Lawnchair: The best Pixel Launcher hack that can be installed on any device

Ever since Google Pixel devices revealed their new “Pure Android” aesthetic, tons of customization apps have tried to copy the look – from the latest versions of Nova Launcher to direct rips of Pixel whose stability is, at minimum, questionable. Lawnchair is based on the Android Nougat APK, but allows the use of Google Assistant on the desktop and adds endless customization options. And best of all, it doesn’t require Nougat to run.

Installing it involves the same process as any other launcher, and it’ll ask if you want to use it by default when you go back to the home screen after installation. For practical purposes you’ll see the same thing as other layers that simulate Nougat: the Pixel Pill, the date and time widget, the App Drawer that opens with a swipe, and the rounded icons for Google tools. Plus if you do a horizontal swipe you’ll open the Google Now page, which is usually not possible on most customization layers.

Not content with this, if you go to the launcher settings panel (long tap on the home screen > gear icon) you’ll see a customization menu where you can change a thousand and one visual settings. You can activate or deactivate each element separately, plus modify the size, spacing, and style of the icons, the number of rows and columns on the home screen, the scale of the items onscreen, the controls for the dock, and the integration with Google Assistant.

We’ve tested Lawnchair on several devices and it works great on devices with Android 6.0.1, with no noticeable slowdown of the device or interference with any of the previously installed items. A good way to take your device at the cutting edge. Or rather, close the cutting edge, as Android Oreo is already on the way. Constantly chasing the heels of the latest trends, we are.