Microsoft has updated its Android Launcher app to version 6, giving the software a great visual overhaul and a performance upgrade in addition to its existing functionality.
Launcher version 6 has a new app icon, dark mode, daily wallpaper function (provided by Bing), customizable icons, and now also works in landscape orientation. There’s also a custom news feed that updates throughout the day and overall performance improvements, including faster charging and reduced battery discharge, thanks to a new code base.
The app is available to download here from the Google Play Store, and you can read more about the changes in the Microsoft blog post about the launch here.
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The Launcher app has always been an interesting experiment for Microsoft, giving the company a foothold on the world’s largest mobile platform and a place to explore how Windows integrates with Android. But this latest update appears to be paving the way for Microsoft’s most ambitious Android launch to date: the dual-screen Surface Duo.
Microsoft introduced the Surface Duo last year and says it will launch the device, which runs on Android, in late 2020. The new Launcher app looks like a test run for some of the device’s aesthetics and the inclusion of a landscape mode it makes sense for the dual-screen Duo. If you want to know what Microsoft will do with your first Android device, the update Launcher app is a good start.
