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The purpose is clear: to allow Windows users to access the Microsoft operating system and related services with any device, improving the performance of the tool that has taken its place until now, namely Remote Desktop, which will be automatically replaced through an update. Windows App, whose name explicitly recalls the desire to promote preferential and facilitated access to the Windows ecosystem, is already available on the Microsoft Store, App Store and as a preview on the GooglePlay Store and can therefore be installed on macOS, iOS and iPadOS computers (and therefore iPhones and iPads), Web browsers and Android devices. Its usefulness? Enabling the execution of (Windows) applications on devices that do not natively support the Redmond operating system. Microsoft’s idea, in short, is to use the App as a real hub to use various remote resources and Hilary Braun, Senior Product Manager of Windows 365, defined it in this perspective as “a secure gateway to connect to Windows”. The intent, in a nutshell, is to make the task easier for IT professionals who manage complex corporate infrastructures, but also for professional users who want to interact in streaming mode with their personal computer from multiple sources, using a single access point. At the moment, however, Windows App is reserved for users with a corporate Microsoft account, precisely because it was developed primarily for Remote Desktop users, and it is not yet clear if and when support will be extended to consumer accounts.
The main novelties
The improvements made to the new version of the app are several and among these stand out a smoother management of account changes and the availability of advanced tools, for IT administrators, for device management. The app is also compatible with the version of Windows 365 dedicated to front-line workers in the field and introduces support for “Relayed RDP Shortpath”, a technology that allows the use of remote desktop on non-compatible networks. One of the prerogatives of Windows App is however that of maintaining the essential features of the old Remote Desktop, see for example multi-monitor support, homescreen customization, device redirection (webcams, for example) and dynamic adaptation. The app, as explained by Microsoft, has been in the testing phase for about twelve months, and among its features there is obviously also that of being able to remotely activate local peripherals such as webcams, storage devices and printers as if they were directly connected to a cloud PC. And when you look closely, the announcement of Windows Apps reflects a long-standing strategy for Microsoft: to completely move Windows and its galaxy of applications and services into the cloud, to facilitate their integration with the multi-layered capabilities of artificial intelligence.
