Microsoft is experimenting with some updates to the Microsoft Store on Windows 11 to improve how updates are handled.
Some store apps will close and reopen while being updated, implying you could lose the job if you opened the Microsoft Store and fixed updated apps. Microsoft is now testing a modification to the Store that will skip over updates for open apps instead.
The store update also includes faster navigation, making it a little smoother to find apps to download and install on Windows 11. Alongside these navigation improvements, Microsoft is also introducing native Arm64 support so that the Microsoft Store will be a lot faster on devices like the Surface Pro X.
Finally, Microsoft is extending its pop-up store support to Android apps. If you’re scanning the web and find an Android app in the Amazon Appstore, Windows 11 will show a pop-up store experience to allow you to install it quickly.
This latest Microsoft Store update is available to Windows Insiders in the Dev channel. It should be available to all Windows 11 users over the coming months. Microsoft is also testing a new restore feature for the Microsoft Store, allowing Windows 11 users to quickly re-install apps on a new PC.
Windows Insider is an available software testing program by Microsoft Corporation that permits users who hold a valid license of Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server to enlist for pre-release builds of the operating system formerly only accessible to software developers.
Microsoft pitched Windows Insider for developers, enterprise testers, and the “technically able” to test new developer components on pre-release software. It builds to gather low-level diagnostics feedback to investigate, mitigate, identify, and improve the Windows 10 OS, with the help of support and guidance of the Insider program Participants, in direct contact with Microsoft Engineers thru a proprietary communication and diagnostic track.
It was declared on September 30, 2014, along with Windows 10. By September 2015, over 7 million individuals took part in the Windows Insider program. On February 12, 2015, Microsoft began to test out previews of Windows 10 Mobile. In addition, Microsoft announced that the Windows Insider program would continue beyond the official release of Windows 10 for future updates.
Gabriel Aul and Dona Sarkar were previously the head of the Windows Insider Program. The current director of the Windows Insider program is Amanda Langowski. Like the Windows Insider program, the Microsoft Office, Microsoft Edge, Skype, Bing, Xbox, and Visual Studio Code teams have set up their Insider programs.
Microsoft initially launched Windows Insider for business testers and the “technically able” to test out new developer features and collect feedback to improve the features built into Windows 10. By the time of the authorized launch of Windows 10 for PCs, 5 million volunteers were registered on both Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10. They were also among the first to receive the official update to Windows 10.
With Windows 10, the Windows Insider app was merged with the Settings app. In addition, it made the ability to install Windows Insider preview builds an optional feature that could be accessed directly from Windows 10.
In May 2017, Microsoft disclosed that the program would extend to Windows Server 2016. As a result, the first Insider build for this operating system was released on July 13, 2017.
On June 24, 2021, Microsoft revealed that the program would grow to Windows 11, with the Beta and Dev channels transitioning to the new OS. As a result, the first Insider constituted for Windows 11 was released on June 28, 2021, for the Dev Channel.
Windows Insider Preview updates are provided to testers in different channels (formerly “rings”) or logical categories: Windows Insiders in Dev Channel (once Fast Ring) receive updates before Windows Insiders in Beta Channel (previously Slow Ring). Still, they might experience more bugs and other issues. Release Preview Channel was presented in February 2016.
As of November 5, 2019, Microsoft has abandoned the Skip Ahead ring from the Windows Insider Program, stating, “The goal is to furnish everyone in the Fast ring the freshest builds at the same time.”