On Windows 11, Win32 apps can not be updated via the Microsoft Store

With Windows 11, Microsoft has taken a different tack with the Microsoft Store. The company was no longer trying to make it a profit-generating centre and has cut its fees deeply while throwing open the doors for apps from all kinds of sources, including traditional and legacy Win32 apps.

This does come with some downsides, however, and for Win32 apps this means Microsoft is taking no responsibility for updating the apps, relying on the developer’s own installer and updater.

Microsoft’s documentation notes that:

“Updates to Apps are not required to be submitted through the Store. End users will not be able to receive updates from the Store. Apps can be updated directly by You via your App that is installed on a Windows Device after download from the Store.”

Developers will also be able to deliver an Installer via the Store, and download the app from their own CDN. Microsoft will be adding a label to help consumers know of this different experience:

You can decide to install or not an application based on who updates it. We tried to be very transparent, there is a text below the app name: pic.twitter.com/nRln1F9quE

— Rudy Huyn (@RudyHuyn) July 22, 2021

In the Store it will look like this:

What this unfortunately means is that getting an app from the Store will mean that we will still have to suffer the multiple installers in your taskbar, but in turn developers have little reason not to add their apps to what is essentially Microsoft’s directory service.

What do our readers think of this change? Let us know below.

via WindowsLatest