Microsoft highlights AI in the Windows app store

Image Credits Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Microsoft Store, formerly known as Windows Store, had a somewhat middling reputation in its early years, partly because it was filled with low-quality software. With the launch of Windows 11, Microsoft gave the store a major facelift and today, at its annual Build developer conference, it’s adding a number of new features to the store. Given where Microsoft as a whole is going, it’s no surprise that many of these new features center around AI. There’s a new section that highlights AI-centric apps, for example, new AI-generated review summaries and, coming soon, AI-generated tags in the partner center so developers can make their apps more discoverable.

What’s maybe even more important than these relatively minor changes is the fact that Microsoft is using this opportunity to reintroduce the store to users. A lot has changed in the Windows ecosystem and the store — yet given that Windows users traditionally had a direct relationship with their software vendors, unmitigated by a central store, I’m sure most still bypass the store (I know I always forget it exists — and that’s also true for the Mac App Store for me).

Microsoft launched the Windows 11 store with a crucial change. The store was opened to all types of apps: native apps as well as progressive web apps (PWAs), Android apps and Flutter applications. As Microsoft’s general manager of the Microsoft Store, Giorgio Sardo noted, Microsoft also allows app developers to either use its commerce platform or bring their own, keeping 100% of revenues.

“We’ve been on this journey now for two years and it’s interesting to reflect on how’s that going so far,” Sardo told me. “I’m quite excited. I’m proud of the momentum and the commitment we made to openness. I think that commitment to openness helps us create better products for end users and for the developers.”

He stated that the number of Win32 apps and Progressive Web Apps has doubled in just one year. Important apps like WhatsApp, Adobe Express TikTok Disney+ SnapChat and Adobe Express have also been added to the store. Sardo said that around 50% of Windows 11 devices users now visit the store within the first thirty days after purchase.

Image Credits Microsoft

With the new AI hub, Microsoft is introducing its first thematic hub in the apps’ prominent left sidebar. Other options include apps (in general), movies, TV shows and games. The company now features apps such as Luminar Neo Lensa Descript Podcastl Copy.ai in its AI hub. In part, that’s to capitalize on the overall hype around AI, but also to highlight that these kinds of app experiences are available on Windows and not only in mobile apps and on the web.

Microsoft has also announced changes to Microsoft Store Ads. Developers will be able to choose to have their ads appear on Bing.com in relevant search results. The Microsoft Store Ads feature is soon to expand to 150 different regions around the world, including beyond the U.S. Additionally, developers can create high-impact advertisements that will be displayed in the spotlight area of the Microsoft Store. This is the large featured section found at the top. This section is one of the best places to display video ads. This gallery was previously a selection of apps made by the Store Team. Now, it will also include ads.