Microsoft is encouraging developers to use SDK instead of UWP

Did you know that the Redmond tech company recently updated guides for developers regarding Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps?

Apparently, Microsoft is now showing developers how they can migrate their UWP apps to the newer Windows App SDK.

This could hint at a shift away from the traditional Windows-first app types that have been around in the Microsoft Store in Windows since as late as 2015.

UWP developer tools might only get bug and security fixes

Through this new documentation, Microsoft makes it perfectly clear why developers might want to use the Windows App SDK over the UWP in the first place.

There are several benefits including improved compatibility, faster updates, and new elements of design, as well as ease of consumption coming with the Windows UI 3 and WebView2 libraries.

Not to mention the fact that it also augments existing platforms with a common set of APIs and tools.

This guide is necessary because of coding changes, and the fact that UWP won’t be getting any of these new features.

Well-known Windows developer, Rafael Rivera, stated that this could mean that UWP developer tools will only be getting bug, reliability, and other security fixes from now on.

Just to make sure you understand, this doesn’t mean that Microsoft is forcing developers to move away from the UWP.

The FAQs in the documentation mention that if a developer is happy with the UWP, there’s no need to migrate the project type, as the underlying WinUI 2.x code and the Windows SDK will continue to support UWP project types.

Not a totally unexpected move from the tech giant, considering that Windows 11 supports three kinds of apps, including UWP apps, Progressive Web Apps, and Win32 desktop apps.

Apps designed for HoloLens headsets, as well as Xbox consoles, are still based on the UWP format, so it could still be around for legacy reasons.