Nova has been testing their launcher 8.1.1 on Discord under alpha access, where many users have participated and provided feedback to developers. After months of testing, the Nova Launcher Beta is available on the Google Play Store. Beta updates integrate tweaks and new features for early-access users. These builds could be more generally stable, as users might experience heating issues, lags, and freezes. Nova officially opens its BETA testing for the upcoming version of Nova Launcher.
What’s New in the Nova Launcher 8.1.1 APK
There are many major under-the-hood performance improvements, and it is based on AOSP’s Launcher 3.
- Visual Changes
- Add the weather icon to Search, Swipe down to respond to the icon, windowed folder, DuckDuckGo Search, and lens on the Search bar.
- Adjust the theme icon, reshape the icon option, and widget corner radius.
- Android 12 style Popup Menu
- Hide Clock
- Long-press on the app to save the APK
- Disable Swipe to initiate open drawer
- Widget Search
How to Join Nova Launcher Beta Launcher
There are two official ways to participate in Beta testing: you can install a local APK or download it from the Google Play Store.
Join Beta Testing on the Google Play Store
- Open the Nova Launcher Beta Invitation
- Click on Become a Beta Tester
- That’s it!
After signing up for the beta testing, you will receive the Beta update on your device. Install the update and open the app to use Nova Launcher 8.1.1 on your device.
Download and Install Nova Launcher BETA APK
- Join Nova Launcher Discord Server
- After that, go to the Releases channel to check the app
- Download the latest Beta APK and run the installation. Ensure you have enabled ‘unknown source installation.’
- Launch it and Enjoy.
Enable New Features
Some new features come with the latest beta, so let’s check it out without further ado.
How to enable the Weather icon in the Search Bar
- Open Nova Launcher Settings (Long Press on the home screen to see Settings)
- Click on the Search Bar
- From there, Choose the Desktop Search bar
- Scroll down, and under additional action, Choose Weather
- That’s it!
How to adjust Widget Corner Radius
- Open Nova Settings
- Tap on Home Screen
- Use the slider to adjust the Corner radius
- That’s it. Test it and choose what suits you the best.
How to disable swipe to open drawer
- Open Nova Launcher
- Go to Drawer and Tap on App Drawer
- Scroll down and toggle Pull to search accordingly.
- That’s it!
Hopefully, this guide has been helpful, and you have successfully installed the Nova Launcher on your device. If you have any queries, feel free to share them with us in the comment section below.