Google Now Launcher set to allow home screen rotation

The horizontal mode was previously seen on the developer preview for the Android M, but the idea was scrapped when the finalized software was released to the public. The Google Now Launcher is the default home screen on Nexus devices, while users of other Android devices will need the Google app and the “Google Now Launcher” enabler app.

By installing the Google search app (if you don’t have it already) and the latest version of the Google Now Launcher, you’ll get both the auto-rotation and icon normalization features.

There are technically no new features to speak of, but Google has made a handful of improvements to the Google+ app and user interface. Many developers totally ignore the guidelines in favor of just creating the biggest icon possible, which often leaves Android’s app drawer and home screen an inconsistent mess. But it looks like Google is bringing it back, and hopefully, for good. But now Google is forcing icons to assume a unified size, pleasing design pedants everywhere.

At the same time, the next update should find a way to optimize the experience by making the widgets resize properly when the users switches to landscape mode.

The update should be live now, so jump into Google Play below to grab it. Google’s solution is to enforce a single size, instead of asking developers – which does not seem to have any effect – to stick to its guidelines. For those keen to try the version, they can manually download and install it via the Google-signed apk via APK Mirror.

This implies that all the icons will be similar in size to one another.