We’ve been seeing a trend for some OEMs to add their proprietary applications to the Google Play Store instead of just being a pre-installed app on their respective devices. While the purpose for some of them is to make it easier to send updates to these apps, there are also those that seem to want their apps available to other Android smartphones as well. This is what HTC seems to be planning with their Sense Home 8 as they are testing the app out for non-HTC devices.
The project is codenamed GOOGLE_PLAY_SENSE_GP (not too subtle there eh?) and the OEM has been sending out emails to whomever may be interested to try out the app on their smartphones, as long as they’re running Android 4.4 and higher. The Sense Home 8 has actually just been recently introduced with their latest flagship device, the HTC 10, and so even if you’ve had an HTC device before, this may seem much different to you.
What you can do now with the latest iteration of the Sense Home app is that you can do your very own “Freestyle Layout”, wherein you can add themed stickers so they will match your wallpaper of choice. And these stickers are also functional because you can assign app shortcuts to them. We will also probably see even more features added, like quick settings, settings layout, etc.
If you received an email asking you if you want to join the trial, would you say yes? And if you’re using a device that’s not HTC, would you actually be interested in using the Sense Home 8?
VIA: AusDroid
