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Windows 11 comes with a great many features and one of those is the widget board, which as one would have it, now includes a dedicated widget for Xbox Game Pass. There is one caveat though.
To access to the Xbox Game Pass widget, you’ll need to be a Windows 11 insider. Today Microsoft officially announced (via XDA)the latest Insider preview builds of Windows 11. Which are version 22623.1325 and version 22621.1325. Both builds are relatively the same but the former build, Microsoft says, has the new features while the latter build is classified as “having these features off by default.”
Additionally, Microsoft says that any insiders who landed in the group with the features off by default, will be able to enable them. To do this, users will need to check for updates and then select to install the update that contains the new features. This works well because Microsoft isn’t forcing users to test the new features, but giving them the option to. These builds are currently rolling out to the beta channel. So they aren’t available to everyone just yet.
Windows 11 gets more than just an Xbox Game Pass widget
The widget for Game Pass is no doubt going to be exciting for some gamers, it’s not the only new widget. Nor are new widgets the only new feature. Alongside Game Pass, there are now also widgets for Spotify, Phone Link, and Messenger. As part of this change, Microsoft is introducing a new commercial policy. This targets businesses who want the ability to enable features via servicing that are normally off by default.
Additionally, developers can now create widgets for their apps using the Windows App SDK 1.2. Microsoft has even published a handy video (which you can view below) that walks devs through the process. The new insider preview builds began rolling out to the beta channel today and should now be live for most or all insiders.