Microsoft Arrow Launcher

What is Microsoft Arrow Launcher?

Arrow Launcher is a brand new Android launcher made by, of all individuals, the oldsters at Microsoft. Like different launchers it replaces the homescreens and app draw of your cellphone to offer a recent route into the remainder of the handset’s options.

Microsoft’s twist is that Arrow Launcher goals to make your Android-using life simpler by bringing to the fore the apps you employ most, and pushing apart the least used options. And relaxation assured it doesn’t push any Microsoft apps or options onto you, apart from the wallpaper being offered every day by the Bing search service, in the event you so select.

Arrow Launcher – First Impressions

Upon launching Arrow Launcher for the primary time the app will analyse and rank your current apps, selecting out as much as 16 that it thinks are your favourites. You can verify which of those are certainly your favourites after which the launcher will replenish your homescreen with these apps.

What’s instantly apparent is that upon doing this you lose all of your app folders. The complete level of the app is that it curates the format of your apps for you so utilizing folders is counter to this.

That’s all very properly however in the event you’re like me and also you usually have a dozen folders every containing half a dozen apps, abruptly going again right down to a grid of simply 24 is one thing that, on the very least, will take time to get used to and at worst will probably be a deal breaker for this launcher.

The setup course of analyses your apps and picks out the highest 20 to go in your homescreen

What’s extra, though I like the thought behind the curation, the app didn’t appear to do all that good a job of guessing that are probably the most used apps on my cellphone. While it acquired just a few right, most have been fairly apparent customary apps anyway – Google Maps, YouTube, Hangouts, and many others – and some have been outright incorrect.

For occasion I’ve not performed Punch Quest in over six months, I very seldom use the Contacts app and have by no means used OneBe aware.

What’s extra, because the launcher does study what you favor it’s really actually annoying that it then strikes your apps round. That is the core precept of the launcher nevertheless it’s additionally anathema to people who wish to retains issues organised and know precisely the place every part ought to be, which after all is without doubt one of the fundamental tenets of excellent app design.

Original format on the left, after about an hour’s use on the appropriate

After longer use there’ll seemingly be fewer adjustments as apps firmly set up themselves as favourites, until a brand new highly regarded app is put in. But, a minimum of initially, apps are shifting all over and it’s to not my liking.

The general format of the launcher consists of three pages, with Apps within the centre, People (contacts) on the appropriate and Recent exercise on the left. Underneath all three screens is a set set of 4 apps and the App Drawer button, all however the latter of which will be rearranged or made into folders, a minimum of giving some method to convey some arganisation again into this interface.

Swipe up from the underside and also you get an iOS-style fast settings space that additionally homes an additional 5 apps (once more, these will be made into folders). This makes it a lot simpler to entry fast settings that might in any other case require you to succeed in to the highest of the display to swipe down the notifications menu.

A swipe up menu gives actually handy entry to frequent apps and settings

It’s an excellent characteristic and one which I’d encourage different launcher builders to imitate, although I’d wish to see Microsoft allow you to select which fast settings can be found.

Both the People and Recent pages have their makes use of too. People appears to do a great job of highlighting who you most frequently contact and places them in simple attain. Likewise, the Recent web page I can see being helpful as a one-stop answer for issues like leaping straight to that file you simply downloaded or the precise picture you simply took, in addition to displaying you who referred to as and who you simply messaged.

I’m not totally satisfied each options work greatest as devoted pages on a homescreen however the performance positively has potential.

Jump into the Edit Page display from the swipe up menu on the backside of the web page and it’s also possible to select so as to add an extra two pages to the launcher. One is a Notes and Reminders device that lets you sort notes proper onto the web page. It’s really fairly slicky completed and definitely is extra handy than opening up a notes app.

The different web page known as Widgets, and it’s only a clean web page which you’ll place customary Android widgets on.

The remaining important characteristic is the App Drawer itself, which is organized in an alphabetical record, with a search field on the high and a just lately used part beneath. The strict at-least-one-line-per-letter format doesn’t really feel as environment friendly as a extra typical steady record, however the search perform does partly make up for this. I wouldn’t say I’m completely satisfied by the change however neither does it completely put me off.

One remaining factor to notice about Arrow Launcher is that it’s good and quick. One of the matters not mentioned sufficient on the subject of Android telephones is simply how transformative a brand new launcher will be on the subject of cellphone efficiency and certain sufficient the Arrow Launcher up to now feels quicker than the default Galaxy S6 one.

Early Verdict

Arrow Launcher is a barely odd enterprise for Microsoft with there being no clear profit to the corporate. Regardless, it’s an attention-grabbing twist on an Android app launcher that has just a few key options I do like and a few I’m much less eager on. The iOS type swipe up menu is nice and the launcher is quick, however its headline characteristic of selecting your app format for you hasn’t satisfied me but. However, with an eye-watering price ticket of zero kilos and 0 pence, it’s price giving a attempt.