It is surprising to me that Google hasn't made the top bar/tray customisable. You can replace your lock screen, home screen, and keyboard but you're always stuck on the OEM provided notifications tray regardless...

I'd love to be able to install something and receive a completely different experience. Right now it is always just a piece meal of a potential experience.

PS - I installed Arrow. So far I like it. I'll give it a spin for a week (or until it annoys me).

I want something like a Firefox for launchers, with the same kind of addon support - replace any UX element, any animation, any function, add new ones, disable what you don't want, inject hooks where you like them, etc...

I'd love to see a notification tray that's customizable with widgets, search bar & voice control, custom toggles, context dependent adjustments (per-app or per-location quick settings and widgets, etc), IR remote control quick access, intelligent sharing menu (share screenshot / current open file / location / whatever), etc...

So far nobody has really gone for the whole scriptable sandbox approach. Mostly just layout customization over anything else.

I don't think it's possible to replace the lock screen in a native way. All "custom lockscreens" in existence today are basically hacks -- you will notice flickers when the lock screen activity is initialized, for example.

It's necessarily not customizable for some security reasons (unlock code, etc.)

WidgetLocker hasn't acted "hacky" for quite some while on my Samsung devices.

Theres some stuff out there that will use SystemUI to layer over the status bar, but its just a layer over.

Also, the OEMs constantly customize it, so theres that.

What an interesting strategy: they eventually want to provide a Microsoft version of everything (they already have their own Google Now and Google Docs and email (Cortana, Office for Android, Outlook for Android)); all they have to do now is port Groove, their Camera/Photos app, and MSIE. Arrow also seems to have a matching lock screen (mentioned in the article, released before Arrow).

What I don't get is Arrow doesn't look like MS Phone's launcher. I wonder why.

They want Android users... not Windows Phone fans.

Also Groove is available for Android already.

> They want Android users... not Windows Phone fans.

Making a good Modern UI launcher could help steer people towards Windows Phone and every other software that uses that UI...

I think there are a few considerations. First - this is a Garage project, so it's (probably) not being directed by the marketing team. Instead, it's some engineers seeing what's possible Second - it has to feel normal to the Android Users that try it. If it changes what they are used to, they might be put off.

But I agree that it would be interesting to see a Modern UI launcher. I actually rearranged the screens to be a bit more like Windows Phone - swipe left brings up the app list. Swipe right to return to widgets. Another swipe right will bring up "recent" stuff, which isn't on Windows Phone 8 - but there were design concepts and suggestions like that, as alternatives to swiping from the top to bring down the notification tray.

The last time I used Android (around 2011, in the Gingerbread days), there were a few home screen replacements that took heavy inspiration from WP7/8. They didn't fit in with the system as a whole, which was saying something considering how fragmented the UX was in Android (pre-Material) at the time.

Good software should be part of a cohesive whole and maintain the system UX whenever possible, not bring it's own paradigm that overrides it's host.

That said, I'd love it someone tried to revive the ideas behind SlideScreen[0]. Instead of a focus on surfacing apps, the home screen instead focuses on surfacing information (in more of a pull style vs push notifications) and letting the user go from there.

[0] http://slidescreenhome.com/

I wish Microsoft will come up with their own version on Android like Amazon. And have their own app store. I mean Google apps are great but I hate that all of my data is going through the same company. Amazon's Android fork is not good enough to considered seriously but Microsoft has pretty good Android apps. Plus it would be great to have some competition!

So if you want a Windows Phone why dont you buy one?

I want Windows Phone, but recently moved to Android. Because Apps...

I hate it. So many things that don't work. Contact sync, I can't even call half the time because all my contacts are gone, and I need to reboot to get them back. In my car with bluetooth, when I listen to a podcast an incoming call does not use the car audio. The privacy invasions of any app I install... The battery use... And that's only a few things.

The apps on Android are nice. But the minute I can get a Windows Phone that can run Android apps, I'm running back to WP.

I had forgotten about the Next lockscreen until I read the article. I liked it quite a bit and just forgot to reload it on my phone.

Looking at the permissions (Basically everything) - it seems like a good way for Microsoft to get access to both usage statistics and user data in one whole sweep.

I think that's more reflective of the limitations of the current Android security model than any implied ulterior motive. Yes, I'm sure they benefit to some extent, I just suspect that they need all of those permissions to be the launcher currently. Mind you that's a guess based on my understanding, not a verified statement.

They could target API 23 and ask for runtime permissions. Other launchers like Nova have already done this.

Agreed, but still, just saying that it's a good way to get the data if they'd want it.

yeah, I was going to try out the app, then I saw that they are not targeting Marshmallow and are asking for pretty much every permission. pass.

It looks like iOS with all the Gaussian blur... but it is made by Microsoft... and it runs on Android.

I hear Microsoft a history of taking Apple's UI and copying it for non-Apple devices.

