Google could renovate the home screen on its 2016 Nexus devices - CNET

Google's upcoming Nexus mobile devices may sport some renovations to the home screen.

The 2016 models reportedly will feature a redesigned home screen with changes to the app drawer and other key features, blog site Android Police said on Monday, citing "multiple reliable sources."

Specifically, Google will do away with the app launcher button at the bottom of the screen, which opens the app drawer showing your installed software, according to screenshots of the changes. Instead, you'll be able to open the app drawer by swiping up at the bottom of the screen or tapping on a small arrow that will appear above the app dock.

To close the drawer, you can either swipe down on the screen or tap the back button. Removing the app launcher button frees up space for another icon in the app dock.

A well-designed home screen should give you quick and easy access to key features so you don't have to swipe from one screen to another. The home screen is the first thing you see when you fire up your mobile device, so a better home screen matters.