Summary
- Updated Nova Launcher beta version 8.0.15 focuses on wider Search support and immersive search results for a better user experience.
- New features include web suggestions, easy pasting of search queries, and improved assistant support.
- Users can access the update through the Play Store listing by opting into the beta version 8.0.15.
For all you third-party launcher lovers out there, a new beta for Nova Launcher is here, bringing a host of changes and bug fixes. To be exact, version 8.0.15 is the new beta we are talking about, bringing polish to areas like web suggestions, immersive search results, and improved assistant support now that Google offers multiple options, having muddied the water with Gemini. So it looks like the recent update is mostly about improving and polishing the user experience when it comes to more comprehensive Google support for Search and assistants.
The latest beta update to version 8.0.15 landed in the last 24 hours, and while the changelog isn’t very long, plenty of the new features are more than welcome. You can see the full list below, and clearly, there are some standouts if you’ve been waiting on web suggestions or immersive search results.
8.0.15 BETA
Apr 22, 2024
- Add support for web suggestions from Google
- Allow suggested search queries to be pasted into the search bar
- Restore the ability to search with a package name
- Support opening URLs directly without a protocol
- Immersive search result and card display improvements
- Ensure the correct assistant from Google is always launched
- Redesigned What’s New page for Nova 7 upgrades
- Several bug fixes and optimizations
- Update translations
Beyond the new What’s New page for Nova 7’s upgrades, the bigger additions are clearly centered around assistant and Search support. Suggest search queries can now be easily pasted into the search bar for easy searching, which ideally ties into Google’s new support for web suggestions. Support for immersive search results is a nice touch, and users will seemingly get the correct assistant from Google, depending on whether Assistant or Gemini is needed (boy, did Google make a mess of this already). Bug fixes and optimization are also very welcome, ideally getting the beta to a better spot for a stable release.
Nova Launcher 8 beta hands-on: Branching out in new directions
One of the best launchers on Android is getting even better
Of course, if you’d like to test things for yourself, you can jump on over to the Play Store listing through the widget below, but make sure to opt into the beta, something you will have to toggle in the Play Store listing before you can test 8.0.15.
