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The KitKat version of GoogleHome.apk is already beyond bitrot; it's "an empty shell that forwards all requests to the [proprietary Google] search app" (which manages the home screen in KitKat), per ArsTechnica:

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/11/google-just-pulled-a-...

This leaves it unclear what you get for a launcher with an AOSP build of KitKat, but it certainly is drifting farther from the official Android experience.



Arstechnia hasn't done enough research.

You can (and I have) fetch the new Launcher from AOSP, compile it and run it very easily as a separate application. The Google Experience Launcher is a closed source Google app based on this which integrates Google Now.

https://android.googlesource.com/platform/packages/apps/Laun...


>which integrates Google Now

I now know which app I'm ditching once I get a 4.4 device.


Fair enough.

I'm a huge fan of Google Now so hopefully I can continue to use it if I decide to switch to a custom launcher.




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