Google’s Pixel Launcher that replaces Nexus launcher appears online

An installation file of an application called Pixel Launcher has appeared online. The Pixel Launcher can be installed as an update for the Nexus launcher. The launcher’s appearance online is further evidence that Google will call its new phones Pixel.

LlabTooFeR, a well-known developer of custom roms, placed a link to the apk file in a tweet, after an attempt to host it on its own domain failed due to over-interest. The apk file replaces the Nexus launcher located in the system folder /system.

There are apparently few changes compared to the latest Nexus launcher, notes Android Police. In the app drawer, the navigation bar is transparent, but because there is more space between the rows of apps, it makes little difference in how many apps fit into the frame. In addition, Google Calendar now shows the day number as an icon.

There have been rumors about Google’s new phones for some time now. The search giant would like to present the HTC-made devices on October 4, after which they should be released two weeks later. The Nexus series, which has been around since the beginning of 2010, would thus come to an end.