Android 14 breaking popular third-party launchers for some Google Pixel users, 'limited' stock launcher being criticized

Here’s the crux of the article in video form:

In the mobile OS segment, one of the reasons why Android stands out is its many customization possibilities, which even include installing third-party launchers. Sadly, it seems that the latest Android 14 update is negatively impacting this feature.

More specifically, Android 14 appears to be ‘breaking’ the use of third-party launchers, as some of the most popular ones are buggy or not working correctly on Google Pixel phones running the update, limiting one of the most appreciated options.

On Android (and other OSs), a launcher is an app that acts as a UI from which you can launch/start other apps and completely change the look of the home screen and app drawer. The launcher determines the available customization options, since there are some more permissive than others in this section. For example, a launcher can offer you multiple styles and designs of custom folders and change the size of icons, while others don’t.

Over the years, each Android OEM has developed their own launcher that expands the possibilities compared to the stock Android launcher. Even companies that use very light Android skins (without too much aesthetic modification) include options that you will not find in stock Android, seeking to improve the user experience.

That said, the Google Pixel launcher is very similar to the stock Android one. This means that the customization possibilities are quite ‘standard’, even feeling limited in some ways for some. Because of this, several Google Pixel fans also have a favorite third-party launcher that allows them to modify the home screen to their liking.

However, after updating their devices to Android 14, numerous Google Pixel users have noticed that their favorite third-party launchers are no longer working as smoothly and stable as before, which is causing a lot of annoyance.

Affected Pixel phones users are reporting multiple issues with third-party launchers on Android 14. One of the most common seems to be apps not running correctly from the launcher, as they are getting stuck on a white screen or on the ‘splash’ screen. There are also cases where the launcher shows erratic behavior both when executing gestures and when trying to open apps, as shown in the following video (by Sorry_Sorry_Im_Sorry on Reddit):

Likewise, there are situations where app icons are disappearing from the home screen, or the ‘recent apps’ section is only showing a white screen, as Redditor Inspirational Owl describes:

Other users even report severe lag and freezing, so much so that the device can get stuck for a couple of minutes without being able to use it while it ‘recovers’. Similarly, some are getting strange visual artifacts (UI glitching) when trying to swipe between different screens.

The most affected launchers seem to be Lawnchair and Nova Launcher, two well-known names in the segment. However, that does not mean that the issue is limited to those two, as complaints can be found about multiple others. Nova Launcher is one of the most popular and complete on the market, being especially valued by the community for years, so its case could be the most notable.

That said, there are Google Pixel users recommending some launchers that are supposedly working well on Android 14. Among those are Microsoft Launcher, Niagara Launcher and Hyperion Launcher; But, there is no guarantee that they will work perfectly for you, as there are a few reports of problems even using those.

To try to help the issue reach Google’s attention and receive a fix faster, Redditor nomisunrider created a bug report on the official Android issues tracker. So, if you are one of those affected and want to contribute, you can access the report (through this link) and add your experience.

Alleged reply from Nova Launcher devs and some workarounds

Redditor BinaryShrub wrote to the Nova Launcher dev team about the issue and got a response confirming that Android 14 is responsible, in addition to the fact that it is affecting several other launchers as well.

The alleged response from the dev team also adds that the issue is apparently solved in Android 14 QPR beta, which means that the fix could be included in the Pixel December patch that will arrive in a few days.

In the meantime, there are some workarounds you can try. A user suggests that it’s all due to issues with the Android 14 animations and that turning off all animation options from ‘Animator Duration Scale’ (Developer Settings) worked for them.

Also, the Nova dev team recommended using 3-button navigation instead of gestures, or waiting 2 – 3 seconds in clicking apps to mitigate the bug.

As we mentioned at the beginning, multiple Android OEMs have made efforts to improve the user experience by adding more customization possibilities in their own launchers. The heaviest custom skins (like One UI or Oxygen OS) are the most complete in this regard, but even light skins (like Nothing OS) add their own touch with options that are not present in the stock Android launcher.

On the other hand, the Google Pixel launcher is quite similar to the stock Android (AOSP) one, which means very few customization options available.

On the positive side, there are Pixel phones users who value the stock launcher smoothness as part of the ‘Pixel experience’, but there are others who consider that it could be much better without sacrificing performance.

For instance, Redditor dvrkstar laments that the Pixel Launcher lacks such basic options as support for third-party icon packs. Furthermore, some widgets cannot be removed or moved (such as ‘At a Glance’ and the Google search bar), permanently occupying a space on the home screen. The launcher even lacks some ‘quality of life’ features like ‘double tap to sleep’.

Other features like stackable widgets and custom covers for home screen folders would also be welcome. Regarding the app drawer, some people are asking for the option to separate apps into categories and folders, as well as being able to tweak background transparency or ‘blur’ while it is open.

We hope that reports about some popular third-party launchers not working on Pixel devices running Android 14 reach the Google dev team and develop a fix soon. It would also be positive if they took into account the feedback from users about all the options that the Pixel Launcher is lacking compared to others.

NOTE: You can also check the Google Pixel Android 14 bugs/issues tracker.

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