With these tips, Nova Launcher can enhance your Android experience.

1. Hidden Folders

A very good way to get access to all your apps without crowding your main page using folders. With Nova you can create folders that appear as just an icon of your choice. When tapped, the icon opens the first app, but when it slides up, it opens the folder, showing all apps.

I use this for music apps, so when I press the headphones, Deezer opens, but when I swipe up, the Music Player, Soundcloud, Deezer, etc. appear.

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Get more space on your home screen with just one symbol per folder / ANDROIDPIT

To set it up s create a folder normally by dragging all the apps you want into it. Then press and hold the folder and choose To edit. In this menu you can change the icon, the folder name and adjust the Swipe to open and the touch action settings. Enable the Swipe to open and from the touch action menu, choose First Folder Item.

As a bonus, you can still make the folder transparent: New Settings, comes Folders> Background and let the Transparency by 100%.

2. Use gestures in other apps

Another way to use gestures by opening apps related to other apps. For example, my Camera icon is set to open Gallery when I slide my finger over it; Google Calendar lets me add a reminder (I need to install Inbox for Gmail for this function), and Facebook Messenger opens when I slide my finger over the Facebook icon.

To configure, just long tap on the icon in question, select To edit and choose which action you want performed when you slide your finger.

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With a simple upward gesture, I open the photos from the camera pic / ANDROIDPIT

3. Home screen gestures

The other way to enjoy Nova gestures on your Android home screen. Swiping up, the app drawer pops up, but swiping up with two fingers brings me to Nova settings and swiping down with two fingers opens Google Now. The gestures and actions you bring each other are up to you from the user.

Under Settings, go to Gestures and Entries, and in the section Gestures, choose the combinations you prefer.

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Access everything even faster by adapting gestures in Nova Launcher / ANDROIDPIT

4. Two taps to lock

This option is included in the above topic, but I preferred to highlight it because it is something I use a lot but easily overlooked.

Nas New Settings, Gestures and Entries> Double Tapchoose Screen off. Now with just two quick taps on the screen, the device will lock. Of course, other functions may also be assigned to the gesture according to one's preference.

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A quick shortcut with two simple taps / ANDROIDPIT

5. Smooth Scroll

If you add the same widget on different screens of launcher and use the Nova Launcher scroll effect, the launcher makes screen switching very interesting with the widget remaining in the same place, and only the wallpaper and cones move.

To do this, put the same widget on all screens of your launcher, go to Nova Settings, Desktop> Scroll Effect> Wipe.

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This gentle eye roll / ANDROIDPIT

6. Add application tabs to drawer

The app drawer is the main place where we find all the apps on the phone. Nova Launcher lets you better organize the drawer by adding tabs to it. So you can separate apps by categories like internet, entertainment, productivity, etc.

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Organize your apps even better with drawers / ANDROIDPIT

In Settings> Drawer> Tab Bar, enable Tab Bar. In Drawer Groups, on the same page, you can customize how many tabs you want and which apps will appear on them.

7. Use emojis to name your drawer tabs

Tabs are a great idea, but the interface can be even cleaner if we use emojis instead of text. In Settings> Drawer> Drawer Groups, press the pencil next to any tab. In the Edit window, tap the tab name and choose the emoji you want.

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Use emojis to name your app drawers / ANDROIDPIT

8. Experimental Functions and debugging

The final tip for advanced Nova Launcher users. I don't often use that much, but it's a function that can be useful to know.

You can access a secret menu, which contains experimental functions and options for Debugging. To do this, just keep the Volume down pressed until the phrase Labs menu enabled appears at the top of the screen. The Labs menu appears at the end of Settings.

To disable it, keep the Volume up pressed until it is disabled.

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Nova Launcher Labs menu type launcher / ANDROIDPIT Easter egg

note: Except for the trial menu, all functions are only available in the paid version of the app.




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You know other functions that people should be using, but aren't they?

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