Microsoft super-charges Windows Update so it can keep all of your apps up to date

Microsoft has launched a preview version of the Windows Update orchestration platform. This is an update to Windows Update itself which opens it up for use by third-party developers.

This means that Windows Update could soon be able to update not only Windows, but also drivers, and third-party apps. So broad is the scope of what Microsoft is working on that it feels as though Windows Update will soon be a misnomer, and a rebranding may be in order.

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The idea behind having one central point for updating everything is a simple one -- consolidation. At the moment Windows Update is used to deliver updates for the operating system and some drivers, the Microsoft Store is used to update some apps, while many apps include their own built-in update system. This, Microsoft feels, is a confusing mess.

The company says:

Updates across the Windows ecosystem can feel like a fragmented experience for IT admins managing applications that have their own update orchestrators (e.g., line of business) and commercial management tools that handle their own download, install, restart, and notifications today. To solve this, we're building a vision for a unified, intelligent update orchestration platform capable of supporting any update (apps, drivers, etc.) to be orchestrated alongside Windows updates.

Microsoft's solution is the clumsily named Windows Update orchestration platform. Currently in private preview, developers can sign up to deliver their own app updates via Windows Update. Numerous advantages are cited by Microsoft such as increased efficiency, end-user happiness, better troubleshooting options and more.

Microsoft explains:

Built on the Windows Update stack, the orchestration platform aims to provide developers and product teams building apps and management tools with an API for onboarding their update(s) that supports the needs of their installers. The orchestrator will coordinate across all onboarded products that are updated on Windows 11, in addition to Windows Update, to provide IT admins and users with a consistent management plane and experience, respectively.

It could be a long time before this becomes publicly available, but it is an extremely interesting idea. More information is available in this post from Microsoft, and developers can register there too.

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