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Microsoft Dialer for Android said to replace your phone app, coming later this year
Microsoft has been learning to play well with others under Satya Nadella’s leadership. Though the tech giant sees Google as one of its main competitors, they haven’t hesitated to get their software in the hands of as many Android users as possible. They recently released apps Send, Translator and Arrow Launcher for Android. In addition, they have acquired popular Android app Echo Lockscreen, as well as adding Android Studio and Eclipse support to their Visual Studio Emulator.
What’s next? If the latest rumors are to be believed, Microsoft is getting ready to launch Dialer, an application that is currently said to be under testing in India. What does it do? The app is being made by the Skype team, so it’s obvious communications will be the main focus, but it’s said to apply some very interesting features on top of simple voice calls.
For starters, users will be able to call each other via slower networks, such as 2G and 3G. One will also be able to replace the phone app with Dialer, allowing for making regular ol’ calls. Aside from voice communications, Dialer will use the power of the internet to help users find relevant information on people, offices, nearby locations and public transportation. Real-time information about the caller and blocking capabilities will also be provided.
It seems like Dialer will be some sort of phone app on steroids, and it’s definitely something us Android folk would love to at least test out. Rumors say Dialer is set for release during the second week of December, but a public beta of the app could go live in November. And get this – this is only for Android. It seems the Windows Phone version won’t come until early 2016.
Is this the kind of functionality you guys are looking for in a phone app? It certainly seems like our current dialers don’t do much. There are alternatives like Truecaller around, but being backed up by a company like Microsoft will really make a difference in popularity.
It’s just a matter of actually getting to test Dialer and see how good it is. You can be sure we will be playing with Microsoft’s upcoming Dialer as soon as we can. Meanwhile, hit the comments and let us know what you think of the idea.