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      [Stable release] We gave POCO Launcher 2.0 beta apk a try, and here’s what we found

      Kingshuk DeKingshuk De
      July 5, 2019
      Android, Apps, New features, News, Poco, Xiaomi
      0
      [Stable release] We gave POCO Launcher 2.0 beta apk a try, and here’s what we found

      NOTICE: We’ve created an archive of all major developments related to the Pocophone F1 smartphone. We are continuously updating that page with latest Poco F1 news so that you don’t need to search for information related to the device on a daily basis. Head here to access that page.

      New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

      Original story (published on June 15, 2019) follows:

      Before launching the Pocophone sub-brand, Xiaomi also rebooted their stock launcher development. The POCO Launcher, which comes preinstalled with the Poco F1, shares many components with the stock MIUI launcher. But the former also features some extra goodies, targeting the global audience.

      poco_launcher_app_drawer

      The inclusion of the app drawer in Poco launcher is a noteworthy difference from the default Mi launcher

      Yesterday the official Twitter handle of MIUI (@miuirom) announced the arrival of POCO Launcher 2.0. Considering the version number of the current stable build of the app is already 2.6.7.8, we decided to mark it yet another example of Xiaomi’s convoluted naming scheme.

      poco_launcher_2.0_tweet

      The URL mentioned in the tweet directly goes to the Play Store listing of Poco Launcher. We are not going to discuss the far-fetched theory about the arrival of Poco F2 with the release of the second version of the accompanied launcher, but what’s the story behind the beta testing?

      Turned out, Xiaomi (or the handler of the Twitter account) misplaced the address. Instead of actual participation link for Poco Launcher beta tester, they posted the regular Play Store URL.

      Regular link:

      https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mi.android.globallauncher

      Beta testing link:

      https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.mi.android.globallauncher
      poco_launcher_beta_testing_enrollment

      This is the correct beta enrollment link for Poco Launcher 2.0

      After enrollment, we eventually received the first build of the so called Poco Launcher 2.0, with the version number of 2.6.8.4. We did upload the APK on APKMirror, but someone was faster than us. Anyway, you can now grab & sideload it without enrolling to the beta.

      • Poco Launcher 2.0 Download: First beta (v2.6.8.4)

      poco_launcher_2.0_first_beta_changelog

      Apart from the first point, remaining portion of the changelog is typically ambiguous. However, the ability to tinker with custom app categories is a nice addition.

      poco_launcher_2.0_first_beta_app_categories

      We hope Xiaomi will not add too much ‘features’ to make the Poco Launcher another bloated piece of app. Luckily, the OEM are now looking forward to reduce ads from the stock apps.

      Do you use Poco Launcher as your daily driver? Or are you a fan of third party launchers like Nova or Action? Comment below.

      Update (July 5)

      With the release of v2.6.8.10, Poco Launcher 2.0 is now officially out of beta.

      poco_launcher_2.0_stable_tweet

      The changelog of the first stable version is identical to the initial beta build though:

      POCO Launcher 2.0:

      1. Now you can add, delete, and rename custom app categories. Adding and removing apps from the categories is also supported.
      2. We made a lot of minor UI improvements.
      3. We boosted overall performance!
      4. We fixed some bugs as well.

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      Kingshuk De

      Kingshuk De

      I came from a mixed background of Statistics and Computer Science. My research domains included embedded computer systems, mobile computing and delay tolerant networks in post-disaster scenarios. Apart from tinkering with gadgets or building hackintosh, I like to hop on various subreddits and forums like MyDigitalLife and XDA.

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