Microsoft Launcher Preview is Apparently Being Deprecated

It looks like Microsoft is getting ready to pull the new look and feel of the Microsoft Launcher Preview into the shipping product.

“This is the pop-up message that will inform you about the depreciation of [the] Microsoft Launcher Preview,” Alessandro Paluzzi posted on Twitter, noting the shot above.

According to the shot, the Microsoft Launcher Preview, which was designed to test some new user experiences that could end up in Surface Duo as well, will “phased out” by the end of July. But there will be a new version of the shipping (non-preview) version of Microsoft Launcher to take its place. That new version of the Microsoft Launcher is not yet available, from what I can tell.

Microsoft began offering the Microsoft Launcher Preview in January, and then it moved the product into Beta in June. Presumably, the coming version of the Microsoft Launcher will be upgraded to version 6 to meet the preview’s version number, and will include its new UX.

As for Surface Duo, Microsoft’s eagerly-awaited dual-screen Android not-a-phone device is still expected sometime this summer.