The Microsoft Store on Windows 11 has been making great strides in getting developer and app support recently. This is primarily due to the fact that the storefront is now open to all applications, regardless of the framework or technology used to develop them. This essentially means that developers can publish Win32, .NET, UWP, Xamarin, Electron, React Native, Java, and Progressive Web Apps directly to the storefront, and will be responsible for its update mechanism. We've recently seen PowerToys, Microsoft Edge, Visual Studio, and Visual Studio Code all make their way to the digital storefront.
Microsoft has now published a blog post touting support from third-parties saying that hundreds of developers have signed up for the preview to bring desktop apps to the Microsoft Store. Prominent examples of this are Discord, TeamViewer, LibreOffice, Zoom, VLC, Wikipedia, Reddit, and more.
Today, the company is making a major change in its policies to allow third-party app stores a place in the Microsoft Store too. This makes sense since we already know that Android app support on Windows is coming via the Amazon Appstore. Microsoft has stated that the Epic Games Store will be making its way to the Microsoft Store in the coming months too. While the Amazon Appstore won't be available by the time of Windows 11's staggered general availability on October 5, the company has stated that it will be available in preview "soon".
Finally, Opera and Yandex Browser have been announced as two new browsers available via the Microsoft Store. Microsoft's commitment to making its storefront open for all kinds of apps will likely encourage more developers to port their applications to the offering. It is also important to note that the Redmond tech giant does not deduct any revenue if a developer chooses to utilize a third-party commerce system instead of the standard one offered by Microsoft.
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