Last month we reported that Google was working on a special launcher that would be exclusive to its Nexus phones. Back then we were still referring to the devices as Nexus devices because that’s what they’ve been called all these years, but more recently we found out that Google could actually be rebranding them to Pixel handsets.
This is why it isn’t surprising to learn that according to Android ROM developer LlabTooFeR, Google has recently made some changes to the launcher and have renamed it from the Nexus Launcher to the Pixel Launcher (via Android Police), for reasons which we guess are pretty obvious since it looks like Google could be slowly doing away with the Nexus brand.
Other than the name change, visually it does not appear to be too different from the previous version. It does sport a new icon and according to the version shown in the screenshot, it says that it is version 7.1, which coincidentally enough is also the version of Nougat that the Pixel phones are said to be launching with.
In any case this is best taken with a grain of salt for now, but Google is rumored to make the phones (both the Pixel and Pixel XL) official on the 4th of October, so check back with us in the coming weeks for confirmation of the event.
Filed in . Read more about Android, Apps, Google, Google Pixel and Pixel Xl.