As one of the most anticipated Android phones of 2016, the Pixel and Pixel XL are made by Google, not by HTC or LG, like previous Nexus models. Instead of using HTC’s Sense UI or LG’s UX, the Pixel phones come with the newly designed Pixel Launcher. This launcher features the Google Now pane on the left side of the screen and an app drawer that can be opened with a swipe up on any home screen. While we love these new features, some users have requested to uninstall the Pixel Launcher so they can use Nova Launcher instead.
The Pixel Launcher that comes pre-installed on your device when you purchase it from Google has some great functionality, but it’s not for everyone. If you want to remove the Pixel Launcher from your device, here’s how to do it in five easy steps! It doesn’t take much time or effort and can improve your overall experience by making your home screen more personalized to your liking.
Step 1: Open Settings
To begin, open your Settings app and scroll down until you find Apps. Tap on that and then go to All. Scroll through the list of apps until you find Pixel Launcher and tap on it. You should now see a settings panel for that app. Tap on Storage at the top of this panel, then tap on Uninstall. If this option is not available, tap on Clear Data instead. This will reset your launcher settings as well as remove any widgets or changes that have been made to it, but it will leave all of your apps intact. Now just hit Uninstall when prompted and confirm by tapping OK when asked if you’re sure. The same process can be used for deleting any other launchers on your device.
It’s important to note that after installing another launcher, there may be an icon labeled Pixel Launcher in the upper left corner of your screen even though you no longer use it. Tapping this icon will launch the old launcher again. One way to get rid of this notification is by going into Settings > Apps > Google > Services and tapping three dots (…) next to Google Services Framework > Notification and turning off Show Notifications Icon
Step 2: Scroll down to Apps
From here, scroll down and tap on Pixel Launcher. You’ll be given two options: Uninstall or Disable. If you’re planning on getting rid of the launcher completely, choose Uninstall. If you plan on installing it back later, select Disable and the launcher will still be there if you ever need it again. Once you’ve made your decision, just press OK and wait for a few seconds for the app to remove itself from your phone. When it’s done, go ahead and close out of the Apps page. Congratulations! You’ve removed the Pixel Launcher from your device with relative ease. Just make sure that you are ready before taking this step; it cannot be undone! And now, without further ado… Step 3: Scroll down to System apps: Here, find all of the system apps (usually at the bottom). The one we want is called Google Play Services. Press on it and then scroll down to App Info. Now tap on Uninstall Updates. That should do it – but if you still can’t find what you’re looking for after a thorough search, let us know in the comments below and we’ll try our best to help!
Step 3: Select an app from your list
Select an app from your list and tap on it. This will open a screen where you can select whether you want to keep it or delete it. You can also select another option, which is Uninstall updates. Tap on this option if you wish to revert back to the previous version of the app. Once done, tap on Done. On the next screen, there will be two options- Keep this app and Delete all user data. You can select either one of these options according to what you desire. If you have selected Keep this app, then continue tapping until you get out of Settings and are back on your home screen with no apps installed. If you have selected Delete all user data, then your phone will restart automatically and after it has booted up again, there will be no apps installed.
Step 4: Tap on App Info
Tap on App Info. This will take you back to your home screen and load up the app info for all of your installed apps. Tap on Pixel Launcher. Scroll down and tap on Uninstall. Confirm by tapping OK at the bottom of your screen, and that’s it! You’ve successfully uninstalled one more app from your phone. Now go ahead and use this step-by-step guide to get rid of some other apps as well! If you find that deleting an app is not enough, try disabling or uninstalling them both. To disable an app, open your Settings menu and navigate to Applications or Apps, then tap on Application Manager. There you should see a list of all your apps with three buttons at the top: On, Off and Storage. Choose the button beside any disabled application and select Disabled under the storage tab. Once disabled, the button will change to On if pressed again. Keep going through these six steps until every unnecessary application is deleted!
Step 5: Scroll down and tap on Disable
When you tap on Disable, a popup box will ask if you are sure. Tap on Disable again and your phone will be back at whatever launcher it was using before.
After you disable the app, all of its settings will disappear from your phone and if you want them back, you’ll need to download it again. But once it’s disabled, everything goes back to normal. You can go into your Settings, App Manager, Apps List and scroll down to find Google Services Framework. Long-press that icon until a pop-up menu comes up with three options: Uninstall Updates (to revert back to an older version), Change Update Settings (to automatically update) or Disable Services (to stop updates). The third option is what you’re looking for: Tap on Disable to stop Google Services Framework from automatically updating.
Conclusion
1. Open Settings and go to Apps.
2. Find and tap on Google Home, then hit Uninstall updates.
3. Restart your phone and open Settings again, head back to Apps > All Apps and find the Pixel Launcher app.
4. Tap on it, then hit uninstall.
5. Once your phone reboots, go back into Settings > Personal > Backup & reset > Factory Data Reset > Reset Phone (or Restore from backup). 6. A prompt will ask if you want to keep or delete all of your data, select Keep my data and continue with the process by selecting Delete all my data as well as Reset Phone at the bottom of this prompt box.
