Microsoft Windows 10X guidelines show how apps will use two screens

Microsoft recently showed off a few examples of how it wants apps to appear on the new dual-screen PCs arriving this year.

Microsoft’s first dual-screen Windows 10X computer, the Surface Neo, will launch ahead of the holidays this year, and partners like Lenovo have already announced similar products.

Microsoft’s design recommendations below show how the company envisions apps that run on two screens.

Take this image below, for example, which shows how Microsoft envisions a menu appearing on a computer with a divider between two screens. If a developer does not build the app properly, the popup may appear where there is screen space.

Microsoft makes a bunch of other suggestions for developers: Menus and other windows should also appear on either side of the screen, not in the middle.

Also, if you have a lot of columns, like in a spreadsheet, you need to split it so that the middle of the spreadsheet isn’t stuck in the same area.

Microsoft is hedging its bets by making these recommendations instead of requirements. If this forces developers to revamp their apps, it runs the risk of app makers ignoring the platform altogether. Software developers may be hesitant to do extra work for a platform that doesn’t yet have many users.

But if the developers just ignore the guidelines, it might create headaches for the users. Imagine opening a game where there is only a large divider in the middle blocking items. Or open an app like Slack where part of the chat is just muted. (I guess Microsoft’s competitor, Teams, will work just fine!)

There are areas where Microsoft has real platform requirements for developers. The Windows App Store, for example, has very specific terms for applications which developers must respect. Microsoft could, under the rules, force new Store apps to properly support dual screens.

A rule for the Windows App Store is “usability”, for example. “Products must support the devices and platforms on which they are downloaded, including compatibility with the software, hardware and screen resolution requirements specified by the product.”

Microsoft could also lead by example. If it introduces a really exciting take on one of its apps, like OneNote, for example, where you can draw on one side while seeing other open notes on the other, that could show consumers how and why these computers are powerful and unlike the laptops they already own.

But it is still early. Microsoft may share more, including actual requirements, during its Developer Day online event on February 11. In a blog post, Microsoft suggested that it might already have a potential solution in place: “Your app will occupy a single screen by default, but users can extend the app to cover both screens when the device [is open].”

Microsoft could potentially limit apps from running on a single screen if they’re not designed to run on two screens at once. This would at least relieve some headaches for consumers.