Microsoft Garage's project keeps pumping up new apps and ideas for Android and the latest is Favorites Lock Screen. As the name implies, this is a lockscreen replacement app that puts emphasis on your favorite things. Unlike Microsoft's graduated Next Lock Screen, this one is still in its infancy and it shows. The icon is disturbingly low-res and the interface doesn't feel half as polished as Next. However, it could still be worth checking out if you'd like some news to go with your phone unlocking.

The idea behind Favorites is to have two screens: one has an HD image with a Bing search bar, camera icon, and quick access to Bing searches for the character in the wallpaper; and the second has a stream of news for your favorite topics. Swipe down on the first screen and you'll see toggles and icons for your favorite apps and all your notifications. To unlock, you simply swipe up. The app's settings let you choose your favorites such as celebrities, sports teams, animals, cars, and more, as well as add a secure unlock method and change your pinned apps.

Favorites Lock Screen is free, but it's geo-limited right now and our best guess is that it's only available in India. However, we got the file up on APK Mirror if you want to give it a go. Don't forget to disable your current security method though, otherwise Android will probably bypass Favorites and unlock your device straight away.

Source: Microsoft