Microsoft quietly released its own Android launcher more than two years ago.
It was the basic, functional Arrow Launcher for Android devices, created by an employee as part of the company's Garage experiment. That experiment is getting a major upgrade today with the release of Microsoft Launcher.
While iPhones don't let you customize what happens when you press the Home button, Android devices include launchers that dictate the home screen experience. Microsoft is taking advantage of this to bridge the gap between mobile and PC. Microsoft Launcher will allow Android users to continue viewing photos, editing documents, or reading websites from their mobile to their PC. It's something Microsoft has been experimenting with recently, and "continuation on PC" is also a big part of the new Edge browser for iOS and Android. It's also similar to macOS's Handoff feature.
You can select files on the home screen and enable them to open on a computer. This is great if you're an Android user who uses Microsoft services like OneDrive, Office, and Outlook. That's the type of user this launcher is designed for.
Microsoft's launcher also features information about meetings and calendar reminders, recent photos and news. You can fully customize it, with different light and dark themes and color additions just like Windows 10. It's all designed to match Microsoft's new Fluent Design, which the company is promoting across its products, with subtle hints of light, depth and motion.
If you're already an Arrow Launcher user, then you'll automatically be upgraded to Microsoft's Launcher, any other Android user will be able to download and install the preview today via the Google Play Store.
