New Windows 11 Build 25217 – Custom Widgets, Microsoft Store Update, and Fixes (Dev)

In this article, we will talk about the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build for the Dev Channel, which is Build 25217.

Custom or 3rd Party Widgets

Microsoft is excited to announce support for 3rd party widgets as part of the WinAppSDK 1.2 preview 2 release. The 3rd party widgets platform included in this release will allow developers to create widgets for their packaged Win32 apps and test them locally on the Windows 11 Widgets board.

New features:

• Developers with packaged Win32 apps will be able to create and test 3rd party widgets locally if their machine is running in Developer Mode under Settings > Privacy & security > For developers. Developers will also need to be on the latest Insider Preview build from the Dev Channel to get the necessary update for the Widgets Board (version 521.20060.1205.0 or higher). For more information on widgets including pre-requisites please see Widget Design Docs and Widget Dev Docs.

Known limitations:

• 3rd party widgets can only be tested locally on the latest Insider Preview builds from the Dev Channel for this preview release. Once WinAppSDK 1.2 GA is out, users on released versions of Windows 11 can begin acquiring 3rd party widgets via the Microsoft Store for shipped versions of their app.
• Support for 3rd party PWA widgets will also be coming as part of a future Microsoft Edge release.

We also have improvements and updates regarding the Simplified Chinese IME and also the new Tamil Anjal keyboard, which is now available for all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel. More info about that is in this article from the Microsoft Blog.

New Touch Keyboard Settings Removed

Microsoft have disabled the new touch keyboard setting that first began rolling out to Windows Insiders in Build 25188 for now. They hope to bring this feature back in the future after further refinement of the design. As they’ve mentioned previously, features they try out in the Dev or Beta Channels may not always ship.

Microsoft Store Update

Microsoft is beginning to roll out a Microsoft Store update (version 22209) with the following improvements:

• While finding games in the Store, they now clearly show when they are “available with Game Pass” as well as the current available price. On the detail page of such a game, they updated the button design and added a new section to let you know what is included in the subscription.

• They’ve enhanced the library experience with simplified options and improved performance.

New Video Calling Experience for Chat from Microsoft Teams

Chat from Microsoft Teams in Windows 11 will be coming with a more intuitive and streamlined way to video call anyone in the world.

When you open Chat from the taskbar, the focus will be on you with a preview of your own video, and the various ways you can connect with your people. It is now easier than ever to immediately start a video call with those who are using Microsoft Teams for personal use. For those who are not on Teams, not a problem- you can easily share a call link with anyone via SMS or email and get the conversation going directly within Chat.

This experience will become more broadly available in the coming months, but a small subset of users will have started seeing the experience as part of a sneak preview release. See if you fall into this category by launching Chat from the taskbar.

Fixes

[Tablet-optimized taskbar]

• We fixed the issue causing the taskbar to sometimes collapse when it should be expanded if there are no running windows on the desktop.
• We fixed an issue that would occur when using the left or right edge gestures resulting in the Widgets or Notification Center (respectively) to overlap with or look truncated by the taskbar.
• Fixed an issue that was causing the tablet-optimized taskbar to crash explorer.exe while switching apps.
• Fixed an issue that was causing the tablet-optimized taskbar to crash explorer.exe if you entered the overflow flyout.

[Windowing]

• Fixed an issue where the close button for window preview thumbnails in Task View was drawing slightly outside the bounds of the thumbnail.
• Fixed an issue where when switching between windows in recent builds you might see the entire window flash black for a frame while rendering.
• Fixed an issue causing Miracast video quality to be very slow and stuttering in recent flights despite having a solid internet connection.

[System Tray Updates]

NOTE: These fixes will only show if System Tray Updates (documented here) is enabled on your device. Tablet-optimized taskbar is still rolling out to Windows Insiders and not yet available for everyone.

• Fixed an issue so that Quick Settings items can now be rearranged with touch again.

[Settings]

• Fixed an issue under Network and Internet > Advanced Network Settings, where certain networks were displaying the wrong link speed.

[Other]

• Fixed an issue where remote desktop on ARM64 PCs was unexpectedly not using UDP and only TCP.

For more info, regarding Known Issues, you can check this article from the Microsoft Blog.

For a more in-depth presentation of the New Build, you can watch the video below from the youtube channel.