How one can use the Pixel launcher to be extra productive in your cellphone

Personalizing your cellphone along with your favourite apps is among the defining options of smartphones and is obtainable on principally any of those you should buy: Android, iOS, or in any other case. Past that, your capability to customise your cellphone can differ. 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 facet of Android units particularly is their capability to run launchers — the software program that governs how your house display screen capabilities and the way you arrange and cargo into apps — apart from those they ship with.

Altering your launcher is among the greatest modifications you may alter how your cellphone feels to make use of. There are dozens of great third-party Android launchers, however you may need the whole lot 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, however it has sufficient built-in options that it will possibly show you how to really feel extra productive and fewer connected to your cellphone with the appropriate 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 basic logic for private devices and smartphones particularly is that it’s best to alter your house display screen and lock display screen in order that they serve what that you must do in your cellphone and never the opposite manner round. It is best to 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 may wish to head to start out organising your Pixel is “Residence settings,” which you’ll simply entry by long-pressing on your house display screen and tapping on “Residence settings” within the contextual menu that pops up. I prefer 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 may’t declare it does not work.

I might additionally alter the next choices:

• Flip Swipe to entry Google app on to entry information proper from your house display screen.
• Flip Add app icons to residence display screen off so you may resolve when and if you wish to add an app to your house display screen.
• Flip Notification dots on so you understand when you even have to faucet on an app within the first place.

After you have these taken care of, there are a number of different choices I prefer to tweak within the sub-menus of Residence settings. Relying in your cellphone’s greatest guess of what app you want sounds a bit of regarding, however each iOS and Android are fairly good at suggesting apps and once they’re incorrect, the friction of discovering what you really 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 record and Ideas on Residence display screen to start out seeing the apps your Pixel thinks it’s best to open. As a rule of thumb, I go away one spot within the backside row of apps on my residence display screen open for these recommendations. You will additionally wish to head into Search settings and ensure that Swipe as much as begin search and Internet search are each on. That manner, you may simply look issues up instantly from your house 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 may wish to give attention to are the Show & contact and Wallpaper & type sub-menus. As you would possibly anticipate, you can also make your cellphone suit your visible aesthetic underneath Wallpaper & type. Google has a pleasant choice of wallpapers, however I’ve admittedly had extra enjoyable enjoying with its instrument for creating AI-generated ones (the extra summary and pattern-like the wallpaper will be, the higher). On this similar menu it’s best to activate Present notifications on lock display screen and resolve 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 Residence app, too.

Lastly, head to Show & contact after which faucet on Lock display screen to allow the Now Playing feature so you may establish songs with out having to ask Google Assistant or Gemini. You must also be sure that Dynamic Clock is on and At all times present time and information is disabled to avoid wasting additional battery life. Tweak any remaining settings based mostly in your choice and concern for privateness. Typically, 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 wish to be instantly accessible on a piece cellphone are apps that contain work duties, like Gmail, Slack, or Chrome. The remainder of my cellphone I attempt to go away as widgets — issues I am monitoring, however needn’t repeatedly work together with.

I prefer to have an entire display screen dedicated to a large Google Calendar widget I can examine 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 believe is perhaps helpful, just like the battery lifetime of my Pixel and Pixel Buds. It is price experimenting with what works greatest 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 manner, you keep away from the temptation of randomly checking apps and solely preserve the necessities (and what your Pixel thinks you would possibly use) close by.

The Pixel launcher offers you simply sufficient

You most likely want fewer options than you suppose

Google’s launcher is distinct from conventional Android, however it’s not precisely bursting with stylistic thrives or wild options. It is restrained. And when you’re trustworthy with your self, you most likely will not use a lot of the options of a extra difficult Android launcher anyway.

As this information hopefully exhibits, you actually do not want lots to arrange a cellphone that works for you slightly than in opposition to you. The launcher preinstalled in your cellphone will most likely do the trick with the appropriate settings enabled. If you’re nonetheless focused on exploring different launchers, Pocket-lint has a list of some of the best. In case you’d as an alternative like one thing much more centered on conserving your cellphone use easy, you may additionally think about learning more about Niagra Launcher.