Google Now Launcher gets auto-rotate, ugly icon resizing

The Google Now Launcher. Screenshots: Google

The Google Now Launcher. Screenshots: Google

Google has rolled out a Now Launcher update for Android that adds auto-rotate and a nifty icon resizing feature that makes your app drawer and home screens look a whole lot neater.

With auto-rotate, you can now use your home screen in landscape mode if you prefer. This is a feature already offered by many third-party launchers, and it was actually baked into a pre-release version of Android M before Google decided to remove it.

Another feature adopted from other launchers — namely Nova — is automatic icon resizing. Now Launcher detects which icons are taking up too much space, then it makes them smaller so that they don’t stand out like a sore thumb.

As you can see in the GIF below from Ars Technica, this makes your app drawer look a lot prettier.

Much better. GIF: Ars Technica

Much better. GIF: Ars Technica

Google Now Launcher, which comes pre-installed on Nexus devices, gives you a taste of pure Android on almost any smartphone or tablet. It’s free from third-party tweaks, has Google Now built-in — and it’s free to all.

If you don’t already have Google Now Launcher, you can download it by following the source link below. Bear in mind that it might take some time for the latest version with the new features to roll out to everyone, so you may not see them just yet.