Download the updated Pixel Launcher from the Google Pixel 4 with a swipe-down notification gesture

We may earn a commission for purchases made using our links.

The Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL are coming, in case you’ve been living under a rock these past few weeks. Thanks to an uncomfortably large number of leaks stemming from Google not knowing how to keep their hardware under wraps, we know pretty much everything about the phone already. We know what it looks like, we know the hardware behind it. We know it has a Snapdragon 855 processor, a 90Hz display, a dual-camera setup, and a sophisticated face unlock system. We even previewed the new Astrophotography mode, so there is pretty much nothing we don’t already know about the device. Nonetheless, the phone is set to be announced during Google’s hardware event on October 15th, but the leaks keep coming in. This time, it’s the Google Pixel Launcher.

The Google Pixel 4 and the Google Pixel 4 XL are going to launch with Android 10, based on stock Android with Google’s own aesthetic tweaks and apps, just like we’ve been seeing since the first Pixel was announced. But as always, Google always keeps some things for themselves. Now, apps preinstalled on the Pixel 4 are surfacing online, and are now available for users to download and enjoy. One of these apps is an updated version of the Pixel Launcher.

This version is mostly identical to the one currently found in the Pixel 3 and previous Pixel phones. It looks, feels and functions the same. However, there is one key difference, and it’s a new gesture. We’ve previously talked about this (it was briefly introduced and then removed from the release version) and for starters, the Pixel Launcher now supports swiping down on any part of the screen to pull down the notification shade. Here is a preview of the gesture when we spotted it some months ago:

This feature has existed for several years on third-party launchers like Nova Launcher, and we’re sure glad to see it make its way to Google’s stock launcher as well. If you want to try it out by yourself, you can download the APK from here:

Download Pixel Launcher from the Google Pixel 4

It should work alright on any Pixel smartphone running Android 10 (meaning all of them) with the stock Pixel Launcher already pre-installed. This won’t work on other Android 10 devices like the Essential Phone or OnePlus 7 Pro, though, because the launcher requires some modifications to work on most non-Pixel devices. Keep an eye out on our forums for a port as we’re sure a few will pop up in due time.

Story Via: 9to5Google