Microsoft today updated its Arrow Launcher app for Android, bringing it to version 2.3. The Garage project now has a number of new features.
The company has clearly been hard at work in making its in-house Android launcher more and more powerful. In fact, version 2.2 was released just over two weeks ago. Also, while the version number would indicate a minor update, it was not, as it added the ability to fully customize the homepage, live wallpaper support, and more.
Here"s what"s new in version 2.3:
1) "Recent" page: Instant messenger support
Ever wanted to quickly find your instant messenger chats with friends, without having to launch each IM app separately? We have the solution for you.2) Performance mode
Turn off background animations and blur settings to make Arrow Launcher faster.3) Bing search
It"s here!4) Performance
Now faster in terms of page swipes, app launches, memory usage, and more.
The instant messenger feature is still in preview, but it could prove itself to be a useful tool. After all, no one likes switching between SMS, Messenger, Hangouts, Skype, and whatever else your friends might message you on. It would seem that at the moment, you can only reply to notifications using the feature, rather than being able to start a new conversation.
The one obvious feature that the app is missing is that the reminders page doesn"t sync with Cortana. A user of Microsoft"s services certainly doesn"t want to have to switch between different apps for different types of reminders. Hopefully, Microsoft Garage will add it in a future update.
You can install or update Arrow Launcher right here. The update is live right now.