Advertisement

Google's Android launcher lets you pretend you're using Lollipop

So you're still waiting for your Android phone's upgrade to Lollipop, and you don't want to look behind the times when your Nexus-toting friends show up. What to do? As of today, you only need to make sure you're using both the Google Now Launcher and a new version of Google's search app. The update gives you some of Lollipop's Material Design look in the Google search bar, app tray and some animations; previously, the launcher mimicked whatever version of Android you were running. This is largely a cosmetic tweak and won't really make you forget about all the Android 5.0 features you're missing, but it could tide you over for a short while.