14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s first Android device, the so-called Surface Duo, is believed to be just around the corner, and the closer we get to the launch, the more information emerges on its features.
One of the latest discoveries is a feature called app groups, which according to WL should allow users to pair two different apps and launch them at the same time.
In other words, it lets users create sets of apps that can launch together at the same time. For example, if you always launch OneNote and Outlook together, you can create an app group, and then when clicked, both apps are automatically started.
Despite being called app groups, which suggests that multiple apps can be controlled this way, it looks like the whole thing would be limited to just two apps. It doesn’t make any sense at this point, but on the other hand, Microsoft might be looking into expanding this at some point in the future to include more apps.
Surface Duo likely launching in July
And if the whole idea sounds familiar to you, it’s because Samsung’s already offering something similar as part of the App Pair feature on its phones.
As far as Microsoft’s Android feature goes, such an approach would pretty much make sense on Windows 10 too. And it’s because the purpose of this tool is to boost productivity, and Windows 10 itself has made productivity quite a priority. Launching two apps at the same time should be possible on Windows 10 too – and it is, only that native functionality in this regard would obviously come in much handier than third-party alternatives.
Surface Duo is expected to ship with Microsoft Launcher pre-loaded, albeit Microsoft would need to update the app to support dual-screen devices. According to people familiar with the matter, the Duo should be announced in July.