Windows 10 will get support for Progressive Web Apps in upcoming update

The browser Edge will receive support for Progressive Web Apps with the upcoming Redstone 4 update, which will be released in the spring. These are comprehensive web apps that work on different platforms and screen sizes and can also be used offline.

With the introduction of the upcoming update of Windows 10, the first Progressive Web Apps will appear in the Microsoft Store, the software developer reports. Microsoft is already laying down a foundation for this in preview versions of Edge: with EdgeHTML 17.17063 push notifications and Service Workers are enabled by default. Service Workers is the collective term for APIs that enable functionality of web apps when systems are offline or have reduced connectivity.

Last year, Microsoft used the Bing Crawler to crawl and index Progressive Web Apps, the quality of which the company believes is high enough to be included in the Microsoft Store. The company has reviewed 1.5 million candidates and selected a small number of them for Windows 10 users to try in the coming weeks. In addition to the automatic selection, developers can submit their own web apps for inclusion in the Microsoft Store.

In addition, Microsoft converts them into an appx package, so that they run in a sandboxed container within Windows 10, without the overhead of the browser. Progressive Web Apps are web apps that work on different platforms and screen sizes and can also be used offline. In addition, PWAs can tap into the functionality of operating systems and, for example, send notifications. For example, with Windows 10, they can support Live Tiles and the Action Center. According to Microsoft, they are an addition to Universal Windows Apps. The company hopes with the initiative to increase the number of apps in the Microsoft Store.