Nova Launcher adds new actions, app drawer settings, and more in latest beta [DOWNLOAD]

Kevin Barry, the brains behind the wildly successful Nova Launcher app for Android devices, is adding a healthy helping of new features for his latest beta release. Posted on Google+, new additions include a variety of features from the Google Now Launcher, only they can be turned on/off at will by the user. Here’s the full list of what’s new:

Nova Launcher Beta 4.2.0

• Persistent searchbar in drawer (Settings – Drawer – Searchbar)
• Frequently used apps in drawer (Settings – Drawer – Frequently used)
• Root workaround for Marshmallow slow expand notifications
• Nova Actions for screen lock and Google Now
• Improve handling of double-tap gesture
• New fast scroll in long lists
• Optimize startup time
• Fix widget placeholders after Titanium Backup restore
• Fix persistent search bar moving downward over time
• Fix FCs

All these new features will make their way to the stable release in the coming days, providing no major bugs are found. Our favorite? The new Nova Actions to lock the screen or access Google Now. Pretty slick.

You can download the beta either inside the Nova Launcher settings, by joining the Google+ community, or directly from the developer here.