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maxmin10's avatar
maxmin10
Copper Contributor
Aug 17, 2020

Will Surface Duo Run UWP Apps??

Will Surface Duo Run UWP Apps in addition to Android apps?  If not I don't see the point of this device.  It doesn't utilize the Microsoft Store or UWP apps.  It doesn't use the Microsoft ecosystem at all!  Pretty much all the features they talk about using on the Duo such as Office, Calendar, Outlook, will work on any Android phone.  

 

--Very confused by the the Surface Duo.

5 Replies

  • Craig_Dunn's avatar
    Craig_Dunn
    Icon for Microsoft rankMicrosoft
    Aug 23, 2020

    maxmin10 as others have said, .NET developers can target the Surface Duo using Xamarin. 

     

    Xamarin.Forms uses C# and XAML, so UWP skills are transferable. You can also re-use your back-end logic (non-UI class libraries).


    We recently created a training module for Xamarin and Surface Duo on MS Learn. You can also check out the Xamarin docs and Dual-screen docs for more info.

     

    You might also be interested in the Uno Platform, which is a product that allows you to bring Windows apps to iOS and Android - read more at https://platform.uno/

    • Fritz_S's avatar
      Fritz_S
      Copper Contributor
      Sep 08, 2020

      Craig_Dunn 

       

      Three of my  medical flashcard apps were/are available on both Google Play Store and MS Store, Nursing Skills, NCLEX, and TEAS.  

       

      I decided to use as the base for my conversion to Xamarin.Forms for Surface Duo, the UWP versions of the apps.  Minor changes and with the addition of the Xamarin.Forms.DualScreen library was all that was necessary to make the conversion.  The conversion and updating were successful and the apps were published on Google Play. 

       

      The (2 of 3) apps are now available on Google Play as,  Basic Nursing Skills Duo, and TEAS Flashcards Duo.  

       

      In addition, EMR for OneNote Duo, is also available on the Google Play Store. 

       

       

       

  • tscholze's avatar
    tscholze
    Iron Contributor
    Aug 20, 2020

    Hi maxmin10 

    as Swiftress said: No it will not run UWP apps. It runs "only" Android Apps e.g. from the Google Play Store.

     

    Nevertheless, due to the great Microsoft developer ecosystem, a Xamarin Android app could share the same core as an UWP app. That means, developer couild bring more easy their UWP apps to the Surface Duo.

  • Swiftress's avatar
    Swiftress
    Copper Contributor
    Aug 17, 2020

    maxmin10   While it won't run UWP apps or use the Microsoft Store, it does have almost the same dual-screen programming model as its delayed cousin, the Surface Neo.  The TwoPaneView classes are very similar in Xamarin Forms and the now-delayed dual-screen Windows SDK.  Thus, design patterns used for one platform are mostly compatible with the other.

     

    My take on this platform is that it was cheap enough for Microsoft to launch and gather data on how it is used in the market without damaging the main Windows ecosystem if it turns out to be a flop.  It's Version 1.  You pay your money and you take your chance.  If you already know UWP development, it's an easy leap to this platform.

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