Bring back live tiles on Windows 10X

[JaiganeshKumaran]

Proposal: Bring back live tiles on Windows 10X

Live tiles are the best thing ever invented. Ever since they were introduced in 2012 on Windows desktop, apps were created to use Live tiles. Although the amount is not that huge, many people including me rely heavily on live tiles. On mobile devices like the Surface Neo, it makes more sense to have live tiles and innovate.

Summary

Microsoft has decided to remove live tiles and replace it with static dumb old school icons to be consistent with other platforms. This is not acceptable and bad for the future of Windows. It doesn't need to be in the start screen but could be in the empty desktop space on 10x.

Rationale

• Many existing apps use live tiles and they will be lost if live tiles aren't in 10x
• Windows will be unique in the OS space.

Scope

Capability	Priority
This proposal will allow developers to use live tiles on 10X	Must
This proposal will allow end users to see live tiles on the start menu or the empty desktop	Must

Important Notes

Open Questions

[JaiganeshKumaran]

I don't get it, why would you have a flyout in the taskbar when you need to click to see when I can just open the app instead. Instead, it makes a lot more sense to keep on the desktop which is empty in Windows 10x. Also if a third-party app is supported it will get cluttered very fast. Instead, it should be on the desktop that can be placed anywhere. I actually like the idea of Weather in the taskbar but I expect it just open the main app when clicked instead of a separate flyout and that the widget is on the desktop instead of a flyout.

[JaiganeshKumaran]

One major flaw with live tiles is that the primary tile is for launching the app and there's no way to get to the content. I use the News app a lot and opening it just opens the app instead of the story shown which is the intended way because it's a shortcut. The new flyout is much better since there are clickable items however it would be better to keep it on the desktop so you can see it without clicking the flyout. Notification area icon with a quick text like the new Weather one could also exist but don't have a flyout for them, instead just open the app

[jonwis]

One major flaw with live tiles is that the primary tile is for launching the app

See the LaunchActivatedEventArgs.TileActivatedInfo.RecentlyShownNotifications collection - on launch, the shell tells the app "here are the last N of your notifications that were shown." The first item in the collection should be the notification that was visible when the user clicked the tile.

I'll check with the News app team to see what's going on there. Maybe we forgot to tell them when we added it.

[mdtauk]

Secondary tiles were a thing, and I use them for specific mail inboxes. The tiles need not only be a primary app launcher.

I'm happy with tiles on my full screen start menu, and if like to see tiles continue to exist and evolve with 10X

[JaiganeshKumaran]

Secondary tiles were a thing, and I use them for specific mail inboxes. The tiles need not only be a primary app launcher.

I'm happy with tiles on my full screen start menu, and if like to see tiles continue to exist and evolve with 10X

They are still a thing but a single widget could replace the need for secondary tiles.

[mdtauk]

Secondary tiles were a thing, and I use them for specific mail inboxes. The tiles need not only be a primary app launcher. I'm happy with tiles on my full screen start menu, and if like to see tiles continue to exist and evolve with 10X

They are still a thing but a single widget could replace the need for secondary tiles.

When you say widget, are you talking about a flyout with multiple Tiles?

I could have a single tile for my email app, but I prefer a tile for each grouped inbox.

[lukeblevins]

As revolutionary as Live Tiles were when created last decade, they now deviate too much from the norm of most operating systems.

We should instead strive for a high-quality widgets experience which does some of the heavy lifting with populating the widget with content for the developer automatically. For instance, Microsoft recognizes that many apps on users systems were PWAs installed from Edge rather than native programs. Currently, only native developers have the ability to use a background task to update their tiles' content.

I'm proposing that the new experience is:

• Easily usable by PWA and native developers: Microsoft should work with the web community to draft a standard to add a new optional key to the PWA app manifest. Developers could supply rich widget content here from a URL
• Intelligent: Utilizes the Bing search indexer to scrape relevant engaging content for sites that provide nothing. It should be conservative about this and only find high-confidence branding assets
• Static by default: Avoids the un-orchestrated animations currently seen on Live Tiles in Start which distracts users just trying to find an app to open

[mdtauk]

Moving to a more widget like system is fine, as long as they are surfaced alongside app icons, or in an easily accessible UI overlay.

The 10X Launcher only has App/Site Icons and recent document/sites/files accessed (similar to the WIndows 10 Timeline)

These Widgets should be closer to Live Tiles and iOS Widgets, than to the old Gadgets or Android style widgets. Encourage a consistent design and style, and updatable either locally or via the cloud/web.

PWA support would also be good, and maybe include Adaptive Cards support.

Non live - App Tiles allowed App Icons to sit neatly in a Grid with the Live or resizable tiles. But functionally they are the same as App Icons. So if Live Tile/Widgets no longer live with the App Icons, then App Tiles are not needed, but wherever Widgets/Live Tiles will live - it needs to be as easy to access as Start is.

[JaiganeshKumaran]

More interactive widget-like tiles are fine however they should not put inside a flyout since that requires extra clicks to see one of them. Instead, they should be kept in the start menu or the desktop

[JaiganeshKumaran]

Today most background apps use a notification area icon to provide quick access but if the tile itself is interactive and can show all options, it can replace the old era stuff

[JaiganeshKumaran]

Secondary tiles were a thing, and I use them for specific mail inboxes. The tiles need not only be a primary app launcher. I'm happy with tiles on my full screen start menu, and if like to see tiles continue to exist and evolve with 10X

They are still a thing but a single widget could replace the need for secondary tiles.

