14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has started work on another major update for its Android launcher and the very first beta version of release 4.8 is now available for download.
Microsoft Launcher 4.8 beta comes with several improvements for Android devices, and the first one you’re going to notice is a new first-time experience for mobile-connected users from Windows settings.
Additionally, this new version also integrates app support for more languages, including Korean, Japanese, and Russian, in the app drawer, as well as more refinements for digital assistant Cortana. Microsoft is offering Cortana as a built-in feature for Launcher users, and with version 4.8, the digital assistant benefits from a refined app-launch experience, as well as support for more device settings like Wi-Fi and flight mode.
Some of these changes were also part of the previous beta release, but Microsoft included them in the changelog of 4.8 beta as well, so the company is most likely working to improve the experience ahead of a new public launch.
Microsoft Launch, 10 million downloads and counting
Microsoft Launcher 4.8 also includes other smaller improvements to fix bugs and crashes, as well as performance tuning, and although you might not notice them at first glance, they become more obvious as you spent some time with the app.
Microsoft Launcher is currently one of the company’s top apps on Android, with more than 10 million installs from the Google Play Store.
Microsoft is putting a lot of effort into getting the Launcher right, and the beta program gives users the chance to try out new features in advance ahead of everyone else.
As usual, keep in mind that this new version is still a beta, which means that not everything is likely to work just as expected and agreeing to install it kind of means that you’re supposed to be OK with these issues and report them to Microsoft.
