Good news for developers. Windows App SDK 1.6 now supports native AOT for faster apps

It’s that time, once again. Microsoft has finally released the Windows App SDK 1.6 version, with a few improvements here and there compared to its predecessor.

Windows App SDK 1.6 finally supports native AOT (Ahead-Of-Time) compilation. That means, the update can reduce app startup time and memory usage, as the apps are compiled ahead of time. It’s a process where a high-level programming language is compiled into a lower-level language, such as machine code before a program is run.

In its demo, Microsoft shows that the latest Windows App SDK 1.6 can make apps start 50% faster and reduce the package size by about 8 times when using a framework package or 2 times with a self-contained setup.

With that said, while AOT can perform optimizations, it lacks some runtime advantages of just-in-time (JIT) compilation, like dynamic optimizations based on actual program behavior. AOT is often used in embedded or mobile systems to save memory and battery and improve startup times.

The update also brings other key improvements, like decoupling WebView2 versioning for a much more flexible WebView 2 package management. We’re also getting updates to package deployment APIs and the TabView control for a better user experience.

The Windows App SDK is a software dev kit for apps in Windows 10 and 11, and you can check its repository via GitHub. Version 1.5 is currently the available update for the Stable users, but once 1.6 launches, you can check it out or download it on Microsoft’s support site.