Nova Launcher Beta Gets Transparent Status Bar & More For Android 4.4 KitKat
Nova Launcher, one of the most popular third-party launchers for Android, has a new beta release out today, which includes a number of new features and tweaks for Android 4.4 KitKat. In addition to transparent status and navigations bars, the update adds KitKat’s new home screen page indicators and app drawer icon, its folders, its font, and lots more.
The update is only compatible with devices that already support transparent bars, unfortunately, so it won’t add one to your device if you don’t have one already. Here’s a list of handsets it is compatible with:
- Any smartphone running Android 4.4 KitKat, including the Nexus 5
- Samsung Galaxy S III (running Android 4.3 or above)
- Samsung Galaxy S4
- HTC One (rooted)
- Motorola Moto X
- Sony Xperia Z1
And here’s a complete list of the new changes:
- KitKat scroll indicator (Settings > Desktop > Scroll Indicator)
- KitKat folders (Settings > Folders > Light Background and Folder Background > Light Circle)
- KitKat font (Settings > Look and Feel > Icon Font > Condensed, requires Android 4.1+)
- KitKat app drawer (on by default, get the old style by long-press > Edit > tap the icon > Built-in)
- Transparent system bars on Kitkat (Settings > Look and feel > Transparent Notification Bar)
- Transparent nav bar on Moto X (Settings > Look and feel > Transparent Navigation Bar)
- Drawer tab indicator scrolls during tab change
- Drawer scroll indicator is relative to current tab
- Scroll indicators animate properly for infinite scroll
- Backup/Restore from external sdcard (on devices with sdcards)
- Fast scroll for vertical app drawer
- Fixes and optimizations
To access the Nova Launcher beta, first sign up to the Google+ community, then opt into the beta program. Then install Nova Launcher (the free version) if you haven’t already, and you should see an update for the beta in Google Play.
- SourceNova Launcher