Microsoft has finally released Windows App SDK 1.1, the latest version of its development platform for creating modern Windows desktop apps. The release was widely expected to occur during Build 2022 in May, but it’s finally available now.
“To help you build native, engaging, and modern Windows applications, we’ve just released the 1.1 version of the Windows App SDK,” the Windows Developer Team writes. “Building off of the 1.0 release in November 2021, we’re excited to bring several new features and capabilities to the Windows App SDK while increasing its stability and performance.”
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The Windows App SDK—previously codenamed Project Reunion—is Microsoft’s attempt to bring the modern app capabilities that debuted in Windows 8 and were later renamed to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) to desktop app developers. It is, in Microsoft’s words, a set of libraries, frameworks, components, and tools, and is where the software giant will deliver new Windows functionality for developers when possible.
Looked at another way, the Windows App SDK decouples UWP and other modern capabilities from specific Windows versions; any app that uses the SDK will run on any supported version of Windows 10 or 11. The first version of the Windows App SDK supported WinUI 3, text rendering, resource management, app lifecycle, and windowing capabilities, and was, of course, notable for being the first version of the SDK.
But the 1.1 version adds many more features. Among them are support for push notifications, multiple windows, elevation support, local toast notifications, an environmental variables API, a restart API, and self-contained deployment. There are also new WinUI 3 capabilities like Mica, a third background material that first appeared in Windows 11.
Windows App SDK apps will run on Windows 10 version 1809 or newer, Microsoft says.