Third-party tools are coming to Windows 11, which could really make them useful

When Windows 11 stopped supporting Live Tiles, Microsoft tried to move some of that quick, peek-a-boo information to a new widgets menu found in the taskbar along with the Start and Search menus. Our main problem with widgets In a review of Windows 11 It was limited to Microsoft apps and services, with no mechanism for third parties to develop their own tools.

That will change later this year, according to advertisement It was conducted at the Microsoft Build Developer Conference. Third parties will be able to develop their own Windows 11 tools “starting later this year”. This indicates that it will be among the upcoming modifications and new features Windows 11 22H2which is the first major annual update of the operating system.

The tools can be bundled as companion devices to traditional Win32 applications and Progressive Web Applications (PWAs), and they will use Adaptive cards The platform created by Microsoft to enable cross-platform user interface elements and user interface previews.

All current Windows 11 tools are provided by Microsoft and rely on Microsoft services for information and customization. Widgets for basic information such as sports scores and weather are modestly useful, but they are the ones that pull news and other content out of them. Microsoft Start Less so, especially if you’re not signed in with a Microsoft account and feeds aren’t customized.

Of course, only because third parties Could you Supporting Windows 11 gadgets doesn’t mean they will. From Windows Vista and 7’s Gadgets to the macOS Dashboard, UI elements in desktop operating systems have broken many times before. Microsoft will need to convince top developers to jump on board for this time to be different.