New end-user experiences for Windows in the cloud: December 2024

Brink · Dec 5, 2024

Windows IT Pro Blog:

We have recent updates to share with you about end-user experiences, including news from Microsoft Ignite 2024 and Windows cloud announcements. The future of Windows is AI and the cloud for greater accessibility. As part of this journey, we’re redefining our end-user experiences with new like-local experiences that are familiar to anyone who has used Windows. Let’s jump right into a summary of these updates and announcements.

Windows App

Windows App is your unified gateway to all Windows virtualization solutions—it consolidates multiple apps (Remote Desktop, Windows 365 App, etc.) into a single app. Windows App is generally available for Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and web browsers.

Windows App for Android is now in public preview and downloadable via the Google Play Store. You can use Windows App on all supported Android devices—including tablets, smartphones, and head-mounted displays—running Android 11 and above.

Windows App supported platforms

Windows 365 Link

Windows 365 Link, the first Cloud PC device purpose-built by Microsoft to connect securely to Windows 365 in seconds, is a game-changer. It provides cloud-powered performance with simplified IT management, offering desk-based users fast and seamless access to their Cloud PCs while requiring minimal configuration. Windows 365 Link takes advantage of local hardware acceleration for video conferencing and local redirection of web multimedia content, providing a responsive and high-fidelity experience indistinguishable from that of a local PC.

Learn more about Windows 365 Link and how to sign up for the public preview. The Ignite session Welcome to the future - take a first look at Windows 365 Link, the first Cloud PC device is available on demand, and don’t miss this YouTube video:

Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop support for HEVC

High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also known as H.265, allows for 25–50% better data compression compared to Advanced Video Coding (AVC), known as H.264, while offering similar or improved video quality at the same bitrate. This will improve graphical fidelity compared to AVC graphics profiles and allow better graphical performance in suboptimal network conditions (e.g. low bandwidth connections) using Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) acceleration. When combined with Windows 365 GPU-enabled Cloud PCs with Super or Max configurations, or with Azure Virtual Desktop GPU offerings, users experience a near-local performance tailored to their specific graphics workload needs. HEVC is currently in public preview.

Support for symmetric NAT with Relayed RDP Shortpath

Relayed RDP Shortpath in Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop is now generally available. It supports establishing an indirect UDP connection using Traversal Using Relays around NAT (TURN) protocol for symmetric NAT. TURN is a popular standard for device-to-device networking for low latency, high-throughput data transmission with Azure Communication Services. For more about this enhancement, read Relayed RDP Shortpath for public networks now available.

Microsoft OneDrive support for Azure Virtual Desktop RemoteApp

You can now use Microsoft OneDrive alongside a RemoteApp in Azure Virtual Desktop, allowing you to access and synchronize files while using a RemoteApp. When a user connects to a RemoteApp, OneDrive can automatically launch as a companion to the RemoteApp. Learn more about how to configure OneDrive to automatically launch alongside a RemoteApp in Azure Virtual Desktop in this documentation.

Microsoft Teams in Windows cloud

We released our new Teams plugin model known as SlimCore. The new media engine in the latest Teams desktop client brings parity between the native Teams app and Teams for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). This optimization model is available when connecting from your Windows client, and it closes feature gaps more quickly.

Additional features include:

Performance improvements: Experience the same quality and reliability as the native Teams client for Windows, with faster meeting join times, fewer call drops, and the latest codecs.
Auto updates and decoupling: SlimCore updates automatically with Teams, ensuring high quality and avoiding outdated stacks without requiring user prompts or reboots.
Streamlined support: Minimal dependency on VDI partner stacks means admins only need to contact Microsoft for any issues, reducing incident severity and downtime. Extensive self-help documentation is also provided.

For a detailed list of feature differences between the new SlimCore optimizations and existing WebRTC optimizations, see Feature list with the new optimization.

Multimedia call redirection

Call redirection optimizes audio calls for WebRTC-based calling apps in the browser, reducing latency, and improving call quality. The connection happens between the local device and the telephony app server, where WebRTC calls are offloaded from a remote session to a local device, as shown in the diagram below. Once the connection is established, call quality becomes dependent on the web page or app providers, just as it would with a non-redirected call. Read more in the Redirect calls in a remote session documentation.

Multimedia call redirection flow

What’s next?

The powerful capabilities of Copilot+ PCs are coming to Windows 365, bringing the cloud and Copilot+ experiences together. Features such as Improved Search will soon enhance your productivity on your Cloud PC. By taking advantage of both edge and cloud computing, you’ll enjoy AI powered experiences that are seamless and high quality, whether you are working on your desktop or accessing your Cloud PC from any device.

Windows cloud vision and Ignite hero announcements

Microsoft Ignite content available on demand

In case you missed any of the breakout sessions that the Windows cloud engineering team delivered at Microsoft Ignite, they are now available on demand. Here are just a few highlights:

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