The Rootless Pixel Launcher was removed from the Play Store last week due to some violations of the Play Store’s policy. Apparently, the launcher does the downloading for you automatically of apps coming from unknown sources. It may be convenient at first but it’s annoying and exposes the smartphone to security risks and malware. The developer submitted an appeal to the tech giant and looks like an approval has been given. There is no official announcement but we can now see the Rootless Launcher on the Google Play Store.
The ‘Pixel’ in the name is noticeably absent but it’s not the main change. The app has already removed the download app prompt. The solution is to download the Rootless Pixel Bridge app manually because the Rootless Launcher will not do it for you.
The Rootless Pixel Bridge is needed before you can use the Rootless Launcher. It’s such a minor task we’re pretty sure you won’t mind doing so. That’s better compared to having your device open to vulnerabilities you may not know about.
Your phone will show a prompt if you don’t have the Rootless Pixel Bridge. It’s needed to connect to the Google Feed. Make sure you have the latest version though. Otherwise, the Rootless Launcher will not work.
The changelog discovered lists the following improvements: removal of the Rootless Pixel Bridge installation code, showing of launch shortcut in other launchers and the Play Store, specify tablets that are supported, and a new icon with material design version.
Amir Zaidi, the developer of the app launcher (Rootless Pixel Launcher), shared installation instructions on his Github page.
(1) Proceed to https://github.com/amirzaidi/AIDLBridge/releases/latest
(2) Under assets, choose “pixelbridge.apk”
(3) Let your phone download the said apk file
(4) Install the file as an app
(5) Go to the settings of the launcher
(6) Enable the “Display Google app” option
(7) Go into your phone’s security settings (optional step)
(8) Disable “installation from unknown sources” if you enabled it for the installation (optional step)
Download Rootless Launcher from the Google Play Store
