Introducing Microsoft Edge for iOS/Android and Microsoft Launcher for Android.
10/12/17,8AM PT: Microsoft Edge for Android: Good news; the wait is over for those wanting to test the Microsoft Edge Preview for Android. Starting today, you can go here to download the preview app. We can’t wait to hear what you think of it.
Microsoft Launcher for Android: Thank you to those who’ve already downloaded the preview of Microsoft Launcher for Android. Starting today it’ll begin to roll out, over time, as a general availability app in the Google Play Store. Try it out today!
You’re standing in line at a coffee shop. Your right thumb is stre-t-ch-ing to drag out words on your phone’s keyboard while you squint to read the text on the web form you’re filling out. It’s amazing what’s possible today—but don’t you wish your phone could magically send that task to your Windows 10 PC where you could luxuriate in a big screen and hardware keyboard?
With the new preview apps we’re launching for iOS and Android – you can. Introducing Microsoft Edge for iOS/Android and Microsoft Launcher for Android, two apps designed to make it easy to move what you’re working on between your phone and PC.
We are excited to continue the work we announced at Build to make Windows 10 PCs work great with your phone. Microsoft Edge for iOS is available starting today in preview, with Microsoft Edge for Android available soon in preview. And, Microsoft Launcher is available starting today in preview as well. Continue on PC functionality in both apps comes with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
One of the most common requests we hear from people who use Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 PCs is “we want our browser experience to move to our phones”. You spoke, we listened.
Microsoft Edge for iOS and Android brings familiar features like your Favorites, Reading List, New Tab Page and Reading View across your PC and phone, so, no matter the device, your browsing goes with you. But what makes Microsoft Edge really stand out is the ability to continue on your PC, which enables you to immediately open the page you’re looking at right on your PC—or save it to work on later.
A few more details about the preview: Initially Microsoft Edge for iOS and Android will launch only in US-English, but we’ll ramp to other countries/languages as we expand the preview. And some features—like roaming passwords and support for iPads/Android tablets—aren’t available at preview launch but will come in the future.
Android phones have a feature that iPhones don’t – they allow customization of the “launcher” that’s displayed when you push the phone’s home button. How nice! Today, we are also launching a preview release of our new Microsoft Launcher for Android. We think it’s the most beautiful (based on Fluent design), customizable, powerful launcher available. With Microsoft Launcher, your recent photos, documents and more can all Continue on PC as well.
And – just like on Windows 10 – with Microsoft Launcher you can put icons of your favorite people right on the home screen so they’re quickly and easily available.
Microsoft Launcher represents the “graduation” of the 4.6-star rated “Arrow Launcher” project that was developed in our Garage – we’re making a big update to Arrow and changing its name. Everyone on the Arrow Launcher beta will automatically get the Microsoft Launcher today, and any other Android users can join the preview of Microsoft Launcher beginning today as well.
We hope Windows Insiders will try these preview apps alongside their Windows 10 PCs and provide feedback and ways to make them even better. As has been our approach with Windows 10, we’ll continue to try new things, learn and build the best experiences possible. We look forward to bringing these experiences more broadly to you later this year.
Updated October 12,2017 8:05 am
