[Update: More grid layouts] OnePlus Launcher v4.5.6 adding toggle between Google Discover Feed and OnePlus Shelf

Damien Wilde | Jul 20 2020 - 6:50 am PT

It looks as though the latest OnePlus Launcher v4.5.6 build looks as though it’s adding more options to manage your OnePlus Shelf and Google Discover Feeds.

[Update 07/20]: The OnePlus Launcher v4.5.6 update is now officially rolling out via the Google Play Store to beta testers. One downside is that it doesn’t look like the Discover Feed toggle is being added widely this time. It may have only been made available to a limited subset of users before potentially coming in a future build — or so we hope.

However, it’s not all bad news though, as the OnePlus Launcher v4.5.6 build is giving you more options for your homescreen layouts. The update is bringing a long overdue grid layout adjustment options, with the ability to adjust icon size, too. You’ll no doubt have seen these options in third-party launchers for years now, so this isn’t exactly a “new” inclusion, but one that makes it much easier to stick with the stock OnePlus Launcher.

What’s new

Added more options in the Grids layout of the Home screen

General bug fixes

This change was made part of the OnePlus Launcher v4.5.4 build with an optional downward swipe bringing back the Shelf for those that like the quick access panel. Now it looks as though the OnePlus Launcher v4.5.6 has added — or is testing — a dedicated toggle for you to switch between the Google Discover Feed and your OnePlus Shelf. As far as usability changes go, it’s pretty minor.

However, if you do like to get access to favorite contacts, applications, your step counter, and all the goodness that comes from the OnePlus Shelf, then it’s a nice little addition that is arguably better than the swipe-down gesture.

We’re not sure if this means that the swipe-down gesture has been removed entirely, or if this is just another alternative for quickly getting to and from your Google Discover Feed and OnePlus Shelf feed. With that said, you can see the new quick toggle in action below:

It seems as though the option is not available to everyone as even on some of our own OnePlus 8 series devices, we do not have the toggle available having updated to this latest OnePlus Launcher v4.5.6 build. Initially, this indicates that this could simply need to be enabled via a server-side switch — which isn’t that uncommon nowadays.

Our tipster also notes that he is also running the latest version of the Google app, which might also have contributed to this change but it is unlikely. For those of you that are not fans of the recent swipe-down gesture, this looks like a solid alternative to quickly see key information and news at a glance — and in one place.

Alternatively, if you’ve seen the quick-toggle between Google Discover and OnePlus Shelf on your OnePlus device then let us know down in the comments section below.

Dylan Roussel contributed to this article.