14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has just announced a new Windows 11 widget as part of the latest preview build that was shipped to insiders in the Dev channel.
Spotify is the latest big name that joins the widget effort on Windows 11, after Facebook shipped the Messenger widget and Microsoft released its very own Phone Link update.
In other words, the number of widgets available on Windows 11 is growing, but more importantly, the feature is now getting third-party support, which is precisely what users needed in the first place.
“Last week, we promoted a preview of the widget for the Messenger app. Spotify and Phone Link are now rolling out preview versions of their widgets as well. To give them a try, go to the widgets collection in the Microsoft Store and update to the latest version of the apps. Then open the widgets board and navigate to the widgets picker by clicking the “+” button at the top-right of the board to pin your widgets,” Microsoft explains.
Microsoft is encouraging developers to create widgets, but at the same time, it also wants users to send feedback.
These are the two ways to turn widgets in Windows 11 into a major hit, especially as the software giant seems very committed to improving this feature in the long term.
“With the release of Windows App SDK 1.2 developers are now able to create widgets for their apps. Users can access these experiences on their Windows 11 widgets board in current Dev Channel Insider Preview builds,” Microsoft says.
For the time being, the third-party widgets continue to be exclusive only to insiders, but it’s probably just a matter of time until they make their way to production builds. Most likely, this will happen in the next big feature update that Windows 11 is scheduled to receive this year.