What you need to know
- Microsoft will bring the ability to sync iCloud photos to the Photos app on Windows 10.
- The Photos app gained an integration with iCloud back in 2022, but that functionality was limited to the app on Windows 11.
- The update is available for Windows 10 PCs enrolled in the Beta and Release Preview Channels.
- Microsoft also announced an update to the Photos app that will improve the experience on both Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Your brand-new iPhone 16 will be able to sync images through iCloud to the Windows 10 Photos app. The new iPhone, and all other hardware that supports iCloud, will receive the expanded integration, which has been limited to Windows 11 until recently. The new feature will make it much easier to keep photos and other iCloud content up to date on a PC, even if that system is running an aging operating system.
Almost two years ago, Microsoft added an integration between its Photos app and Apple's iCloud. That functionality, while useful, was limited to Windows 11. But the tech giant has since shared that the Photos app on Windows 10 will receive an update to integrate with iCloud. The new integration is in testing among Windows Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview Channels if a PC is running Windows 10. Microsoft detailed the changes in a recent blog post.
The update is rolling out to Insiders and may not appear on all PCs, even if they're running builds from the Beta or Release Preview Channels. This is standard for app testing at Microsoft.
"We’re bringing the ability to sync and view iCloud photos to users on Windows 10," said Microsoft. "To access your iCloud photos, go to the iCloud Photos pivot in the Photos app, install the latest iCloud for Windows app from Microsoft Store, sign in with your Apple ID, and choose to sync your iCloud photos. Within minutes, you will see all your iCloud photo content starting to appear automatically in the Photos app."
Microsoft also explained that it is upgrading the Windows 10 Photos app to use the new Windows App SDK platform. The Photos app on Windows 11 received that upgrade earlier this year.
The Photos app also has a new layout that makes it easier to find content regardless of if items are stored locally, on OneDrive, or on iCloud. When you view any photo, you'll be able to search the web using a new Visual Search with Bing feature.
Death of Windows 10
Windows 10 will officially reach its end-of-support date in October 2025. But despite that impeding cutoff, many still use the operating system. Some cannot upgrade their PC to Windows 11 due to the minimum requirements of the new OS. Others prefer Windows 10 and plan to keep using that older operating system for as long as possible.
Some have called on Microsoft to reconsider cutting support for Windows 10, citing environmental concerns and the fact that many working computers falling out of support will "cause the single biggest jump in junked computers ever." Microsoft will have an extended security update (ESU) program for Windows 10, but it is costly. Extending security updates beyond an end-of-support date is not new to Windows, but this will be the first time Microsoft has offered the ESU program to everyone, rather than just commercial customers.
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