The Download Channel showcases upcoming features
The Windows App SDK is available in three different channels. You can choose between the current stable release, a preview release for upcoming features, or an experimental channel to try out new features. The current supported release is version 1.5.5, which will be released in early July 2024. The next major release will be released approximately six months later. The current preview release is ahead of the current build, so a new version will be released soon. The experimental build is based on the development tree of the planned 1.6 release, with a second release scheduled for July 2024.
Microsoft provides a list of features available in each channel and their current support lifecycle. Versions are supported for one year from their initial release, so the current 1.5 release will be supported until the end of February 2025, while version 1.4 will be out of support at the end of August 2024. There is one peculiar caveat to Windows App SDK support: it provides compatibility with Windows 10, version 1809, but only includes Windows versions that are technically supported.
Windows App SDK and Copilot Runtime
The Windows App SDK is a core component of Copilot Runtime, designed to host several features including AI APIs based on Phi Silica local generative AI models and AI-based OCR services. However, these promised features are still missing in the current version 1.6 experimental build, two months after the build. If Microsoft wants to turn developers’ attention to Windows, it needs to take advantage of new hardware capabilities, ship Copilot Runtime APIs as soon as possible, and accelerate the transition of version 1.6 from experimental to production.
