For all the Yahoo users out there, there’s an app called Yahoo Aviate, and to clarify common assumptions triggered by the name Aviate, it is a third-party launcher app that was rolled out in 2013 and was acquired by Yahoo shortly after its earlier development and through a short closed beta. Following its purchase, it became quite a favored option for Android users who wanted an overall enhanced Android experience. To put the description of the app, in brief, Aviate builds collections of one’s Android apps based on different kinds of activities. These collections can be tweaked and altered manually as well, to which end Aviate can provide suggestions to fill in the particular collections, although it’s actually a form of advertising rather than smart suggestions.
Aviate finds one’s current location, figures out what time of the day it is, and also offers relevant collections in its customized interfaces called Spaces, which help the user to manage and tweak those activities with greater ease and efficiency. For example, hit the road, and Aviate will show up shortcuts to navigation home and to the office.
The primary home screen shows the top ten apps which can be swapped in and out, and above them is the widget area that hosts everything the user uses. The most frequent contacts and those marked as favorites can be seen swiping up from the bottom tray and the screen to the left is the Spaces. The Spaces will automatically swap out every day and drop in widgets and app collections there. Like Yahoo’s other Android apps, Aviate is aesthetically attractive as it’s sharp and stylish supporting custom icon packs, dark and light themes, and so on. So much for a brief sneak peek into the app.
But, now, a few years down the road on 8th March 2018, users are bidding adieu to Yahoo Aviate Launcher. On a serious note, the Aviate Launcher will “no longer be supported” starting next month. This indicates that it will probably be taken off the Google Play store, taking away its new content, updates, and suggestions for queries regarding the app.
Yahoo Aviate Launcher will no longer be supported after Thursday, March 8, 2018. You will no longer see new content in the stream, and Aviate will not be supported or updated. Thank you for being a loyal Aviate user. We learned a lot working on Aviate for you, and hope you enjoyed the experience. – Yahoo
One might still be able to use it as an app launcher but no one knows how long, so it is advised that we should just start looking out for a new launcher.
Yahoo has stated no particular concrete reason for its decision to bring down Aviate, stating that it will be “engaged on new and exciting projects” drawing on what they learned from Aviate and the technology they bought and used for it. Rather, Yahoo is ill-reputed for discontinuing apps that it had once bought. Although the original developers got to fill their wallets from Yahoo’s acquisition, getting their launcher squashed is still as bad.
Anyway, for the users out there, do you still use Aviate, or have you moved on to greener pastures? If not, this is the time to say goodbye to Aviate, and move on to other app launchers for good.
