OnePlus has just released a new update for its in-house OnePlus launcher for its devices in the market. The new update brings pushes the version number of the OnePlus launcher to 4.4. As part of the update, the company has refreshed the “Recents” app switching screen. The refresh comes with some noticeable changes including the new app icons at the bottom. These app icons provide an easy overview of all the open app at the bottom of the screen. This also makes app switching more easy and seamless. For some context, the launcher is one of the core aspects of any Android smartphone. Let’s check out all the other changes that come with the new update.
OnePlus launcher 4.4 update details
According to a report from Android Police, the new update also makes some changes to the overall animation. The older version of the OnePlus launcher reduced the size of select app preview cards in the “Recents” screen. Taking a closer look, all the apps not in focus where smaller in size in the older version. In addition, the app in focus, the one in the middle featured had the largest preview card. Now, all the app preview cards sport a similar size. In addition, the app previews no longer come with a three-dot menu on the top left corner. Instead, this new version introduces a new method to access additional settings.
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Users now need to press and hold the app in focus to access additional settings. These settings include locking an app, accessing “App info” for a particular app or opening the app in a split view. In addition, the close button with the “X” symbol at the bottom of the “Recents” screen has also gone. OnePlus has replaced that close button with a new button with the text “Close Apps”.
The app update also comes with some other new features. These include accessing the app search by partially-opening the app drawer. You need to swipe slowly from the bottom to directly activate the search. Talking about the apps icons at the bottom in the “Recents” screen, one can tap on any of the icons to directly jump to the app instead of flicking around. This new update comes just hours before the company plans to launch its latest OnePlus 8 Series flagship smartphone lineup. The OnePlus 8 Series will likely come with this new launcher out of the box.
