Microsoft released a new Windows 11 build to the Developer Insider channel this week. It includes the first third-party widget for Windows 11's Widget feature next to plenty of fixes.
Microsoft launched the Widgets app in Windows 11 as a central hub featuring news, tips, weather information, and several Microsoft-specific promotions and highlights.
Third-party widgets were not supported back then, but Microsoft promised that support would be added eventually.
Fast forward to January 2023, and the first third-party widget is now available in Developer builds.
Microsoft has a strong partnership with Meta, parent company of Facebook, and the launch of widget support in Messenger confirms that the partnership is still going strong.
Windows 11 users need to install the Messenger app on their device and make sure that it is up to date. Afterwards, it is necessary to add it as a widget by selecting the plus-icon in the Widgets interface and selecting the Messenger widget to pin it to the Widgets board.
Windows 11's Widgets board displays the last few messages that users have received in Messenger from that moment on whenever it is opened.
The data is limited to just a few words, the name of the contact and the time. A click opens the full message in the Messenger application on the device.
Microsoft announced that more widgets will become available in the foreseeable future as "more developers create and release widgets for their apps".
Not all applications make good targets for placement on the widgets board, and it remains to be seen if third-party support will increase the attractiveness of Widgets, or if it remains a niche feature, despite it being promoted heavily by Microsoft.
Expect more chat, cloud-based, and entertainment apps to come with widgets support in the coming years.
Microsoft never revealed numbers regarding widgets. It is unclear if the feature is popular or if most Windows 11 users ignore it by removing the icon from the taskbar.
To remove the Widgets interface, right-click on a blank space on the Windows 11 taskbar, select Taskbar Settings and flip the switch next to Widgets to off. Disabling Widgets may save system resources, actually.
You may also check out Ashwin's guide on uninstall widgets in Windows 11.
Now You: do you use Widgets? If not, would you if Microsoft would make changes to the feature?
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