If there’s only a single reason why Android is a fantastic platform then that reason must be the incredible freedom users get when it comes to customizing their experience. An important aspect of that customization is choosing one of the numerous third-party launchers that are available on the Play Store and if you simply can’t decide what to install on your phone, you can’t really go wrong with Action Launcher. Action Launcher is one of the most popular and customizable Android launchers available and as it happens, it will soon be updated with the style of round icons that are present in stock Android 7.1 Nougat, i.e. its Pixel Launcher. For the uninitiated, the Pixel Launcher is the rebranded successor to the Nexus Launcher that is set to debut on the new Pixel smartphones.
In any case, once the Action Launcher gets updated with Pixel-styled icons—which may already be the case in your region—you’ll have three ways of activating them. Namely, as some Android apps are already shipping with round Pixel icons, you can opt to only use those and leave the rest as it is by going to the Action Launcher’s settings, opening the Display menu and selecting the “Prioritize round icons” option. If you don’t like all of the new icon variants, there’s also a way to activate new Pixel icons on an individual basis by selecting them on the Quick-Edit screen while customizing your app shortcut. Of course, this only works if the app shortcut you’re editing has actually been updated with the new icon. Last but not least, if you use a lot of obscure apps whose developers aren’t that quick with updating less crucial stuff such as icons, you can simply replace all icons with a generic pack by opening the icon pack menu on the Action Launcher’s display screen and selecting the “Pixel Launcher” option.
If you’re interested in seeing the new icons in action before trying to use them on your device or before the new Action Launcher update rolls out in your region, check out the video below which pretty much showcases the new Pixel-styled icons. As for those who are only interested in the “real” thing, they can already download Pixel Launcher even if they’re aren’t yet running Nougat.