. If your device maker has disabled the API, the smooth animations won’t appear on your phone.
Taking cues from many device and third-party system launchers, Lawnchair 14 adds global search support. This enables you to search for contacts, files, device settings, and more from the launcher. The team plans to refine the feature by introducing a new API for adding custom search providers and refining the interface with a Pixel-like UI.
By default, the global search uses Starpage, a private search engine that does not collect any user data. The team has also struck a revenue-sharing deal with them, which should help fund the launcher’s development.
Lawnchair 14 beta adds Smartspace integration
Another notable improvement in Lawnchair is Smartspacer support, which aims to expand the functionality of Google’s At a Glance widget. Thanks to the integration, you can use Smartspacer on your Lawnchair home screen with animations, horizontal scrolling, and enjoy additional customization options.
Other theming-related changes in Lawnchair 14 beta, as noted by the team in their announcement, are as follows:
- Ability to hide the Dock
- Custom icon shape picker
- Tweaked icon pack picker
- More padding, color, and size customizations
- More font support
The Lawnchair team promises to pack even more features in the next release, like a responsive Settings interface, an updated icon pack, the ability to disable the app drawer, more custom color options, drawer tabs, and more.
If you want to take the latest Lawnchair 14 beta release for a spin, grab the APK from the launcher’s GitHub page.
