Redmond starts updating apps to support the new Android

Sep 2, 2016 08:59 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft’s focus on Android is increasing these days as the company is looking beyond Windows to expand its product offering, and now the software giant is updating its apps to support the new N version launched late last month for Nexus devices.

Redmond releases new updates for its Android apps every once in a while, and only today it has rolled out three new versions for Skype, Next Lock Screen, and OneDrive to implement bug fixes but also support for Android N.

Skype, for instance, which is now at version 7.14, should run flawlessly on devices that have been updated to Android Nougat, while also benefitting from certain improvements, including a better contact suggestion feature that should make it easier for you to find other people in your contact list using Skype.

Furthermore, there’s an important list of bug fixes coming with this version, and Microsoft says that some of them are based on feedback submitted by users.

For instance, there were reports that the Skype app didn’t ring at certain moments, and Microsoft says that it often happened for the second call to experience this behavior. There were also crashes with unanswered call UI on some ASUS phones running Android, but everything should be fixed now.

In the case of Next Lock Screen, the most notable change is the addition of Bing search right on the lock screen, so you can perform a search without even unlocking the phone. There are also bug fixes and other improvements, and we’re being told that the app has been optimized to run more smoothly on Android Nougat too, although there’s no clear mention of this.

The same in the case of OneDrive, as the release notes only point to improvements and bug fixes, but it’s good to know that Microsoft apps are one by one updated to run on Android N.

Microsoft’s focus on Android

Microsoft’s investments in Android have often led to criticism aimed against the software giant, as many hardcore users believed that the company should have focused first on its platforms and then on the others.

Some of the apps that are offered to Android users aren’t available on Windows Phone, and this is one of the reasons the company has made many believe that it doesn’t care about its platforms. But according to Terry Myerson, head of the Windows group at Microsoft, this is part of the company’s efforts to make its services available to everyone, no matter the platform.

“Our company will be pragmatic and embrace other mobile platforms with our productivity services, device management services, and development tools - regardless of a person’s phone choice, we want everyone to be able to experience what Microsoft has to offer them,” he states.

So expect Android Nougat updates to keep coming for Microsoft apps, and that’s in the end a good thing because adoption of the new Android version is likely to increase as it becomes available on more phones.