Microsoft promises to actually respect your default Windows app choices

Microsoft is promising to level the playing field when it comes to selecting default and pinned Windows apps in a new blog post promising a ‘principled approach’ to ensuring developers get a fair shot.

Microsoft said it is reaffirming its commitment that Windows users will be in full control of the apps they pin to the taskbar or Start Menu, while they’ll introduce a common way for developers to allow their apps to be set at default.

Microsoft is building a “deep link URI” that devs can build into their apps that’ll take users directly to the settings menus that controls pinned and default apps.

We can’t imagine Microsoft is going to stop recommending you switch to the Edge browser, but it’s a far cry from the years where the company would force the homegrown apps down the throats of Windows users ad nauseam.

“We want to ensure that people are in control of what gets pinned to their Desktop, their Start menu and their Taskbar as well as to be able to control their default applications such as their default browser through consistent, clear and trustworthy Windows provided system dialogs and settings,” the company writes in the blog post.

“Third party applications running on Windows and Microsoft’s own apps and features will have access to methods for pinning to these key user experiences and access to directing users to change defaults. Apps may offer features to lead users to the appropriate dialog or setting, but users are ultimately in control through standardised and clear experiences to inform their decisions.”

Microsoft has also published images showing how the features, that would introduce common supported methods, would look in theory. These features will be built into a new publicly available API enabling developers to build their apps with pining and defaulting in mind.

Microsoft said it is leading by example and as such will release a new version of Edge that’ll reflect the changes too.