Microsoft May Be Removing Two Windows 11 In-Box Apps in the Future

Microsoft issued two builds to the Windows Insider Program today, and one of them no longer bundles two Windows 11 in-box apps. This indicates that these apps may be removed from a future version of Windows.

“Starting with this build, the Windows Maps and Movies [&] TV apps will no longer be installed after doing a clean install of the OS,” Microsoft notes of the latest Windows 11 build released to the Canary channel of the Windows Insider Program. “The Windows Maps and Movies [&] TV apps will not be removed on upgrade for Insiders in the Canary Channel and continue to be available and updated via the Microsoft Store.”

The Canary channel is not tied to a specific Windows version, and while many believe it will eventually be used to test Windows 12, not interesting has happened here yet. The official line on the Canary channel is that it’s “the place to preview platform changes that require longer-lead [sic] time before getting released to customers … Some of the changes we try out in the Canary Channel will never ship, and others could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.”

Put simply, there’s no way to know what’s happening with Windows Maps and Movies & TV. They may be removed in a future release of Windows 11 or in Windows 12. And they may continue to be made available in the Microsoft Store, though that could also be temporary.

Of the two, only Movies & TV is of any interest: This admittedly out-of-date app is currently the only way to play purchased movie and TV content from the Microsoft Store in Windows 11, so one thing to look for is Microsoft adding that functionality to the more modern Media Player app. If and when that happens, we’ll know that Movies & TV’s fate is sealed. (Movies & TV is also compatible with the Movies Anywhere service, which could likewise be added to Media Player.)

As for this Canary channel build, it also features a change to the Windows Setup Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) that lets the user install a networking driver before proceeding. This is important because Microsoft requires a Microsoft account (MSA) to complete Setup, and you have to be online to sign in. This build also includes a few other minor changes, like a redesigned Delivery Optimization page in the Settings app and PNG meta-data viewing and editing in File Explorer.

Microsoft also issued a new build to the Dev channel today, build 23580, that includes a few interesting changes. It supports using a local user account (an offline account) with the Copilot in Windows 11 “for a limited number of queries before needing to sign in.” The Nearby Share feature now offers a significant performance improvement for users on the same network. And of course there are more File Explorer fixes: Microsoft will be working to fix that app for quite some time.