Microsoft has created a Windows App for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Windows, and web browsers. The app essentially takes the previous Windows 365 app and turns it into a central hub for streaming a copy of Windows from a remote PC, Azure Virtual Desktop, Windows 365, Microsoft Dev Box, and Microsoftâs Remote Desktop Services.
Technology
Windows is now an app for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and PCs
Microsoft now has a dedicated Windows App for connecting to cloud and remote PCs. It’s available in preview for a variety of operating systems.
Microsoft supports multiple monitors through its Windows App, custom display resolutions and scaling, and device redirection for peripherals like webcams, storage devices, and printers. The preview version of the Windows App isnât currently available for Android, though.
The Windows App is also limited to Microsoftâs range of business accounts, but there are signs it will be available to consumers, too. The sign-in prompt on the Windows App on Windows (yes thatâs a mouthful) suggests you can access the app using a personal Microsoft Account, but this functionality doesnât work right now.
Microsoft has had similar apps for connecting to PCs remotely for decades, most notably with its Remote Desktop Connection app that ships in Windows. A dedicated âWindows Appâ is unusual branding though, and could signal Microsoftâs broader ambitions to move Windows fully to the cloud are underway.
Microsoft created a new web-focused Windows team after former Surface and Windows chief Panos Panay left the company for Amazon in September. The new âWindows and Web Experiencesâ team appears to be largely focused on building AI-powered web services for Windows. Weâve already seen a number of web-powered features appear in Windows 11, with the main search interface dynamically updating from the web, a widgets system, and even Copilot integration.
During the FTC v. Microsoft hearing, we learned that Microsoft wants to move Windows fully to the cloud on the consumer side, something it has already been offering to businesses with Windows 365. The Windows App might just set the stage for consumers to access cloud PCs and Windows apps on devices that donât run Microsoftâs operating system.