The pull-up drawer is nice, but i don't see how it is in any way better than nova launcher. In fact, it seems worse in most ways.

I was excited for a new Modern UI launcher for Android... but this looks exactly the same as the other hundred or so launchers on Google Play.

Wtf, Microsoft, what a wasted opportunity...

My thoughts exactly. The launcher is one of my favourite parts of Windows Mobile and I'd love to have it on Android. This is actually really nice (I've been using it for nearly a day now) but not at all what I was expecting when I read the announcement.

I think it is pretty clear that Android is Microsoft's plan B in the mobile market. I know they have kind of said that already although not in so many words. I wouldn't be shocked to see a Microsoft Android phone at some point if Windows 10 Mobile fails to improve adoption of the platform (it will fail). Something similar to what Samsung do with a totally custom interface on top of an Android core. Not sure how things would go in regards to Google core services. I guess Microsoft could reimplement their own services framework that hooks things up to their services. I am not an Android dev though so perhaps one it chip in that could clear things up regarding this?

No, it will most definitely not fail and they don't have Android as plan B.

The mobile phone market (outside of Appleland) is overwhelmingly dominated by distribution. People go and get a smartphone, recommended by the sales employee. Which phone does the employee recommend? The one which his boss tells him to. Which one is that? The one HQ tells him to. Which one is that? The one with the best rebates. I will leave you to think about which one that might be. Android doesn't make money. Not for google, not for OEMs. Microsoft can turn OEMs from breakeven to profitable with a magic wand. Guess what? They already did that in the 90s! On top of that, it's a very good OS so it will get adoption by itself, especially in the corporate and mid-tier markets. And don't even try to say that developers will not get on board. They will. Remember the office365 in the beginning. "Can't win on the web, no integration, developers choose google apps". Yeah. Right. Windows is the most important platform in the world. Gradually developers will get on board.

Windows Phone 7.5, 8, 8.1, now 10.

Windows 10 has seen over 110 million activations according to Microsoft yet no figures regarding uptake on Windows Store apps. We still see apps leaving the Windows Phone platform (Mint app last week for example). We don't see any devs praising Universal Apps. Are those 110 million users buying lots of apps?

Microsoft are shouting loudly about the number of Windows 10 users but are saying nothing about how those numbers are affecting their Windows Store apps.

Also Android does make money for Google, not sure why you think it doesn't.

I was gonna reply until I read your last sentence and figured it would be pointless, since you deny simple facts.

It's too bad comment threads are locked after some time on HN. It would be swell to come back to this conversation 2 years down the road.

Android brings people into the Google eco-system which is where they make their money. They want people using their services which is why they give Android away for free. They make money on every app, video, music purchase. People who pay for Google Music, etc.

Saying Android doesn't make them money is ridiculous. Are you just looking at the Android division as a single business unit working at a loss or something? You need to look at the bigger picture I think.

Oh god! Google uses android to fuel users! Shocking! Thank you for opening my ignorant eyes to this bigger picture, previously hidden to me.

So what exactly are you trying to say then? How does Android lose Google money?

If that was true , why haven't we seen micrososft already win over android ?

Because Microsoft's efforts were on the stupid new modern UI and Windows 8 under Sinofsky. Seriously that guy did so much damage to Microsoft. There is no reason Microsoft should have been in 3rd place in the mobile market (4th really behind BB but BB fucked up too).

Windows Phone was late and crappy. It still is crappy. Devs don't want to develop for the platform no matter what MS does now. How can they get the devs back? Universal Apps is Microsoft's way but I am not too sure if that is what devs want. Microsoft are still desperately trying to push one app for mobiles, tablets and traditional computers. I like the idea in theory but then again communism sounds good in theory. Really though we don't have the hardware to fully realise that yet and I don't think we will for the next few years. Personally I prefer how Apple are doing things with keeping computers and mobile/tablet (touch devices basically) separate. Having said that I don't really like how Apple does things a lot of the time. I am a Windows computer and iOS phone user. My phone is a device to get work done so the closed environment isn't a big deal whereas on my computer I want more control. Android is good but until recently it wasn't what I really wanted and now I am too deep in the iOS world to switch my phone to an Android. I think the problem MS has is people don't want to move to Windows Phone. There is nothing WP does that I can't do on iOS or Android.

Because the OS has to meet OEM and consumer expectations.

There is a saying about "every other OS release" of Windows. You can wager with confidence on the accuracy of that heuristic.

First thought: "Why is Microsoft building an Android app to launch arrows?"

Ah, English. I headdesk in your general direction.

Someone in charge of naming software at Microsoft found a good way to generate clickbait.

Bluetooth longbows.

Admiral Ackbar says...

(Seriously, I wonder if it is in fact some sort of a trap. It's not the 1990s any more, but I still don't really trust Microsoft.)

Timeo Danaos, et dona ferentes.