How to Install the Nothing Launcher on Your Phone
Ever since Nothing began life in 2020, its movements have been carefully tracked. The British company was founded by Carl Pei, co-founder of OnePlus, and launched its first product, Ear (1), last year.
These affordable headphones were generally well-received, but it always felt like the smartphone was the product that Nothing was aiming for. This has become a reality with the official announcement of the phone (1) due this summer.
A lot of questions are related to the hardware of the device, but Nothing already gives us an idea about the software. The Android Launcher Beta is now available and you can try it if you have a compatible device. Here’s everything you need to know.
Is my phone compatible with the Nothing launcher?
Nothing may have released a beta version of their Android launcher on the Google Play store, but you won’t be able to download it on most devices. The company confirmed it only works on the following phones:
- Samsung Galaxy S22
- Samsung Galaxy S22+
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S21
- Samsung Galaxy S21+
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Google Pixel 6
- Google Pixel 6 Pro
- Google Pixel 5a
- Google Pixel 5
Support for OnePlus phones is apparently “coming soon”. It’s also likely to be limited to the latest flagships.
How to install Nothing Launcher
Trying out the Nothing launcher is as easy as switching to any other Android launcher. We installed it on a Pixel 5 running Android 12, but the process is very similar on Samsung phones:
- Open the Google Play Store and search for “blank launcher” or just click here.
- Tap the appropriate result, then select Install.
- Once installed, go to Settings > Apps > Default Apps > Home App.
- Click “Nothing Launcher” to switch
Return to the main screen and you will see that the Nothing Launcher is running. If you prefer a video tutorial, the first 26 seconds of the video below shows how it’s done:
See how to install Nothing Launcher (beta) and provide feedback on Discord. pic.twitter.com/beq1W3G2vo
– nothing nothing)
April 28, 2022
How to return to your launcher
Using the Nothing Launcher does not obligate you to anything – quite the contrary. There’s nothing easier than going back to your regular launcher (or whatever):
- Open Settings again and go back to Apps > Default Apps.
- In the “Default Home Application” click on your regular launcher – if you haven’t changed launchers before, there should be only one to choose from
- Return to the main screen and everything will return to normal.
What does the nothing launcher look like?
As Carl Pei teased when he announced the phone (1), the Nothing launcher is very different from traditional Google or Samsung software.
The futuristic design includes new wallpapers as well as a choice of three widgets offering two clock styles (analogue or digital) and weather, all in a distinctive Nothing aesthetic.
Other wallpapers and ringtones are also available, although they are not included with the Launcher – they can be downloaded from the Dropbox folder.
As you can see from the screenshots above, it is possible to increase the size of app and folder icons on the home screen. You can also choose your own icon pack after downloading it from the Play Store, a feature you won’t find in the Pixel launcher.
But the current version of Nothing Launcher also has some notable shortcomings. The “Material You” design in Android 12 only applies to some areas, and the launcher limits you to one home screen, so you can’t install more apps on the second screen on the right, and there’s no Google Discover channel on the left. .
Nothing encourages early adopters to leave feedback via Discord. Hopefully the version that ships with the phone (1) this summer will have more features worth talking about.
