Samsung recently unveiled the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus, showing off flagship smartphones with top-of-the-line specifications and powerful features.
One of the new things that can be found in the Galaxy S8 is a new launcher, which is not yet available for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. The Galaxy S8 will not be released until April 21, but Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge users can already get a taste of the upcoming flagship smartphone by installing the new launcher.
Samsung's New Experience Launcher On Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge
The new launcher by Samsung, named the Experience Launcher, replaces the TouchWiz Home on the Galaxy S8. Developer takerhbk wasted no time in working on the launcher, and has already successfully ported it to be able to work on the older Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.
takerhbk uploaded the APK of the Samsung Galaxy S8's launcher on the XDA Developers forum, and installing the Experience Launcher on the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge is easy and does not require the smartphones to be rooted.
How To Install The Galaxy S8 Launcher On The Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 Edge
The first step is to clear the data on the TouchWiz Home, including uninstalling all updates that have been applied to the old launcher. This will erase the current configuration of the home screen of the smartphone, and will require users to rearrange the icons on their Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge after the process is completed.
To perform this step, users will need to enter the Applications menu under Settings, select All Apps, tap on the three-dot menu to choose Show System Apps, and then select TouchWiz Home. Users should then head to the Storage option and tap Clear Data, then head back to the Application Info screen for the launcher, tap the three-dot menu and select Uninstall Updates.
With TouchWiz Home back to its original state to prevent compatibility issues with app data and the new launcher, users should then download the Experience Launcher APK, as uploaded by takerhbk.
Users will need to enable the Unknown Sources option under Lock Screen and Security in the Settings menu. Once activated, users will have to utilize a File Manager app to locate the Downloads folder within the internal storage of the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge and transfer the file to that folder. Users can then install the Experience Launcher using the APK's built-in package installer.
What Does The Experience Launcher Offer?
Compared to the TouchWiz Home, the Experience Launcher has a much smoother operation, with far less redraws. There is no longer an app button, with users able to pull up the app drawer by swiping up anywhere on the smartphone's screen.
There is the chance that all this is not needed, as Samsung might push out the Experience Launcher in a future update to the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge. However, for impatient users, the described method works flawlessly, in addition to not requiring a rooted device.
Bixby, the AI assistant of Samsung that is supposedly exclusive for the Galaxy S8, has also been unofficially ported to be used in older smartphones.
