Third-party widgets in Windows 11

© Microsoft.

With the annual Build conference, lots of Microsoft news is coming down the turnpike. Among them, we’ve heard that Microsoft will give developers open access to Windows 11 widgets for accompanying their win32 or PWA applications. Currently, the Windows 11 widgets system is reserved for native widgets created by Microsoft, and that’s limiting indeed. “Beginning later this year you’ll be able to start building Widgets as companion experiences for your Win32 and PWA apps on Windows 11, powered by the Adaptive Cards platform,” says Panos Panay, head of devices and Windows. Microsoft isn’t giving many more details right now, but it’s encouraging that this part of the Windows 11 operating system will soon be available for third-party developers.

⇨ Ars Technica, Andrew Cunningham, “Third-party widgets are coming to Windows 11, which might actually make them useful.”

2022-05-24