This Android launcher jogs my memory of Home windows Cellphone in the very best means

I’ve a confession to make: I wasn’t an Android cellphone fan at first. I wasn’t an iPhone fanatic, both. As an alternative, I used to be a full-fledged Home windows Cellphone disciple. I completely liked the Metro UI, that includes a recent, tile-based interface that popped on an OLED display screen. I liked the interface and cameras a lot that I purchased a Lumia 1020 and a Lumia 950. 

I’ve recognized about Android launchers that emulate this Home windows Cellphone search for years now, and briefly dabbled with them again within the day. However my Home windows Cellphone itch is stronger than ever, and I discovered two launchers that got here closest to scratching it. After taking a look at each Sq. Residence and Launcher 10 on my Pixel cellphone (sacrilege, I do know), I in the end settled on the previous.

Each launchers do an incredible job of emulating the Home windows Cellphone expertise from a visible perspective. I’d give the sting to Launcher 10 for its app drawer design specifically, however I selected Sq. Residence for a number of causes.

Maybe the most important motive is that Dwell Tiles can be found without spending a dime right here, whereas Launcher 10 requires fee to unlock them. For the uninitiated, Dwell Tiles have been Microsoft’s reply to widgets on Android, providing sq. or rectangular tiles that consistently displayed updates and different information. For instance, you may see missed calls within the cellphone tile, notifications within the Fb tile, and your favourite pictures within the pictures tile.

Sq. Residence primarily populates the Dwell Tiles with data pulled out of your notifications, and this clearly requires your permission. It’s however a wise strategy to carry these tiles to life, and also you’ll get information like Gmail snippets, calendar entries, and extra. I additionally fairly just like the media widget dwell tile that pops up, which is derived from the media widget within the notification shade. And sure, you may really work together with the media controls. In one other neat contact, the outdated platform’s flipping tiles are right here, too, displaying you completely different nuggets of information. You may also make these tiles clear to indicate your wallpaper, very like later variations of Microsoft’s platform. So I by no means actually felt like I used to be lacking out in a giant means.

The launcher additionally received me over with its tile changes. Microsoft allowed Home windows Cellphone customers to regulate the scale of those tiles, going from the common dimension to one-quarter dimension to double-wide. Sq. Residence enables you to intuitively alter a tile’s dimension by long-pressing the tile, very like Home windows Cellphone itself (and with just a few additional dimension choices too). Launcher 10 provides granular dimension changes with sliders by default, but it surely’s not practically as intuitive and acquainted should you’re a Home windows Cellphone fan like me. Fortunately, you may dig a bit deeper in Sq. Residence in order for you extra detailed changes too.

I additionally admire Sq. Residence’s very cheap fee choices. You may select to pay $1 a yr or make a one-time fee of $6. I do know many firms ditched one-time purchases due to greed monetary causes, however I’m glad to see this feature right here. In saying so, the crew doesn’t adequately convey the advantages of paying for premium on its web site or Play Retailer itemizing. Nonetheless, it looks as if settings with inexperienced icons are paid additions. These embrace superior animations, media controller performance, plenty of gestures, and your alternative of font.

One other level in Sq. Residence’s favor is its ad-free nature. There’s completely nothing incorrect with providing an ad-supported app, and Launcher 10 may be very restrained in its strategy (seemingly restricted to the settings menu, whereas letting you pay to do away with them), but it surely’s good to have an ad-free expertise out of the field. 

Sq. Residence’s checklist of options doesn’t cease right here. It provides a customizable app drawer, wallpaper-based coloration theming, help for tablets and foldable telephones, and Non-public House help. The crew not too long ago up to date the app to repair points with widgets in One UI 7 too, so the builders are nonetheless actively fixing issues in spite of everything this time.

I can suppose of some small areas of enchancment for Sq. Residence, although, corresponding to improved dealing with of third-party widgets and extra preset tile colours. However these are comparatively insignificant wishlist gadgets, and we undoubtedly have a full-featured expertise.

Despite the fact that the Home windows Cellphone ship sailed a very long time in the past, I’m glad to see that the group has picked up the baton and sprinted with it. I’m undoubtedly a fan of Sq. Residence, however each of those launchers are nice methods to successfully emulate that have. Now, about Microsoft constructing its personal Home windows Cellphone launcher for Android.