Microsoft Launches Gesture Beta App for Windows Phone Users

Microsoft on Monday launched the Gestures Beta app for Windows Phone, showcasing the company's advances in the particular field. The app is available only for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8.1.

The app lets users answer calls, put incoming calls on silent and do more tasks via simple gestures. Gesture Beta, which is sized less than 1MB on the Windows Phone Store, will however have limited functionalities on Lumia 630, Lumia 635 and Lumia 530, says the firm.

With the help of Gestures Beta app, Windows Phone users can pick up the handset and place it on their ears to answer the call; mute the mic during a call by placing the handset on a flat surface with display down; put the call on speaker by keeping the smartphone on flat surface placing the display up, and silent the incoming call by flipping the handset on a flat surface with display down.

According to Pocket-Lint, the Redmond-based tech giant might be a testing the app before it finally gets released on Windows 10 operating system for smartphones. It is worth noting that Microsoft was rumoured back in June this year to introduce its Kinect-style gestures in Windows Phones.

It was reported that Microsoft's future flagship handset codenamed McLaren will feature gesture support which will let users navigate on the phone without touching the display, and will be released on a range of US carriers later this year. The sources close to Microsoft plans added that the new gesture support feature is being internally referred to as 3D Touch or Real Motion, and has been developed by Nokia.