Windows Phone 8.1 SDK brings support for Modern UI apps to mobile
Microsoft has released its software development kit for Windows Phone 8.1. It can be deduced from the SDK that version 8.1 will include support for ‘universal apps’; this should enable developers to make apps suitable for Windows on mobile and desktop simultaneously.
The innovations discovered in the Windows Phone 8.1 SDk have been written down by The Verge. It turns out that in the new SDk, Microsoft supports developing in the .appx container, which is also used for the Modern UI apps for the desktop version of Windows. That indicates that developers can develop software with the new sdk that works on both the mobile and desktop versions of the OS; Microsoft previously hinted at support for this. However, it is not yet clear to what extent mobile and desktop will be integrated as Microsoft has not yet made any statements about this.
Furthermore, The Verge notes that in Windows Phone 8.1 it will be possible to choose other ‘default’ apps. For example, it is possible to adapt the application with which text messages are received to a third-party app. Microsoft has also improved the battery indicator and multitasking menu. In Windows Phone 8.1, users get the option to log in to Apple’s iCloud as standard and the mobile version of Internet Explorer 11 is also included, which, among other things, improves the display of YouTube videos. Windows Phone 8.1 also has support for vpn and the interface for the camera has been renewed.
It is striking that Microsoft seems to have removed integration with Facebook in Windows Phone 8.1: support for the social networking site is not present in the SDK, while Twitter integration is still there. Also, the previously rumored Action Center for notifications is not present in the SDK, as is support for Bing functionality. That indicates that Microsoft is holding back some things, probably until the new version of the OS is officially launched.
A developer version of Windows Phone 8.1 is expected to be presented at the Build meeting that Microsoft is organizing in April. With the release of the SDK, developers can already make their apps compatible with the new version of the mobile OS.