C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is preparing to tweak the widget list in the Pixel Launcher to show a filtered set of widgets by default.
- You’ll still be able to see all available widgets by tapping on a button, though.
- It’s not clear how the Pixel Launcher will determine which widgets to show and which to hide by default.
If you want to spice up or add functionality to your home screen, there are many unique Android widgets available. Even if your favorite Android apps don’t offer them, you’ll find plenty of widget-providing apps. In fact, the sheer number of options might make choosing which ones to add difficult. To simplify this for Pixel users, Google is preparing to tweak the Pixel Launcher so its widget list won’t show all available widgets by default.
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While digging through the second developer preview of Android 16 that Google recently released, I found the following strings in the Pixel Launcher app:
Code
Show all widgets
Show all
Showing all widgets These strings suggest that the Pixel Launcher’s widget list will add a new button to show all widgets. Currently, the list shows all available widgets by default, so this addition implies a future change. Indeed, while poking around in the Pixel Launcher’s code, I discovered a flag for a new “tiered widgets” feature. This feature will filter the default widget list and add the aforementioned button.
The flag for this “tiered widgets” feature isn’t enabled in Android 16 DP2 or in Android 15 QPR2 Beta 2, where it also appears. This is why the Pixel Launcher’s widget list still shows all available widgets by default. I haven’t been able to manually enable the flag yet, so I don’t have any screenshots of the new “tiered widgets” list. However, it’s easy to imagine what it will look like.
With the Android 15 update for Pixel phones, Google introduced widget recommendations to the Pixel Launcher. The launcher now reserves space at the top of the widget list for system-recommended widgets, categorized by type, such as “Social” or “Entertainment.” It’s likely the new default view will only show these recommendations, requiring users to tap “Show all” to see the complete list.
Of course, since Google hasn’t actually rolled this feature out yet, it’s possible it’ll change before release. Personally, I’d prefer Google to adopt a two-page, swipe-based widget list like Nothing OS 3.0. While I prefer swiping to tapping, we’ll have to wait and see Google’s final approach.
I’m also curious about the Pixel Launcher’s recommendation algorithm. Some developers might object to an opaque system determining which widgets are recommended, so I hope Google provides more transparency about the filtering process.
