14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is working hard to solve the app problem on Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile, so the company is going forward with bridges that could allow developers to bring their applications to the store.
One such effort is the Windows Bridge for iOS, also known by Microsoft enthusiasts as Project Islandwood, which helps port applications that were developed to run on iPhones to universal apps aimed at all Windows 10 devices, including here PCs and smartphones.
And today, Microsoft has announced a series of updates for the Windows Bridge for iOS that are supposed to enhance the process of porting apps to Windows 10 and empowering developers to do more when coding for the platform.
Even more improvements on their way
Microsoft details all these improvements in a lengthy blog post that's specifically aimed at developers, so the chances are that regular users won’t learn too many things from it. And yet, it’s important to note that the Windows Bridge for iOS now supports the complete CoreFoundation/Foundation framework that is used for iOS apps, while also implementing the underpinnings of NSLayoutAnchor and UILayoutGuide, the most recent additions to Auto Layout in iOS 9.
And last but not least, Microsoft has updated the sample repo on GitHub and will continue to do so in the coming weeks and months in order to provide developers with more example codes and documentation.
“Currently, the repo offers two bite-size samples that demonstrate using Windows 10 features directly from Objective-C. You’ll find tutorials for using Live Tiles and popping toast notifications using the native Objective-C code and syntax you’re familiar with. Soon, we’ll be adding many, many more, including samples that showcase Cortana, in-app purchases, maps and push notifications,” Microsoft says.
Certainly, these are welcome additions for developers who do want to bring their iOS apps to Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile, but for the moment, it’s not very clear how many of them actually do that. There still are key apps missing from the platform, so hopefully, bigger improvements in this direction will follow soon.