Microsoft says it will provide developers with a new API that will automatically ask Windows users for permission when pinning their apps to the taskbar, desktop, or Start Menu.
Developers will also be able to send users to the correct Settings location via the new deep link URI when they want to make their app the default for a specific file type or link type. This will be implemented as an extension to the existing ms-settings: URI scheme.
Redmond wants these to become standard supported methods for pinning Windows apps and app defaults and has promised to use them in Microsoft-developed apps as well.
“We’re about to introduce a new publicly available API that will allow apps to pin either the primary or secondary tile to the Taskbar,” Microsoft’s Tali Roth and Aaron Grady. said.
“This API will always ask a trusted Windows user experience to clarify what is being requested to be pinned and to confirm that the user really wants to allow the pin to happen.”
While this will give users more control over what apps are pinned to their taskbar, pinning the confirmation toast notification defaults to the ‘Accept’ button when it should, instead , highlight ‘Reject’ or leave it to the user to decide.
Microsoft is still explaining whether the new app pinning API that also forces developers to ask for confirmation will be implemented in any way.
“We want to make sure that people have control over what is pinned to their Desktop, their Start menu and their Taskbar as well as to control their default applications like their default browser through par- same, clear and reliable system dialogs provided by Windows. and settings,” added Roth and Grady.
“We promise that Microsoft Edge will release an update that uses the new Settings deep link URI for the default and public pinning APIs when they become available.”
These changes will begin rolling out to systems enrolled in the Windows Insider Dev Channel in the coming months.