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Nova Launcher - No Root Required

Outatime

Outatime

Android Expert
I apologize if this topic has been covered. I did not see a similar thread.

You can now get Nova Launcher without root!

http://teslacoilsw.com/nova/download/NovaLauncher_beta.apk

I DL'd and installed it today and it opens a whole world of customization possibilities, first and foremost, the removal of the Google Search bar at the top of the screen.

It is fast and lag free. I fully recommend you try this if you'd like to get more customization over your phone's appearance.
 
Jay3 said:
Just curious, can Nova Launcher remove the ICS buttons at the bottom?
Click to expand...

Those sysbar buttons are in systemUI.apk, and not part of the launcher, if I understand correctly. However, maybe the launcher could probably hide them somehow, as the launcher can hide the notification bar... I have Nova, and hiding the sysbar buttons does not seem to be possible currently.
 
Jay3 said:
Just curious, can Nova Launcher remove the ICS buttons at the bottom?
Click to expand...

What do you mean? The three buttons (back button, home button, and multi tasking button)? No, it can't do that... requires root for that..... but if you are talking about the SMS icon and dial icons.. then yes you could change that..
 
Nova Launcher has always been installable without root. There are 2 versions. I had been running it until the last update which seems to be causing me some issues like reboot on camera access and missed random calls. Uninstalled until these are resolved.
 
What exactly does Nova Launcher do. Just picked up a Gnex today and I'm looking for stuff to improve the UI experience.
 
mitchmoney1 said:
What do you mean? The three buttons (back button, home button, and multi tasking button)? No, it can't do that... requires root for that..... but if you are talking about the SMS icon and dial icons.. then yes you could change that..
Click to expand...

I meant those you listed. I like them, but I was wondering if that was a solution for those that can't get past it.
 
Hi. I'm new to running a launcher on my Gnex. I'm not ready to root my phone yet, but I would like to try this version of Nova launcher. Where can I get instructions on how to install this on my Gnex. Thanks.
 
You can find the APK link on this page:

[APP ICS 4.0.1+] Nova Launcher Beta (ICS based) - xda-developers

Before you do it, you have to set your phone to allow non-market downloads. Settings > Security > Allow installation of non-Market apps.

I cannot express to you how much I love Nova Launcher.

Then be sure to check out the thread on posting your home screens. TONS of great walls and icons with which you can customize your phone!!!

http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-nexus/464123-post-your-homescreens.html
 
I prefer having the menu button for settings like go launcher has instead of having to use up one of the dock icons for settings or having to place the settings icon on my desktop.
 
Does anyone know if this affects battery life at all? I used to use GO Launcher but it absolutely destroyed my battery life. Would Nova do the same?
 
pool_shark said:
I prefer having the menu button for settings like go launcher has instead of having to use up one of the dock icons for settings or having to place the settings icon on my desktop.
Click to expand...


Long press the homescreen and tap the wrench icon in the top right of the pop up box, or open the app drawer and tap the three small boxes top right, then press Nova settings. Or in the premium version, swipe up with two fingers (customisable)...
 
I was notified of a new update today. I installed but it froze up at 35% so I had to force close. How do i install the update now? Thanks
 
ChappellHeel said:
I was notified of a new update today. I installed but it froze up at 35% so I had to force close. How do i install the update now? Thanks
Click to expand...

Mine did the same at 83% the first time. Just go into the Nova settings and check for the update again. I did that and it downloaded and installed almost immediately.

Has anyone been experiencing major lag/redraws using this launcher? It seems like its gotten worse for me the longer I've been using it. But sometimes I'll exit my browser or another app and it's OG Droid-like slow at reloading the home screens. It's very annoying to say the least. I would expect that from my OG Droid with 1/4 of the RAM that the Nexus has, but not the Nexus with 1GB at its disposal. It shouldn't be purging the launcher from memory for any reason. I've even tried that build.prop edit fix to lock the launcher in memory to no avail.

Thanks for any help!
 
So I installed Nova off the market today onto my GNex, but I've been having a recurring problem. On my main homescreen, I have the Power Control widget with the Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS, Sync, and Brightness control on it, however, sometimes when I click the brightness button, it changes the brightness, but the icon itself doesn't change from Empty sun to Half sun to Full sun, etc... Anyone else having this issue?

Also, if I press Home repeatedly from different screen, the icons disappear and I can't open the App drawer. Kinda frustrating and considering uninstalling until it's ironed out, but am curious if it's just my phone. Thanks!
 
For the widget, try removing and replacing it. I don't recall which one it was but I had one that wasn't playing nice and that solved it.

Every once in a great while there will be a lag in my icons displaying when I go to the home screen. It has literally been 2-3 times and not enough for me to be concerned with.

The speed has been fine, even with the screen animations. Perfectly fluid.
 
I'm totally digging the option to scroll static wallpapers but not live wallpapers. Not sure how long that's been there but it makes scrolling smooth for all the live wallpapers I have. Why doesn't Google think of crap like that?
 
Ok, Im getting a Samsung Gallaxy S III and I want to get Nova Launcher and a bunch of ither ROMS and I was wondering how you delete the ROMS and Nova Launcher and get it to be like the original Samsung GS3 without resetting the phone?
 
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