More Microsoft, more Launcher, welcome to the future

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Yes, yes, I only featured Microsoft Launcher (v5) this morning (see the left column on the home page!) But available now in some regions and rolling out to others in the Android Play Store is the new v6 Microsoft Launcher, with the official changelog listed below. Version 6 is closer to what we'll see on the Surface Duo and you can try it now/soon on any Android phone. Minus the dual screens, of course.

MSPU has compiled a changelog of sorts for v6:

  • 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.
  • The new look and feel in Microsoft Launcher. Dark theme in the new Microsoft Launcher.

ScreenshotScreenshot

Microsoft notes that known issues include that Sticky notes sync issues may occur after upgrading to v6, and that Notification badges may need to be enabled again after the v6 upgrade.

You can download it from Google Play here (if v6 is available yet where you are - it's not visible on my UK devices).

Source / Credit: Play Store