The right way to use the Pixel launcher to be extra productive in your cellphone

Personalizing your cellphone along with your favourite apps is likely one of the defining options of smartphones and is on the market on mainly any of those you should buy: Android, iOS, or in any other case. Past that, your potential to customise your cellphone can range. Each cellphone maker will allow you to change your wallpaper, however not all of them will allow you to change the core fundamentals of how your cellphone works. A singular side of Android units particularly is their potential to run launchers — the software program that governs how your own home display screen capabilities and the way you arrange and cargo into apps — apart from those they ship with.

Altering your launcher is likely one of the greatest modifications you’ll be able to modify how your cellphone feels to make use of. There are dozens of great third-party Android launchers, however you may need all the things you want with the one your cellphone shipped with. The Pixel launcher that comes on all of Google’s first-party telephones and tablets is not flashy, nevertheless it has sufficient built-in options that it might allow you to really feel extra productive and fewer hooked up to your cellphone with the precise setup. This is how I am leveraging the Pixel launcher on my Pixel 9 to be a bit extra productive at work, and steering on how it’s best to strategy the Pixel cellphone in your pocket.

Let the launcher do the give you the results you want

Make your cellphone self-sufficient

My common logic for private devices and smartphones particularly is that it’s best to modify your own home display screen and lock display screen in order that they serve what it’s good to do in your cellphone and never the opposite method round. You must begin there, as a result of even on a cellphone with tons of of apps on it, you continue to spend lots of time trying on the app grid or notifications in your lock display screen. If you may get away with solely hanging on the market and never diving into an app, it’s best to.

The primary place you will need to head to begin organising your Pixel is “House settings,” which you’ll simply entry by long-pressing on your own home display screen and tapping on “House settings” within the contextual menu that pops up. I wish to allow a number of settings in there, like At a Look, Google’s widget that pulls and shows data from throughout its companies everytime you want it most, be it your Calendar, your Gmail, or simply the climate. It is not flashy, however you’ll be able to’t declare it does not work.

I’d additionally modify the next choices:

• Flip Swipe to entry Google app on to entry information proper from your own home display screen.
• Flip Add app icons to residence display screen off so you’ll be able to determine when and if you wish to add an app to your own home display screen.
• Flip Notification dots on so in the event you even must faucet on an app within the first place.

After getting these taken care of, there are a couple of different choices I wish to tweak within the sub-menus of House settings. Relying in your cellphone’s finest guess of what app you want sounds somewhat regarding, however each iOS and Android are fairly good at suggesting apps and after they’re unsuitable, the friction of discovering what you truly need could possibly be sufficient to get you off your cellphone when you do not must be on it.

With that in thoughts, inside Ideas, activate Ideas in all apps listing and Ideas on House display screen to begin seeing the apps your Pixel thinks it’s best to open. As a rule of thumb, I depart one spot within the backside row of apps on my residence display screen open for these options. You will additionally need to head into Search settings and guarantee that Swipe as much as begin search and Net search are each on. That method, you’ll be able to simply look issues up straight from your own home display screen.

So far as your lock display screen and the final aesthetic of each your lock display screen and residential display screen go, lots of it may be left as much as private choice. Within the Settings app, the principle sections you will need to give attention to are the Show & contact and Wallpaper & type sub-menus. As you may count on, you can also make your cellphone suit your visible aesthetic below Wallpaper & type. Google has a pleasant choice of wallpapers, however I’ve admittedly had extra enjoyable enjoying with its device for creating AI-generated ones (the extra summary and pattern-like the wallpaper might be, the higher). On this similar menu it’s best to activate Present notifications on lock display screen and determine what you need your lock display screen shortcuts to be. I take advantage of the flashlight and Do Not Disturb mode, however there are different choices like Google Pockets or the Google House app, too.

Lastly, head to Show & contact after which faucet on Lock display screen to allow the Now Playing feature so you’ll be able to establish songs with out having to ask Google Assistant or Gemini. You must also ensure Dynamic Clock is on and At all times present time and data is disabled to avoid wasting further battery life. Tweak any remaining settings primarily based in your choice and concern for privateness. On the whole, although, the extra you are able to do with out unlocking your cellphone, the higher.

Most apps solely must be glanced at

With these fundamentals set, I like to consider workflow. I primarily use my Pixel 9 for work (each for calls and electronic mail, and as a Android system to check issues on) whereas my iPhone 16 acts as my private cellphone. The apps I need to be instantly obtainable on a piece cellphone are apps that contain work duties, like Gmail, Slack, or Chrome. The remainder of my cellphone I attempt to depart as widgets — issues I am monitoring, however needn’t commonly work together with.

I wish to have a complete display screen dedicated to a large Google Calendar widget I can test on a whim and one other web page with no matter job tracker my employer makes use of, on this case Asana, with some other glanceable data I feel is perhaps helpful, just like the battery lifetime of my Pixel and Pixel Buds. It is value experimenting with what works finest for you, however my technique is to have your first display screen solely embrace what you want, leaving the remainder of your app icons to be reached for within the app drawer, and solely when you really want them. That method, you keep away from the temptation of randomly checking apps and solely preserve the necessities (and what your Pixel thinks you may use) close by.

The Pixel launcher provides you simply sufficient

You in all probability want fewer options than you assume

Google’s launcher is distinct from conventional Android, nevertheless it’s not precisely bursting with stylistic prospers or wild options. It is restrained. And in the event you’re trustworthy with your self, you in all probability will not use a lot of the options of a extra difficult Android launcher anyway.

As this information hopefully reveals, you actually do not want so much to arrange a cellphone that works for you moderately than towards you. The launcher preinstalled in your cellphone will in all probability do the trick with the precise settings enabled. In case you are nonetheless keen on exploring different launchers, Pocket-lint has a list of some of the best. In case you’d as a substitute like one thing much more targeted on maintaining your cellphone use easy, you may additionally contemplate learning more about Niagra Launcher.