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Coyojeff

Newbie
I'm brand new to this forum, so please bear with me.
I just purchased a Pixel 4 XL and im not a computer guy at all. I want to customize this phone in a way that I like it. I've never done this before with any of my other phones. I'm looking to clean up all the cluster my home page. I know I need to install a new launcher. I think I've decided to use Nova. I'm open to any other launcher suggestions.
My question is, if I use a different launcher than the one that came on the Pixel, will I loose the face recognition function? I really like it and would prefer to keep if possible. Any ideas and help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
 
I really liked the Pixel launcher, but now that I have a non-pixel phone, I am super curious about other launchers. I feel like I even purchased the paid version of nova several years ago, so maybe I need to check that out again.
 
I use Nova (paid, because I don't expect devs to work for free) and have used KWGT. But tips kinda depend on what your preferences are. For example, I do not have a single app launcher icon on any of my desktops (currently 3). But I have 3 dock pages, one of which contains a few key apps and the other two have app folders (you have to define the folders settings to use them in the dock: Nova Settings > App Drawer > Drawer groups), with the result that I rarely use the app drawer. My desktops just contain widgets (clock, which is a KWGT, agenda, train timetable, weather - though I rarely use the weather widget these days so could get rid of that). Your preferences could be completely the opposite to mine, but the great thing is being able to set it up how you want.

For the KWGT, there are a few built-in templates so you can start with those then experiment. There used to be a thread over in xda-developers somewhere where people posted their KWGTs, I'm sure a web search will turn it up. Again, what you do with it is a matter of taste and preferences: I have a clock on my "home" homescreen with time, battery, date, mobile signal type and strength (dBm) and WiFi status/speed - partly because I normally hide the status bar on my homepages so things like time, battery, signal aren't necessarily visible to me (that's a Nova feature, and I can toggle it on/off with a gesture).

But I can't tell you which settings are in free versions and which in paid because I paid for the apps a very long time ago.
 
Coyojeff said:
Hey guys, one more thing. As I stated, I just got this and today I received an voicemail. I can't find it anywhere on my phone. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Open your dialer app, bring up the keypad and look at the "1" key - that should have a voicemail symbol on it. If the phone has set up properly with your network pressing and holding that key will connect you to voicemail.
 
As for my home screen, I have a pretty cool picture that I don't want to cover up any more than I need to. I want to be able to get rid of the status bar and be able to place and customize the time and weather widgets around around it. I think whatever I'll be adding in apps, will be way more versatile than I will be needing. Im basically looking to work around the picture. My other pages will just be my other app icons that I don't access very often.
 
Here's my home screens using Nova. Screenshot_20200325-172654.png Screenshot_20200325-172702.png
 
Coyojeff said:
As for my home screen, I have a pretty cool picture that I don't want to cover up any more than I need to. I want to be able to get rid of the status bar and be able to place and customize the time and weather widgets around around it. I think whatever I'll be adding in apps, will be way more versatile than I will be needing. Im basically looking to work around the picture. My other pages will just be my other app icons that I don't access very often.
Click to expand...
No problem: Nova allows hiding of the status bar, and I've often placed widgets around elements of the image. You can also use different grid sizes in Nova, and I've made KWGTs with text at different angles to fit a particular design. This is all doable, and can be fun once you have a little practice.
 
Sorry to step on the OPs thread...

In order to use a different launcher and Nova, etc., does the phone need to be unlocked? Do I need to buy my own phone and pick a carrier that allows it?
I've never rooted a phone or had an unlocked phone. Unfortunately I've always let Verizon rule me.

I've loved my Pixel 2XL for the past two years but I'm tossing around the idea of the 4XL or maybe waiting a year for the 5.
I like the idea of having control over the phone and getting under the hood

Thanks
 
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