Nova Launcher has long been one of the best launcher apps for Android devices. Even though it has been around for over a decade, its developers have done a fantastic job keeping it up to date with the latest features. For this reason, it still is the go-to launcher app for millions of Android users. In September last year, the launcher received a major update with a visual overhaul, enhanced search, and new gestures. Now, it has received another significant update on the beta channel, bringing Material You theming support, a redesigned settings menu, even more gestures, and several other changes.
The latest Nova Launcher beta (v8.0) is rebased on Launcher3 from Android 12L. As mentioned earlier, it brings support for Material You dynamic theming. The feature automatically themes UI elements based on a color scheme extracted from your current wallpaper.
In addition, the update introduces an overhauled Nova settings menu that's easier to navigate compared to the older layout. Furthermore, the beta update includes new swipe left/right desktop gestures, an Align Bottom immersive folders option, and fixes for Android 13. Check out the full Nova Launcher 8.0 beta changelog below:
- Material You - Custom color schemes based on wallpaper colors
- Redesigned Nova Settings
- New swipe left/right desktop gestures
- Align Bottom immersive folders
- Rebased on Launcher3 Android 12L
- Android 13 fixes
Nova Launcher 8.0 beta is available for download on the Nova Launcher Discord, and you can try it out by following the link provided below. Note that the developers have already released a subsequent beta release (v8.0.1) with a host of bug fixes. Here's the changelog for Nova Launcher 8.0.1 beta:
- Fixes FCs on Android 8 and 9
- Fix widgets on Samsung
- Fix disabling dock
- Fix various crashes
- Fix max grid size in settings UI
- Fix left/right gestures on single home screen
- Fix left/right gesture settings appearing twice
- Fix backing out of gesture action selection screen causing selection of None