Windows Update will now handle your third-party apps and drivers
What's the story
Microsoft is expanding the capabilities of its Windows Update service, allowing it to handle updates for third-party apps and drivers. The company has invited developers to join a private preview of its new "Windows Update orchestration platform." The move is primarily aimed at business applications but will eventually be open to all apps and management tools.
Vision
A unified platform for app and driver updates
Angie Chen, a Product Manager at Microsoft, explained the company's vision for this new platform. She said they are "building a vision for a unified, intelligent update orchestration platform capable of supporting any update (apps, drivers, etc.) to be orchestrated alongside Windows updates." Currently, Windows Update mainly handles core system updates and key device drivers. It also installs some management apps for peripherals.
Developer benefits
New platform to leverage user activity and battery status
The Windows Update orchestration platform will allow app developers to use scheduled updates depending on user activity and battery status. Developers can also directly integrate with native Windows Update notifications and be included in the app update history section of Windows Update. Microsoft will support MSIX/APPX packaged apps as well as some custom Win32 apps through this new system.
App management
Microsoft Store v/s Windows Update orchestration platform
Microsoft has previously tried to persuade developers to list their apps on the Microsoft Store, which handles updates. However, many businesses prefer updating their own line-of-business apps independently. The new Windows Update orchestration platform could be a solution for this issue by integrating more app updates into the existing system. It remains to be seen if businesses or large developers like Adobe will adopt this new approach over separate installers that run in the background.