Choose a shell for android devices: Google Start and Yandex Launcher. The updated Google Start launcher will surprise everyone Download Google Start latest version

Choose a shell for android devices: Google Start and Yandex Launcher.  The updated Google Start launcher will surprise everyone Download Google Start latest version
Choose a shell for android devices: Google Start and Yandex Launcher. The updated Google Start launcher will surprise everyone Download Google Start latest version

Google Start is an application for mobile devices based on the Android system, it changes the main desktop of your mobile phone and offers fast access to the famous Google Now service. By simply swiping one finger to the side (right) on your device's home screen, you will be in and its hints will be at your fingertips. right moment. Application Google Start available for all mobile devices with operating Android system 4.1 and other later versions.

Get tips just got easier, now you can launch Google Now right from the home screen. You can activate voice commands by saying "OK Google" and pronounce the right search query, you can also dictate SMS messages, specify the address or the right place to get a specific route, you can even name the track you want in this moment listen.

Thanks to an optimized search system, you can easily find the information you need and, most importantly, very quickly. You will have very simple and convenient access to the most popular services Google, such as YouTube, Gmail, and Maps. The status bar and navigation bar are transparent but visible even when you open the app drawer.

Quite comfortable and clear interface, as well as a huge selection of beautiful wallpapers, you can choose any picture from your device's gallery or from online storage, independently adjust its location on the main screen and preview how it will look before saving the settings. The application is completely Russified, so it will not be difficult to deal with all the options, even for new inexperienced users. Earlier Google Start could work freely with any mobile device, but for this, the user had to download the APK file separately, now, in updated version Apps do not need to be downloaded.

Download Google launcher Start on your own, you can absolutely free on our website, which does not require registration and sending SMS messages. Already thousands of users have managed to download this application to their smartphones and actively use all its advantages. The only disadvantage of this application is that it only supports the latest versions of Android devices and does not work on earlier versions. operating systems. Now all the most popular Google services will be at your fingertips at any time.

However, the launcher also plays a significant role when using a smartphone. Nexus's use the Google Start launcher as standard, which you can install on your device right now. Will the company change its launcher? If so, will the update be welcome for Android owners? We have answers to these questions.

Let's answer the first question right away. Will the company change its launcher? Yes, it will. Information about the updated launcher was provided to us by colleagues from androidcentral who are 90% sure of its veracity. So let's take a closer look at it:

Above, you can view gif-images that perfectly convey the essence of the update. However, it should be noted that this is not the final version. Knowing Google, one cannot be sure that the final version of the launcher will be exactly like this. As for the changes themselves, they are really significant here. In the past, the company only changed the color of the icon for going to the list of all applications, and also made the scrolling of this list vertical.

In a future update, Google employees decided to completely abandon the transition icon to the list of all applications. However, this does not mean that users will receive another copy of iOS, no. The list of all applications will not go anywhere, and to call it you will only need to pull the translucent card from the dock bar up. At the top of the card is the dock itself with application icons, as the card with a list of all applications is raised, the transparency is reduced to zero, and the applications of the dock bar disappear, giving way to the search.

You can also raise the curtain with a list of all applications by clicking on a small arrow or swiping up from it. The list of all applications itself has not received any significant changes, however, we repeat, the release may still change.

On the main screen, there is a calendar widget that cannot be moved or deleted. To the left of the widget is a kind of bookmark with the letter "G", clicking on which activates Google search. So far, the swipe from the bookmark does not lead to anything, which is due to the dampness of the update. In addition, in the future, Google should introduce Assistant and updated Google search.

And she will present all the "stuffing" of the updated software along with the new Nexus-smartphones Sailfish and Marlin. In addition, we note that, most likely, the updated launcher will be available at the initial stage only to those who have purchased new Nexus's. Everyone else will have to wait, as was the case with the Nexus 5, the updated launcher of which the rest of the Android owners received only a few months later, this included the owners of the Nexus 7 (2013) and Nexus 4.

The site laboratory continues to study the most relevant applications for mobile solutions based on the Android OS. Last month we finished reviewing the segment and summed up the corresponding results.

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Now we will return to a series of articles on the choice (graphical shell and not only) for smartphones and tablets based on the Android OC.

In this article, we will compare the shells of the leading (and, of course, competing) players in the mobile software market - Google and Yandex. The first participant - Google Start - offers an advanced design, a minimum of functions and excellent performance. But the second, Yandex Launcher, is positioned as a simple solution that will be clear to all users and contains many goodies.

Used as test equipment Xiaomi smartphone Redmi note(Miui V7 on Android 4.4.2 OC, Dalvik runtime, MediaTek MT6592 processor, 8 x 1700 MHz, Mali-450 MP4 video co-processor, 700 MHz, 2 GB RAM) and Jinga Basco M500 3G smartphone (Android 5.1 OC, ART runtime , MediaTek MT6580 processor, 4 x 1300 MHz, Mali-400 MP2 video co-processor, 1 GB RAM).

