The new Android 4.4 KitKat delivers multiple fresh changes, including modified homescreen, but with a few caveats. For Nexus 5 smartphone, Android 4.4 permanently adds the Google Now panel located at the far left of the homescreen, which could be somewhat annoying when users need to deal with specific workflow. For non-Nexus 5 devices, they get a sub-variant of Android 4.4 KitKat that lacks certain visual touches.

Many users find themselves wanting that they could get the new Android 4.4-like homescreen regardless of what situation they are in. Fortunately, there is an easy way to do this, using Nova, a custom Android launcher. The development team behind Nova is still working with the launcher to deliver KitKat’s interface to users.

Here are steps users need to take:

1. Go to Google+ and look for the Nova Launcher Beta group. Join it to participate with the beta program. There should be a download link to get the latest beta version that goes directly to the Google Play Store.
2. Once the latest Nova app is installed, tap the Nova icon, go to the option menu and set the app as the default for that particular process.
3. Go to Nova Settings interface to tweak a number of details to achieve the desired Android 4.4 effects. Also make sure that the “Icon Font” in the “Look and Feel” is set to Condensed. Because Android 4.4 uses large icons, it’s necessary to to increase the font size past the standard 100 percent mark. The actual font size actually depends on the display resolution and size used by a device, so it’s necessary to play around with this a bit more. But in some cases, users find that 120 percent is just about right. It should be noted that this settings require the Nova Prime upgrade, that’s available in the Play Store for $4. It unlocks many useful settings. But we could always leave the fonts smaller for now, if you don’t find it necessary to buy a paid upgrade pack. Again tap the “Color Theme” option in the “Look and Feel” interface and choose the white-colored box. Also in the “Look and Feel” interface, enable the “Transparent notification bar”. But because it is a system-wide setting, it may not be available in certain device.
4. Go to “Look and Feel > Icon Theme and choose Google KitKat.
5. Head back to the main interface of Nova Settings and go to Desktop > Scroll Effect. Choose “None”. Also in the “Desktop” interface, choose the “Scroll Indicator” and set it to something that resembles five dots. Also choose the “Persistent search bar” option and set it to “Always”. This allows the default search bar to show up automatically on any homescreen panel. However, some users may find it more desirable to deviate from the stock Android setup and choose to leave the search bar off. In this case, they can decide to put the search widget manually where they want it.
6. The head to the main Settings interface and choose “Drawer”. Drag the “Background Transparency” slider to about 75 percent. Still in the “Drawer” interface, go to the Small Tabs > Menu Action and set it to “None”.
7. Return to the main Settings interface and choose “Folders”. Set the “Folder Background” to Circle. Check the “Light Background” and drag the “Background Transparency” slider to the left.

Users can go back to the homescreen and check whether their phone already have the Android 4.4 KitKat look, but without the Google Now panel.