YouTube on Windows 10: New Official App on the Microsoft Store

More and more companies are betting on the new Windows 10 UWP application format. But the rivalry between Microsoft and others, such as Google, means that some highly anticipated apps take a long time to arrive. For example, Microsoft does not allow any browser (not Chrome, not Firefox or anything) to be published without permission in its app store. And for the same reason, Google has not brought other of its services (Drive, Doca, etc.) to this store. However, it seems that things are beginning to change, and may very soon be able to download an official client that allows us to watch YouTube from the PC .

The most used way to watch YouTube videos from Windows 10 is to do it through the web browser. We can all enter the YouTube website from Chrome (or whatever browser we use), search for the video that interests us and play it. But web browsers are very heavy and use a lot more resources than they should. There are third-party apps for this purpose, but, to be honest, they leave much to be desired, as they exploit monetization through ads or in-app purchases to the fullest extent. To watch YouTube it works, yes, but it is certainly not the ideal way.

YouTube on Windows 10: New Official App

It seems that Google has begun to draw attention to the universal format, UWP, of Windows 10. And to take the first steps in it, the company is working on a new official YouTube client, a client that could very soon be among us .

Watch YouTube like never before on Windows 10

Although Google has not yet confirmed anything about this new app, the application has already been listed in the Microsoft Store, although in a preliminary phase. Google has been secretly working on it for months and, it seems, it will be the first APP that allows us to view YouTube natively in the operating system. It is not a Progressive Web Application , PWA, but a real native app.

In addition to allowing us to search and watch videos on the platform without depending on a browser, this app will allow us to take much better advantage of the features of Windows 10. For example, thanks to it we could reproduce HDR content without problems as long as our hardware (graphic and monitor) allow it. In addition, the YouTube app could take better advantage of Windows 10 APIs (action center, lists, sharing, notifications, etc.) to improve the experience.

Will we see more Google apps on Windows 10? Maybe Chrome in UWP format?

That Google begins to bet on the Microsoft Store to bring its services to the UWP format is good news. If this YouTube app is successful, it is very likely that we will see other Google apps on this operating system, such as Google Drive, an official Gmail client or Google Keep, among others. It is even possible that, finally, we can download Google Chrome from the Microsoft Store .

Microsoft did not allow the publication of web browsers in the Microsoft Store that did not use the original Edge engine. However, this browser has already gone down in history after the launch of Edge Chromium. Now Microsoft cannot make the excuse of the engine to prevent Google from publishing a version of Chrome in the app store, since both browsers use the same one. This means that we will likely see Google’s browser in the store soon, as well as different browsers using the same engine.

Anyway, for now we will have to wait and see how well received this new YouTube client for Windows 10. And very important, if it really means any improvement regarding the web experience.