If you’re looking for a fresh take on the Android home screen, Niagara Launcher is really worth a look. Developed by XDA Member 8bitpit and XDA Recognized Developer Maxr1998, Niagara Launcher presents your apps on a vertically scrollable list that’s easy to reach with one hand. Back in September, the app added several new features and improvements including support for foldable phones. Now the team has just dropped a new release, bringing support for Material You's dynamic theming, rounded widgets, better support for Android 12.

The biggest highlight of the latest Niagara Launcher release is support for Material You’s dynamic color theming. The dynamic theming is currently only available on Google Pixel phones running Android 12. However, the team says Niagara Launcher’s Material You theming will be available on any device running Android 5.0 and above.

Niagara Launcher Your Agenda screen

With dynamic theming support, many parts of the launcher including the alphabet selector, the search bar, Niagara Button, and the backgrounds found throughout the app will match the color of your wallpaper. On older Android versions, the launcher relies on the Palette API to grab the prominent color from the current wallpaper and matches the hue with a set of pre-defined colors.

The team notes that they haven’t added support for native stylized icons as they create an inconsistent look. Besides, stylized icons are currently only available for Google apps.

The latest version also makes it easier to read foreground items by putting a tinted overlay on your wallpaper. Another noteworthy improvement is support for Android 12’s approximate location option. On devices running Android 12, Niagara Launcher now uses your approximate location (~2km) to display weather info.

 

Niagara Launcher requesting access for approximate location

Finally, widgets have been updated with rounded corners to be in line with the Material You design.

Niagara Launcher rounded widgets

These features are currently available in the latest beta build of Niagara Launcher, with the stable update coming in about two weeks.