One of the new features in Windows 11 is the Widgets panel or panel, which is essentially a reboot of News and Interests from Windows 10. While Windows 10 News and Interests only offers news updates i.e., the Widgets panel can display interactive content from apps like Microsoft Store , Calendar, etc.
However, Windows 11’s Widgets panel is relatively limited as it only supports native apps developed by Microsoft. It can only show weather, sports, news and updates from selected apps, such as Microsoft To Do, Photos, Calendar, etc. In Build 2022, Microsoft has confirmed that a gallery Massive widgets could be available later this year.
According to Microsoft’s documentation, Widgets powered by Adaptive Tags are written in JSON and allow applications or services to exchange data openly. Using Adaptive Tags, Microsoft can convert JSON into a native UI that automatically adapts to a particular application’s container/window.
It helps to design and integrate lightweight user interfaces for all major platforms and frameworks. The company says Adaptive Tag-based Widgets can act as a great companion experience for Win32 apps and PWAs on Windows 11.
Adaptive Tags are not a new technology, and Microsoft has used it in Windows Timeline, Teams, Cortana, Outlook, etc. We don’t know exactly how developers can integrate their apps. them with Widgets, but one document confirmed that widgets will have only minimal impact on performance.
Microsoft notes that these Adaptive Cards-based third-party extensions will always use “low memory and CPU” and that their adaptive interface will automatically style them to match the element experience. form/server.
Later this year, Microsoft will allow developers to publish widgets through the Windows Store, and the process of publishing widgets to the store will be the same as submitting a regular app.
New features coming to the Widget panel: Full screen mode and more
Earlier this year, Microsoft also announced some small new additions to the Widgets panel.
Currently, the Widget opens from the left side of the screen. This could change as soon as Microsoft is working on a new optional feature to open the Widget panel in full screen mode. When in full screen mode, the widgets will cover the entire screen and take up the full screen.
This means users can access more widgets and news items from MSN at once, and it’s also more tablet-friendly.
Apparently, the Widgets panel is getting another feature that allows the widget panel to show updates related to both work and personal accounts.
The Utilities panel now shows updates based on the account you’re using. In a future update, Windows 11 will show items from both accounts, with work or school-related items appearing on the left and personal on the right.
