The ability to customize software as you wish is among the most attractive traits of Android, and Google is looking to give users even more choice with Android 12’s hidden extensive theming options. While these have yet to become available to everyone in the latest developer preview of Android 12, Google is adding yet another grid size option to the Pixel launcher that aims to make your home screen less overwhelming.
The new 4×4 layout (via 9to5Google) differs from the existing 4×4 grid size in that its app icons aren’t as large. It retains the icon size of the default 5×5 layout, giving the homescreen a cleaner, less cluttered look. The new layout appears at the end of the grid size selection menu, but its miniature preview doesn’t visually differ from the existing 4×4 layout. This will probably change in an upcoming beta or by the time the final build of Android 12 ships.
Left: The new option in the grid layout menu. Middle: The existing 4×4 grid layout. Right: The new 4×4 layout.
While it’s nice to see Google supporting more homescreen layouts, it would be even better if the company allowed us to customize icons and icon sizes like many third-party launchers do.
For more about Android 12, check out our ongoing series coverage here, or bookmark our regularly updated changelog and check back in later. If you want to install the developer preview on your own device, find out how in our Android 12 download guide.
