Summary
- Nova Launcher 8 recently got a stable release and quality of life changes are now arriving in the latest beta update.
- There are also performance improvements in tow, along with bug fixes, and other refinements.
- Nova Launcher is available on the Google Play Store with a free and paid version.
For the most part, the Android experience you’ll find on phones nowadays is already pretty good. But a decade ago, things were quite different, and some were so bad that it required an alternative solution like a third-party launcher if you wanted to really get things customized to your liking. Nova Launcher has been around since 2012, and has provided users with a simple and easy way to make Android look and feel how you want it.
Once you dive in, it’s easy to see why it’s one of our favorite Android launchers in 2024. With that said, the company has been diligent in its releases, thoroughly testing features in beta before it makes the jump to a stable public release. Nova Launcher 8 finally just got its first public release after years of being in beta, and now the company is already working to deliver new features and improvements with the latest beta update.
Improvements are already on the way
The company announced its latest 8.0.18 update through its beta webpage and Discord channel. As you can imagine, there aren’t a lot of major features that are being added here. Instead, the company is focusing on bringing some quality of life changes, bug fixes, and refinements that will help improve the performance of the app.
We’ve listed the changelog below so you can see all the things that have been added or improved with this new update:
- Add a toggle to show a single row of app search results (Nova Settings > Search > Limit apps to one row)
- Prevent Bixby from taking over Google Assistant/Gemini
- Dock placement improvements on large screens
- Restore the vertical dock background
- Restore the ability to open search from the swipe indicator
- Nova Settings visual improvements
- Various bug and crash fixes
- Update translations
If you’ve never tried a third-party launcher, Nova is a great option and there’s even a free version that you can try out from the Play Store to see if you like it. And if you want to try out the beta, you can always sign up though the Play Store as well. After this is complete, when a new beta is ready, it will automatically download to your device.
