Microsoft Releases Installer Companion App for Windows App Studio

Microsoft this week bolstered its web-based Windows App Studio tool with a new Installer companion app that makes it easier to side-load and install the apps you create. This closes the loop, so to speak, since this process was previously a bit complex.

Available in the Windows Store, the Windows App Studio Installer app will “automatically configure your device, and deploy a Windows App Studio created app to your device. It’s designed to simplify the installation process, save you time, and make it easy to share Windows App Studio created apps.”

Behind the scenes, the Installer does everything that used to be so painful before, often requiring PowerShell: It checks to see if the necessary certificate is installed, installs it automatically if it’s not, guide the user through enabling sideloading mode in Windows 10 if necessary (and opens the proper Settings page), and then installs the appx app package on the local computer.

Since this is only the first release of the Installer app, Microsoft expects it will be updating it a lot in the near future, and it will use feedback to guide that process. So be sure to access the Windows App Studio user voice site if you want to help.

And just as a reminder, Windows App Studio is a web-based tool that helps budding developers quickly create Windows 10 apps and then submit them to the Windows Store.