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Nova Launcher Beta adds support for Android 7.1 app shortcuts

The beta version of the popular Nova launcher for Android has been updated, adding support for app shortcuts in Android 7.1 Nougat.
By
October 27, 2016
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The latest beta version of the highly popular Nova Launcher for Android is rolling out in the Google Play Store. Beta testers who also have Android 7.1 Nougat installed are supposed to have support for the operating system’s new app shortcuts feature.

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We say “supposed to” because, according to Droid Life, the new apps shortcut feature for the Nova Launcher beta does not work on Google’s new Pixel phones, but apparently does work for other phones that have Android 7.1 installed. Keep in mind this is a beta and that means bugs will be found and, hopefully, squashed before the final version is released.

The new beta of the Nova Launcher also has a backport of some Android 7.1 launcher shortcuts to Android 5.1 and 6.0. It also allows users to display weather in the Google Search bar.  Finally, this new version brings some unnamed “fixes and optimizations”.

Interested in becoming a beta tester? First you’ll need to sign up to to be a tester at this link, then head to the Play Store to grab the update.

What are your impressions of this latest beta of Nova Launcher? Are the app shortcuts working for you in Android 7.1?