When you say widget, are you talking about a flyout with multiple Tiles?

I could have a single tile for my email app, but I prefer a tile for each grouped inbox.

Yes but an interactive tile could provide all in one.

[mdtauk]

But I want my grouped inboxes separated, with a tile for each. I don't want them all in one tile

[JaiganeshKumaran]

But I want my grouped inboxes separated, with a tile for each. I don't want them all in one tile

Maybe they can be grouped

[mdtauk]

If there was support for widget flyouts, I could have my three grouped inboxes as tiles, and maybe add the calendar in there.

Another flyout could be just a group of media App icons with a Groove widget?

Lots of things become possible, if Windows allows third parties to make widgets and Live Tiles going into the future, and offers UI surfaces for these to live in.

10X has removed them from launcher, and if it doesn't want to add them back there, they could still support enhanced widget like Live Tiles and find a new place for them.

You've suggested the desktop, which is the lowest level of UI which goes beneath everything else and gets covered by windows. On dual screened 10X devices, all apps run full screen. So this is not an ideal place for them, which are designed for glancing at (and maybe simple interactions).

The launcher/Start Menu is the top most UI, and appears above everything else.

Any future UI surfaces for widgets and files, also needs to be top level, and can be brought into view no matter how many windows you have open or if both your dual screens have apps taking up those views.

[JaiganeshKumaran]

Maybe a simple button in the taskbar that opens a screen full of tiles? Instead of separate icons in the system tray like the weather widget, one single button to see them all

[mdtauk]

10X has no system tray, so for the future of the feature, some kind of button will be needed.

Or you can make a "Widget Group" icon on the Launcher that pops out a flyout with widgets and tiles on.

This is a good reason this discussion exists, to show support for a feature we fear is being depricated, and try to find a way forward for supporting and enhancing this feature, whilst not preventing Microsoft from presenting the kind of UI it wants, and not bringing back Static App Tiles - where Microsoft wishes to present them as Icons.

The default can be Icons, and Widgets/Live Tiles can be added features for apps, if Microsoft gives us the UI surfaces to present them in.

[JaiganeshKumaran]

That's a great idea but currently, the launcher isn't full width (on the emulator at least) which needs to be fixed also I think widgets should be shown on the main screen and the all apps list as an expandable element.

[mdtauk]

The launcher is near enough full width, it just chooses to render in a rounded border, but it is still on top of other UI.

On larger screens and on a desktop form factor, this will be like a normal Start Menu appearing above the start button, and won't be full screen.

I wonder how Tablet Mode will be supported. I use my Start Menu full screen on desktop and on my Surface Go. I got used to it with Windows 8, and I use lots of app tiles pinned

[JaiganeshKumaran]

Why can't Microsoft make the desktop render on top? I mean at least on desktop Windows, you can just press Windows + D or click the show desktop button

[mdtauk]

Why can't Microsoft make the desktop render on top? I mean at least on desktop Windows, you can just press Windows + D or click the show desktop button

The desktop is what is beneath the windows you open. If it were on top, you would not see anything other than your wallpaper lol

[JaiganeshKumaran]

But widgets can be placed on the desktop even if it is behind all other windows. All you need to see them is press a button. Same can be done on Windows 10x.

[mdtauk]

But widgets can be placed on the desktop even if it is behind all other windows. All you need to see them is press a button. Same can be done on Windows 10x.

There could be a way to hide all you are working on to show the desktop. It doesn't work so well on PC, and has a slow down affect minimising all the windows, and then bringing them back.

Bringing up the Start Menu/Start Screen is much smoother. Also this Widget/Tile UI doesn't have to be full screen, it could overlay like the News and Interests UI does

[JaiganeshKumaran]

@mdtauk I think full screen is much better since you can see them all without that much scrolling.

[mdtauk]

@mdtauk I think full screen is much better since you can see them all without that much scrolling.

Sure, but if you only pin a few widgets, it doesn't have to be Full Screen.

Also you may want to group a few Live Tiles in different groups, so they can each have a small flyout.

Another thing with 10X at the moment. You can not group App Icons into folders, and there is not way to arrange the Icons on a grid with spaces between them. With my Start Screen I group design apps, office apps, games, and daily glance apps together. A flat grid of App Icons doesn't allow this, and that I think is a regression too.

[JaiganeshKumaran]

@mdtauk The flyout or screen which shows the widgets can be resizable like the current desktop Start screen. Yes, flyout can be down for grouping but not in the taskbar, instead of the new tiles screen or flyout.

[shaheedmalik]

The easiest thing to do is have the current 10x Launcher customizable.

Think of the various modes in File Manager: Extra Large Icons Large Icons Medium Icons Small Icons List Details Tiles

Now implement them in the Start Menu: Live Tiles Icons List Details

[JaiganeshKumaran]

I made a concept of interactive live tiles on the desktop. Instead of scrolling for overflow, I decided to make it paged similar to how Android handles the page. Since it's hard to swipe with a mouse, I have also included buttons for them. Existing desktop icons are inside a desktop tile as a list.

[andrewleader]

This is an excellent discussion, how do folks feel about moving this discussion to GitHub Discussions in the Ideas section? I wanted to ask before moving this, but @Jaiganeshkumaran if you feel good with moving this to GitHub Discussions, let me know and I can migrate it (and all the comments and everything will move over there and be retained!).

[JaiganeshKumaran]

@andrewleader Ok go ahead

[andrewleader]

Moving this discussion to GitHub Discussions into our Ideas section!