media player: New Windows 11 Media Player reportedly rolling out for more users – Times of India

A few months ago Microsoft released the new Media Player app for Windows 11. Till now, the app was only available for Windows 11 users who were enrolled in the Dev Channel of the Windows Insider program. Now, as per a report by WindowsLatest, the company has also started to roll out the app for more users. According to the report, the company has set the software requirement needed for the app to Windows 11 Build 22000 with an update, which means users can now install the app directly from the Microsoft store.
The Media Player app replaces Microsoft’s default music player app – Groove Music in Windows 11 and Windows 10. The company has revealed that user’s Groove Music library and playlists will automatically migrate to the new app. The dedicated playback view features album art and artist imagery which will appear in both full screen and mini player.
The app also includes support for browsing, managing, and watching local video collection too. All content in the music and video folders on the PC will appear automatically in the app’s library, but users can also tell Media Player where to look for additional content in app settings. Microsoft claimed that the app has also been optimised for accessibility, with improved keyboard shortcut and access key support for keyboard users and with other assistive technologies.
Microsoft is also planning planning to add support for third-party widgets in Windows 11 version 22H2. Support for third-party widgets was first introduced by the company with the launch of Windows Vista in 2007 and later the support was also added to the Windows 7. The report by WindowsLatest further mentions that the support for third-party widgets will also allow users to customise the widget panel as per their liking.
The report also reveals that no APIs related to third-party widgets were spotted in the current preview or stable builds of the operating system. This means that the initial preview of the upcoming feature is still a few weeks or months away.