Windows Dev News: New Tools in Windows Device Portal & Hazards of Using Ad Units Across Multiple Apps

Microsoft is in the final weeks of their development of the upcoming Fall Creators Update which is expected to begin rolling out to users in the September/October timeframe.

For developers a critical tool when it comes to a new feature update is the Software Development Kit (SDK) which has already been declared feature complete and the latest SDK build, 16257, was released last week to developers.

In preparation for the Fall Creators Update Microsoft has also updated the suite of tools that are available in the Windows Device Portal for this next feature update.

The Windows Device Portal assists developers in testing their Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps in preparation for their initial release or subsequent updates.

Yesterday, Microsoft announced the following additions have been made to the Windows Device Portal:

-- Location Based Testing

Now you can test location related features of your app without traveling or modifying the locale of your device.

-- USB Diagnostics

This allows you to see USB drives, hubs, and controllers for hardware testing.

-- Streaming App Install Debugging

This will allow you to test the process of starting your app before the entire download is complete. A very common place we see this used is with large games and it allows the user to begin their introduction to the app before it is completely downloaded.

-- Mixed Reality Tooling

Head Mounted Displays from Acer and HP are starting to arrive in the hands of developers and a feature that was initially promised in the Creators Update will finally make its debut in the Fall Creators Update. These new tools will help you prepare your own 3D and Mixed Reality apps for the feature update release.

In the second tidbit from Microsoft and the development team there is another discussion around ad units in your UWP apps.

Of course, ads in apps are one way to monetize your work as a developer and recently Microsoft reiterated that using the same ad unit in multiple apps is not supported for a couple of different reasons.

-- Ad unit performance is directly tied to the application category and targets users using that category.

-- Ad units associated with multiple apps can cause ambiguity and improper ad delivery.

The combination of these above factors can lead to reduced revenue for you and a poor experience for your users. Microsoft's recommendation is to establish unique ad units for each of your apps.

As the release of the Fall Creators Update gets closer, we can expect even more from Microsoft that targets developers and helps them update their apps for the enhancements and additions that arrive with this next feature update.

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