Smart Launcher and KWGT maker Kustom Industries to merge into new brand Wild Pixels
Smart Launcher and Kustom Industries, the team behind the KWGT widget toolkit, are merging into a new brand called Wild Pixels, promising tighter integration between their Android products.
The two teams said the combination will let them build tighter integrations between their products than either could have achieved on its own. In their joint statement they said such partnerships would have been much harder to build separately, framing the merger as a way to link the two product lines more closely rather than keep them as independent apps.
Concrete details about what Wild Pixels will ship remain scarce. The teams said only that new tweaks and optimizations are coming soon, without naming the apps involved, setting a release date or describing how the integration will work in practice. The announcement arrived through a Reddit AMA rather than a formal press release or blog post, and no financial terms, ownership split or completion date for the merger were disclosed.
Smart Launcher is one of the custom launchers available to Android users. It is distinguished from many of its rivals by features such as universal search and a custom RSS feed, additions that have kept it a step apart from other home screen replacements on the platform. Kustom Industries built KWGT, a widely used widget creator that lets Android users design their own home screen widgets, and the studio has become a familiar name among users who customize their phones heavily. The two products are often used together, since a custom launcher and a custom widget builder both act on the same home screen.
The merger creates a single organization covering both the launcher and the widget side of Android customization. What that means for existing Smart Launcher and KWGT users, including whether the apps will continue as standalone products or be folded into shared features, has not been stated. Android Authority reported that details around the upcoming products remain scant and that the two teams have promised new tweaks and optimizations soon.
Editor's Summary
Smart Launcher and Kustom Industries, the maker of KWGT, are merging under a new brand name, Wild Pixels, announced through a joint Reddit AMA. The two teams say the move will allow deeper integration between their Android launcher and widget products, though specific features, timelines and terms have not been disclosed. Both apps are established tools for Android users who customize their home screens.