Images show launcher for upcoming Nexus devices

Google is working on a new launcher for its Nexus smartphones. Images show that the app overview icon has disappeared. Instead, a drawer can be dragged up, just like early Android versions.

From the bottom of the screen, the app overview can be dragged up in a semi-transparent screen, according to the images that Android Police has received from its sources. Swiping down makes the window disappear again. An alternative way to make the window appear is to touch the arrow icon. There is a search bar at the top of the window. Due to the disappearance of the icon for the app overview, there is room for five items at the bottom of the home screen.

On the home screen, the Google search widget has disappeared and there is a slider with the Google logo in its place. Possibly this is to move users more towards the Assistant functionality. The slider can still call up a search field. The expectation is that the operation of this slider will change considerably if Google starts using a new search apk. The launcher, as the site showed, was not yet running on the Android Nougat final.

Furthermore, there is a standard date widget present, which should not be removed or moved. Android Police warns not to know whether the design is final and whether the launcher will come exclusively to the Nexus devices. There have been rumors for a while that two new Nexus smartphones from HTC will appear. The site does say it expects new navigation buttons, which are not shown in the images. The most striking thing about these buttons would be the home button: that is a round button surrounded by colors that makes it look like a flower.

Images courtesy of Android Police