14 DAY TRIAL // Android launchers are among the most popular applications on Google’s phone platform, and it’s a product category that even tech giant Microsoft decided to focus on as part of its mobile push.
Apex Launcher has until now been one of the most popular choices thanks to a rich feature lineup, but as it turns out, this is all going to end with version 4.0.
Because as per this reddit thread, the most recent major update for the launch is a nightmare which leads to users losing their settings, instead having the app turned “into an advertisement platform.”
Specifically, Apex Launcher 4.0 comes with a series of controversial changes that are applied without clear warnings, removing key features and without allowing users to restore their settings.
Way too many “Pro” features
Furthermore, Apex Launcher no longer provides easy access to widgets and the search widget has been updated to use Yahoo. One user explains:
“Woke up in the middle of the night, glanced at my phone, and thought I was dreaming since it wasn't "my" phone. The icons were tiny, my custom icons were gone, my widgets were AWOL, and the app drawer now had a search bar and was completely different than what I was used to. Woke up this morning to realize that all of the customization I'd done over the years was gone and there was no way to get it back since the features were now removed.”
Somewhat ironic is that Apex Launcher developers label this as “the long-awaited major update,” without providing any other information in the release notes published on the Google Play Store about what’s changed.
As far as the advertisements are concerned, users can purchase Apex Launcher Pro, an ad-free launcher that is supposed to provide a cleaner experience on Android.
And yet, judging from the public backlash that started following the release of update to version 4.0, many users are planning to switch to other launchers, like Nova. Downgrading to version 3.3.3 (download link here) is also a handy option.
