How to install the Android O Pixel Launcher now

Google I/O 2017 came and went last week, and brought many new things for us to talk about whether it’s Android related or not. One of the biggest new things that was given to users was the first (and second) public beta for Android O.

However, the problem here is that Android O is only available on select devices and that the rest of us are left waiting (months and months) to get a taste. The great thing about the Android community is that folks are able to bring apps and features to devices that wouldn’t regularly be supported.

This is the case with the new Pixel Launcher which came along with Android O. A trusted contributor at the XDA Forums was able to port the launcher to those running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and above. There isn’t much new here, but it does add app shortcuts when you long-press on various app icons.

Since this app isn’t available on the Play Store, you’ll need to get your device ready to download the “unofficial” APK. In order to do so, you’ll need to follow these steps:

• Navigate to Settings
• Select Security
• Toggle ‘Unknown Sources’

Once toggled, you’ll need to download the Pixel Launcher APK file itself, which you can do from the link here. After it has been downloaded, you can drag down your notification shade, or open the Downloads app, then select the downloaded APK and it will install.