Installer companion app for Windows App Studio hits the Windows Store

Kit McDonald
8 months ago in Latest news

The Windows App Studio team has announced today that they are releasing a new companion app designed to make sideloading and installation processes easier. The Windows App Studio Installer app is already available for download in the Windows Store for all Windows 10 devices.

The app will check to see if the necessary certificate is installed or update it automatically if it isn’t. It will also guide the user through enabling side loading mode and open up the proper settings page with a step by step guide. After it is done, it will install the application installer package on the local computer.

Windows App Studio Installer makes it easier to install and share your apps.

The Windows App Studio Installer app makes it easier to install and share your apps.

Here is how it works:

Installing Apps

Generate your app in Windows App Studio and build an installable package.

Click the link to install the app.

The link will open up the Installer app, and from there, all you need to do is click the install button. Note: If you are not already in side loading or developer mode for Windows 10, this tool will also prompt you to make that change and automatically open the correct settings page.

Once you click “Install,” the app deploys the certificate (if necessary) and installs the app. Once the installation process completes you can open it from the Installer app, or however you normally prefer to open programs, like with the Win key + app name shortcut.

Sharing Apps

With the Installer app, it’s now much easier to share apps with your friends and family, regardless of their level of expertise with Windows.

When you generate installable package, look for links just below the install button for sharing via email, Twitter, and Facebook.

Click one of those links to share your app through email, Facebook, and/or Twitter.

Whoever you shared it with will get a link to a page about your app and will have the link to download it with the Installer app.

Once they click “Install App” on the page, it will open up the Installer app. It’s just one more click from there to install the app.

Since this is the first version, the team is asking for feedback on how it can be improved. With Microsoft adding another of it’s own apps to the Universal Windows Platform, the installer will add to the list of building blocks that make developing apps across all Windows devices a lot more appealing to users.