Google is preparing to kill the Google Now launcher
Google currently has two home screen launchers in the Play Store: Google Now and Pixel. It would be crazy for Google to have two products that do the same thing! Right? To remedy the situation, Google is preparing to discontinue the Google Now Launcher.
In an email sent to GMS partners, Google explained its intention to remove the Google Now launcher from the Store in the coming weeks. OEMs can add the Google Now panel to their own launchers by using the Search Launchers Services library. For OEMs that have been using the GNL as the default, they can use Launcher3 from AOSP or build a new one.
The GNL will be removed from the optional GMS package on March 1st. Any device with the launcher pre-installed after that won’t be approved. The listing should disappear from the Play Store very soon. Have you been using the Google Now Launcher? What will you use as a replacement?
[via AndroidPolice]