Zoom / Microsoft will allow third-party applications to integrate their own widgets later this year.
Microsoft
When Windows 11 stopped supporting Live Tiles, Microsoft tried to move some of this quick information with a view to the new Widgets menu, which lives on the taskbar along with the Start and Search menus. Our main problem with widgets in our review of Windows 11 was that they were limited to Microsoft applications and services, with no mechanism for third parties to develop their own widgets.
That will change later this year, according to a statement from the Microsoft Build Developers Conference. Third parties will be able to develop their own widgets for Windows 11 “starting later this year”. This suggests that it will be among the changes and new features coming for Windows 11 22H2, the first major annual operating system update.
The gadgets can be packaged as companions for traditional Win32 applications and progressive web applications (PWA) and will use the Adaptive Cards platform created by Microsoft to activate widgets for various platforms and user interface visualizations.
All current Windows 11 widgets are provided by Microsoft and rely on Microsoft’s information and personalization services. Gadgets such as sports scores and time are moderately useful, but those that download news and other content from Microsoft Start are fewer, especially if you don’t sign in to a Microsoft account and the feeds aren’t personalized.
Of course, just because third parties can support Windows 11 widgets doesn’t mean they will. From Windows Vista and 7 widgets to the macOS dashboard, desktop widgets have been damaged many times before. Microsoft will have to persuade the big developers to get involved in order to be different this time.
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