Ever since Satya Nadella took over Microsoft, it seems they have been making more of a push to get Apps onto Android. This started with apps like OneNote and Microsoft’s suite of Office apps, as well as more casual offerings like the Picturesque lockscreen app that the launched onto Android earlier this year. While Picturesque remains exclusive to the Android platform, Microsoft has been hard at work bringing in a new update to give users more to love. Unsurprisingly it also gives users quick access to the Bing search bar now which accompanies all those Bing images randomly displayed on your locksreen.
This is Microsoft’s first major update to Picturesque and brings it forward to version 2.0, and now that they have added in Bing search to be accessible from the lockscreen, users can quickly and easily use Bing to search the web for anything they need, but it also allows for searching contacts and applications on the device too. In regards to the search bar, tapping on it once will now bring up your top contacts with quick shortcuts to either call or message them. Other new additions include the ability to set up PINs or passwords to make the lockscreen more secure, and you can now allow the app access to notifications so they can be displayed without having to unlock your device just like with stock lockscreens on Lollipop forward.
If you’re part of Bing Rewards this app gives you yet another way to earn rewards points, which can be spent on a number of things through the rewards program website, and if you drag down from the top of the lockscreen you now also have access to app shortcuts which are fully customizable to display the ones you want and will access the most. Music controls are also accessible from the lockscreen now so you won’t have to unlock your device to skip songs or pause/resume playback. Lastly but certainly not least, the UI has been improved to be more visually appealing, and Microsoft says they have improved the overall performance of the app so things should feel more responsive and fluid. The update should be live now and can be grabbed from the Play Store for anyone that wants to give this a shot with all of these new features.
