Tag: Smart

Android Google

New Pixel 8 Pro Leaks Reveal Google’s Smart Decision

Ahead of its “Made By Google” event and the launch of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Google has made the decision to delay the release of Android 14

Many of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro improvements will be found in the software. With the two handsets expected to be some of the first to ship with Android 14, many of the apps and services will have been built around the Android 14 codebase. This makes it all the more interesting that Google has decided to delay the release of the source code of Android 14.

The expectation was that the release version of Android 14 would have been published on September 5th through the Android Open Source Project page, at which point the software would have cascaded through the ecosystem, be it small hobbyist projects right up to multinational manufacturers. Mishaal Rahman reports that the delay is down to security vulnerabilities in the latest Android Security Release Notes will be published on October 4th… which many are taking as the new launch date of Android 14, and is also the day before Google’s launch event for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

The delay to the final release is not entirely unexpected; Google released an unscheduled fifth beta to Android 14 in the middle of August, suggesting that more work and more testing was required. This delay backs that up.

What happens with other manufacturers who are planning to launch their own operating systems based around Android 14 (such as OnePlus’ OxygenOS 14, which was announced last week as arriving on September 25th) remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, this will be the first Pixel launch which syncs up with the release of the Android

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Android Apps

Latest Smart Launcher update brings themed icons to any Android phone

One of the major benefits of Android is extensive customization options. People on Android devices can change the default text, themes, or even the default launcher, by picking from some of the best in the business. While Nova Launcher often makes the news as the most popular third-party Android launcher, Smart Launcher has also emerged as a popular name in the segment. The developer’s latest update now adds a feature that even stock Android phones like the Pixel 7 don’t fully support yet — themed app icons for unsupported apps.


Google was found to be working on its own implementation of forced app icon theming with Android 13 QPR2 Beta 2 earlier this year. But as we found out a couple of months ago courtesy of Mishaal Rahman, this implementation is far from perfect right now. So if you’re still struggling to get all app icons to adapt to the system theme, Smart Launcher’s upcoming version 6.3 update is a decent option to check out.

The developers claim the new update will begin rolling out in Summer 2023, with no specific date provided. But since summer has technically begun, we shouldn’t be too far away from Smart Launcher version 6.3’s rollout. Among the notable features listed in the changelog is the launcher’s ability to apply a themed icon to any app icon on the device, even if the app’s developers haven’t enabled support yet.

Our favorite aspect here is that themed icons can come to practically any Android device using this custom launcher’s upcoming update. The Smart Launcher team shared a tweet to drive the point home, highlighting a Google Pixel 2 XL on Android 11 running themed app icons.

Smart Launch v6-3-Pixel 2XL

Here’s the entirety of the Smart Launcher v6.3 changelog:

  • Introducing the new Weather widget, a multi-page widget that displays forecasts
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