Microsoft hastily discontinues Remote Desktop App

On May 27, Microsoft will stop distributing and supporting its Remote Desktop app. The application allows remote access to Windows computers or individual Windows programs. Remote Desktop Apps obtained via the Microsoft Store will no longer be able to access Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop or the Microsoft Dev Box after May 27.

Microsoft will discontinue support for Remote Desktop Apps that were installed via an MSI file or on Android or iOS. This was announced by the data company. Microsoft wants users to switch to the confusingly named “Windows App”. The blog post does not reveal the reason for the surprisingly short notice of the Remote Desktop App's discontinuation.

Instead, it highlights the advantages of the Windows app: support for multiple screens, changing screen resolutions and customizable display; easy switching between user accounts, optimized for Microsoft Teams, adjustable redirects to other devices; and access to various Windows services, including cloud PCs and virtual desktops, via a uniform interface.

The disadvantages of the Windows app are so extensive that the blog post refers to a separate entry with several tabs as well as additional switching instructions. There is not even a risky beta version for Android and ChromeOS, only a preview that does not allow access to Windows 365 Frontline. Frontline is a version of Windows 365 that allows organizations to provide a cloud PC that can be used by multiple users with a single license.

What the Windows app cannot do on Windows

On Windows, the Windows app does not provide access to Azure Germany, Azure Government, Azure Virtual Desktop (Classic) and the Chinese Azure operated by 21Vianet. Single sign-on (SSO) with Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) is not supported, nor is connecting to Azure Virtual Desktops via Private Link. There are also problems with connections via proxy servers that require authentication via proxy/HTTP. Integration into the local Windows Start menu is missing, as is the option to reset the application itself. The latter can at least be done via the Windows settings.
There is access to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop or the Microsoft Dev Box, but not to Remote Desktop Services or Remote PC.

Anyone hoping to circumvent these hurdles by using the Windows app in the web browser may be disappointed: As with the native Windows app on Windows, access to Azure Germany, Azure Government, Azure Virtual Desktop (Classic), Azure operated by 21Vianet, Remote Desktop Services and Remote PC, as well as Single Sign-On (SSO) with Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) and connecting to Azure Virtual Desktops via Private Link are missing. In addition, only Windows 365 services can be accessed directly and the download of certain .rdp files fails. Anyone using Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps must add Windows app URLs manually: .mcas.ms must be appended. To use Remote Desktop Services or Remote PC under Windows or in the browser, another method(RemoteApp and Desktop Connections, Remote Desktop Connection) must be used for now until the Windows app has grown up.

In the Apple world

On macOS, there are restrictions on using Microsoft Teams remotely with the Windows app: the microphone set at the start of the session and the default speaker cannot be changed. The solution is called HUCA: Hang Up Call Again. In addition, when switching from the Remote Desktop app to the Windows app, there is the problem that the new application does not have access to saved passwords. This can be resolved using a multi-stage procedure, but must be repeated for each individual password.

On iOS and iPadOS, the camera resolution and orientation can only be changed when the camera is reopened. And in the Vision Pro headset, the Windows app can only manage a single program window at a time.

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