Shortly after Microsoft said that no more Windows 10 Mobile builds will be coming through on the Fast ring for Windows Insiders, a small update has been pushed to the Windows 10 Mobile Store app on the Release Preview ring. The change is small, but is it insignificant?
The update merely changes the words “Check for Updates” to “Get Updates.” Why did Microsoft push a new update just for a change in terminology?
It’s possible that Microsoft is looking to tweak the update process a little so any app that has an update available for your Windows 10 Mobile device will show up as a “Get” rather than a “Check for.”
There doesn’t appear to be any other noticeable change in this particular iteration, so it’s quite odd that they’d push this at this time and not alongside any bug fixes or performance improvements.
The Windows 10 Mobile Store app is a crucial platform for UWP app delivery to Windows phones. Right now, there is only a limited range of devices that can fully make use of UWP apps, but that should change once the (in)famous Surface Phone – or any one of its numerous cousins – is released to the market.
The future that Microsoft is banking on is one where multiple device types – smartphones, tablets, 2-in-1s, laptops, desktops, gaming consoles, mixed reality hardware – can all work off the same Windows 10 and the same UWP apps. But the devices portfolio is only being built up now, as is the body of UWP apps.
There’s a long way to go before we see millions of apps catering to millions upon millions of devices under the Surface, Xbox, HoloLens brands in addition to a rich ecosystem of OEM devices. But Microsoft is slowly getting there with its many ongoing projects. The Windows 10 Mobile Store app should see several feature additions and UI improvements in future, but for now, it’s just a name change that could indicate something is in the works.
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