What you need to know
- Microsoft Launcher is getting its biggest overhaul since launch.
- The app's 6.0 update is now rolling out for everyone with landscape mode, a fresh design, and more..
- You can grab Microsoft Launcher 6.0 now from Google Play.
Microsoft has been cooking up a new version of Microsoft Launcher in preview for several months, and now it's finally available for everyone to check out. Version 6.0 of the app is now officially rolling out to everyone, and it comes with a refreshed design, new features, and more.
"This launcher is built on a new codebase allowing us to bring multiple new features to you – such as 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," Microsoft said in its blog post announcing the new update. Here's a full look at the main features of Microsoft Launcher 6.0:
- 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.
This is a major update for the launcher that Microsoft has been working on for months. It also likely gives us a look at what the Surface Duo's out-of-box launcher experience will be like when it finally arrives.
If you're using Microsoft Launcher, you can grab the update now via Google Play. For those who were testing the Microsoft Launcher Preview, you'll start seeing a pop-up message that states the preview will be phased out by the end of July.
The latest Microsoft Launcher features new options like landscape mode. It's also built of a new codebase, so it should use less memory and battery than previous versions of Microsoft Launcher.
