Pushbullet overhauls its mobile and desktop apps, debuts messenger feature by Derek Walter

The update should delight Pushbullet fans who use the service to share files, links, and more between devices.

Pushbullet gave its apps a substantial remodel on Tuesday that focuses on consistent design and fewer steps to perform common actions.

The other big addition was a messenger feature, which can be used for casual chats or to discuss content you shared through Pushbullet.

Pushbullet

Pushbullet’s new messenger feature is designed for everyday conversations and to share content from the desktop.

Pushbullet’s blog explains that the redesign keeps a similar look across the Android and iOS apps, although there are sufficient tweaks to make them look native on their respective platforms. Pushbullet for iOS is consistent with Apple’s design scheme, while the Android version makes heavy use of Google’s Material Design.

Pushbullet

The new messenger feature has a clean layout on both Android and iOS.

The overhaul extends to Pushbullet’s browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, along with native apps for Windows and OS X (Pushbullet says the Mac app overhaul is still in the works). The desktop and browser apps see a similar layout as the mobile versions to keep with the works-the-same-on-any-device philosophy.

Pushbullet expanded drag-and-drop capabilities for sending files and says pushes are now more reliable.

The impact on you: If you haven’t tried it out, this is a great opportunity to introduce yourself to Pushbullet. It adds a lot of different functionality to your device beyond just sharing files. The app includes customized channels so you can get push notifications about Android updates, Apple news, or other topics of interest. And because Pushbullet works as a cross-platform experience, you don’t have to fret about owning devices on multiple platforms.