Windows 11 is a design improvement based on WinUI, and it also brings back a long-lost feature called gadgets, similar to Windows Vista’s gadgets. If you have used Windows 7 or Windows Vista in the past, then you must be familiar with the term gadget or widget.
Unfortunately, Windows 11 gadgets are not entirely based on the concept of Windows Vista or Windows 7 gadgets. At present, Windows 11 gadgets are designed to not be nailed to the desktop, they only appear on the gadget board. In addition, in the current construction, the widget options are only Microsoft’s first-party application widgets and news and interest feedback.
Reliable sources have previously revealed that Microsoft is planning to increase support for third-party gadgets. According to the documents we have seen, third-party gadgets will be included in the 22H2 version of Windows 11. Third-party support will allow users to customize the widget board according to their preferences.
Initially, Windows 11 22H2 version will support third-party gadgets for the first time, and then third-party support will be extended to the original version of the Windows 11 operating system later.
It is worth noting that we are unable to find APIs related to third-party gadgets in the current operating system preview or stable version, indicating that the initial third-party preview version is still several weeks or months away.
The third-party gadget feature of Windows 11 will require a new version of the Windows Web Experience Pack, and developers will be able to publish their gadgets in the Microsoft Store.
Since Windows 11 uses the widget board of the Web Experience Pack, Microsoft will also introduce third-party support for older versions of the operating system. This move will greatly improve the widget panel, but it is unclear whether Microsoft will allow applications that are not on the Microsoft Store.
There may be more developers working with Microsoft to develop new gadgets for Windows 11. It is estimated that it will be earlier than expected because the company hopes that this feature will be completed before the summer of 2022.
As part of the Sun Valley 2 update, the Windows widget board will be moved to the left side of the screen, and users will be able to view weather updates directly on the taskbar, similar to the news and interest widgets in the Windows 10 taskbar.
Previous reports indicate that Microsoft plans to release the 22H2 version of Windows 11 Sun Valley 2 by the summer of 2022. This release date is not surprising, because it will be the anniversary update of the operating system, which is expected to be launched at the end of summer, exactly in line with the time of the main version.
In addition to the new gadget experience, Sun Valley 2 is expected to add drag-and-drop functionality to the taskbar, improve the start menu, and introduce support for new customization options.