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Google Start

Acquaintance

Simple, stylish and trouble-free - this is how you can characterize the free "launcher" Google Start. But this is in general, and to be more precise, what is this program? Let's get to know her in more detail.

The main features of the "launcher" Google Start:

  • Swipe right to open Google Now tips and get the information you need at the right place at the right time;
  • Look for information on any page of the main screen;
  • Say "Ok Google" to get started voice search, send SMS, play music and more;
  • Convenient search on the device and in Google Play by alphabetical list with the ability to quickly scroll;
  • The apps you are looking for are listed above the rest.

Beginning of work

Starting with OC Android 4.0, Google is promoting a common interface for all its systems and gadgets, which is more and more stylized and improved from version to version.

But not all device manufacturers agreed with this approach, for example, Samsung both “sculpted” TouchWiz into all its devices and “sculpts”. And Google employees decided to post in open access the same shell that was used on the models of the Nexus line.

Appearance of Google Start on a smartphone with a five-inch screen.

Google Start, which is the name of the interface, offers a completely "stock" appearance. The working screen is represented by a classic fixed label grid, the size of which depends on the diagonal of the smartphone and its DPI.

At the top there is a Google search bar. Responsible for her activity google service app now. If earlier it was possible to remove it or not install it and the shell continued to function fully, with the exception of the search, now the “launcher” is completely dependent on it.

By the way, if you make a "knight's move", or rather swipe to the right on the main screen, then the aforementioned Google Now assistant will open.

In addition to shortcuts, graphic modules (widgets) can also be placed on the desktop. True, they do not scale.

It is also worth noting the presence of branded Google wallpapers. They are fully transferred from the latest actual system, now it is OC Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

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Menu with installed applications in Google Start looks interesting. If on the most early versions systems, starting from 1.0, the menu scrolled vertically, then to OC Android 2.2 / 2.3-4.0, the developers switched to horizontal scrolling.

Now Google is going back to its roots and making a vertically scrollable menu. In addition, it adds a search bar and brings the four most used applications to the most prominent place - at the top of the list.

And this is how Google Start looks on a tablet with a seven-inch screen.

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Settings

Google does not change itself, and there are no settings in the Google Start shell. However, the craftsmen do not sleep. They took the app apart and released the Xposed GEL Settings module app for the Xposed Framework. Thanks to this program, we will be able to customize the grid of shortcuts on the desktop, increase / decrease the size of icons, fonts and many other parameters. It all depends on the version of the application and the specific device.

Do not forget that Xposed Framework requires superuser rights to work. Additionally, we recommend making a general backup system, as the program changes important system components that affect the performance of the mobile device.

Testing

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Google Start works great on any device with OC Android 4.1 and newer. This shell will not require from your device modern processor, hundreds of MB of RAM and at the same time will delight you with fast and smooth operation. That's what life-giving optimization creates!

One of the shortcomings of the Google launcher, which concerns its performance, is the need for a Google Now assistant. This application quite resource-intensive, creates an additional load on the processor and RAM and increases battery consumption.

Programmers from Google have done something with the application and to activate it, a complete rejection of the standard "launcher" is required. And on MIUI firmware 7 and newer, this is basically impossible, since the Chinese developers completely “went through” the system in their own way.

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I will clarify that the method of activating the "launcher" from the "craftsmen" did not work. It is possible that Google Start will not work on other customized firmware, this point needs to be checked.

conclusions

Google Start is one of the best shells for android devices. It is simple, stylish and up-to-date, as it is developed by Google employees. The shell can be installed and forgotten about for a long time, it does not cause any problems and does not cause complaints, as if Google Start is present on all gadgets by default.

The product itself is completely free and contains no ads. The same can be said about settings and functions. Google is Google, all applications are simplified and unified as much as possible for understanding by a large number of users.

Google Start is a launcher from Google for Android that includes everything useful features Google Now search service, so that all the necessary information will always be at hand, and to retrieve it, just one finger movement is enough.

Unlike a traditional search engine, Google Now is tied to the user as much as possible and the results it gives out depend on factors such as: the user's current location; visits to certain establishments and events; information from its organizer, the history of search queries, visited Internet pages, and so on. Generally speaking plain language, Google Now is the user's personal search engine.

In the Google Start launcher, the Google Now information feed is located right on home page, from where the user can receive hot information about the weather, current location, various establishments located nearby, exchange rates and other interesting things.

Google Start Launcher Features

  • A simple notification and hint system.
  • Improved work with voice commands.
  • Simplified access to everything else Google services: maps, mail, Youtube, etc.
  • Convenient navigation.
  • A large number of colorful themes.

As you can see, Google Start is a real find for those who are used to using the full potential of Android smartphones at 100%.