Microsoft is finally releasing its Android Launcher app version 6 to consumers. This new version of the launcher is built on a new codebase and includes multiple new features.
Microsoft Launcher v6 comes with Personalized News, Landscape mode, Customizable App Icons, Bing-Supported Wallpaper, Dark Theme, and numerous performance improvements like speed to load, low memory utilization, battery optimization and fluent animations.
New features
- Personalized news: Stay in the know. The personalized news feed updates throughout the day with top trending stories, making it easy to stay on top of whatever’s relevant to you.
- Landscape mode: Microsoft Launcher supports vertical and horizontal orientations to enhance your viewing preference.
- Customizable icons: Give your phone a consistent look and feel with custom icon packs and adaptive icons.
- Beautiful wallpapers: Enjoy a fresh new wallpaper from Bing every day or choose your own photos.
- Dark theme: Reduce eye strain when using your phone at night or in low light environments. This feature is compatible with Android’s default dark mode settings.
- Improved performance: Microsoft Launcher now loads faster, uses less memory, is more battery efficient, and offers fluent animations.
New App Icon
Microsoft Launcher requirements
- Phone supporting Android version 7.0 or higher
- You must download Microsoft Launcher from Google Play Store. Downloading Microsoft Launcher will replace the default launcher. Microsoft Launcher does not replicate the user’s PC home screen on the Android phone. Users must still purchase and/or download any new apps from Google Play.
Known issues
- Native Android 10 navigation gestures may not work for all phone manufacturers and models.
- System dark theme is supported on devices with Android 8.0 and above.
- Setting 3rd-party launchers as Default is only supported on select OEM devices.
- Sticky notes sync issues may occur after upgrading to v6.
- Notification badges may need to be enabled again after v6 upgrade.
Download Microsoft Launcher
You can get the app from Google Play. Here's the link
This is a gradual rollout to general public so you may not be able to download immediately.
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A rushed release. Many bugs are still there, many features from the previous version are missing too. Sigh.