Replacement for Briefing/Blinkfeed/Google Now/Shelf... ?

[dlalonde]

So given that the Briefing section is crap on the S7 (basically Flipboard but you can't decide which feed it shows or from what region of the world) and that the Google Now Launcher is going to be removed any time now, I would really like for a replacement. One that would show the weather, calendar, news and so on.

I could do it with widgets but given the space in between, frankly, it's ugly and not really useful.

Does such an app exist?

Thanks!

 

[B. Diddy]

The Google Now Launcher will probably be discontinued, but that doesn't mean that the Google Now interface in the Google app is going anywhere. I suspect that this interface will be around for a while, and can be brought up by tapping the Google app icon (not the search bar).

Have you looked at the Google News & Weather app as well? That's actually a pretty good briefing app.

 

[dlalonde]

The Google Now Launcher will probably be discontinued, but that doesn't mean that the Google Now interface in the Google app is going anywhere. I suspect that this interface will be around for a while, and can be brought up by tapping the Google app icon (not the search bar).

Have you looked at the Google News & Weather app as well? That's actually a pretty good briefing app.

Yeah I have but I'd like to have a gadget that would act like Google Now Launcher's slide to the left (calendar, weather, news, reminders and so on). That's was my favourite feature from Google Now Launcher. I have an S7 and the launcher is quite good as far as I'm concerned. But that feature is one I miss.

 

[LeoRex]

Yeah.. just because Google is deprecating the Google Now Launcher doesn't mean that they are dumping Google Now. From the look of how things are going, I think they are just going to alter the interface somehow and reorganize. Google Now, or the 'Feed' as Google calls it, is part of the core... they aren't going to get rid of it, it'll just be altered a bit.

Think about it... before the Pixels launched, there was some shots of a home screen without the familiar app drawer button and everyone freaked out and lamented having all their icons on the screen, so on and so forth. Then once the dust settled, it turns out the Google was getting rid of the button only.. the drawer is still there, it is just accessible via a gesture rather than a button.

Based on a few things that people have peeped in the APK, I think what we might see is Google getting rid of the swipe left gesture and then burying elements of the Google App's card interface inside Google Assistant (including text input) and accessible via a quick swipe up.

Which would be pretty cool, actually... It'd have the cards available anywhere, at any time, via an easy gesture that won't require you to go back to your homescreen or leave the app you are in at the moment.

 

[B. Diddy]

Yeah I have but I'd like to have a gadget that would act like Google Now Launcher's slide to the left (calendar, weather, news, reminders and so on).

You can install Nova Launcher and set a gesture or the Home button to launch Google Now. On my setup, a tap of the Home button brings up Google Now, while a long-press of Home brings up Assistant.