- Microsoft's Windows Phone smartphone efforts ended in 2019.
- Many people miss the look and feel of Windows Phone.
- MrMobile recently showed how to replicate Windows Phone on Android.
Windows Phone appearing in two articles on the same day? What is it, 2015? While researching for my piece about Windows 11 being forced to run on a phone, I ran across the most recent video from my colleague MrMobile (aka Michael Fisher). In that video titled "I made My Phones Fun Again," MrMobile converted his Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra into a "Windows Phone."
Launcher 10 has been around for a while, but MrMobile's video serves as a great reminder of how versatile Android launchers are. The app allows you to customize the interface of your smartphone with pinpoint precision, including customizing columns and other finer details. If you want to make your Android phone look like a Windows Phone, Launcher 10 is one of the best ways to do it — as well as one of only a few reliable launchers with that goal.
Before he shows how Launcher 10 can customize an Android phone to look like a Windows Phone, MrMobile discussed Windows (Launcher 95), which replicates the look of a classic Windows PC. But if you're just interested in the Windows Phone-esque experience provided by Launcher 10, jump to the 2:40 mark of his video.
Windows Phone lives on... sort of
Since Microsoft abandoned Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile, fans of the operating systems have had to look for alternatives. While iOS is reliable and Android is versatile, neither completely replicates the magic formed by Windows Phone.
Even though Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella admits pulling the plug on Windows Phone was a "strategic mistake," it seems unlikely Microsoft will bring back a dedicated mobile operating system. The company has even stopped its efforts to make mobile devices by killing Surface Duo. Microsoft also shifted away from Live Tiles with the release of Windows 11. The company's Android launcher, Microsoft Launcher, never featured Live Tiles.
I admit I have nostalgia for Windows Phone. I have a box of old Lumia devices I can't make myself recycle even though I never use them. Heck, the reason I work here is because I used to read Windows Phone Central articles to get the best experience from my Lumia 930 (known as the Lumia Icon in the United States). Finding third-party apps for my Windows Phone helped me form relationships with developers, which springboarded into reviewing apps for Windows 11 after Microsoft closed its doors on Windows 10 Mobile and our site became Windows Central.
I've used Launcher 10 in the past and similar apps, such as Square Home. I even wrote a guide on how to make your Android phone look like a Windows phone back in 2019.
I like the look of Live Tiles and the clean interface seen on Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile. I confess that I find interactive widgets more useful than Live Tiles, but the look of the Windows Phone home screen is unmatched. It's lovely to see MrMobile highlight the unique design of Windows Phone and show people how to replicate it in 2024.
