With the limitations seeminglygone for Windows 10 on ARM, Microsoft has announced an ARM64 SDK at the Build 2018 developer conference, which is nowpart of the Visual Studio 15.8 preview.Prior to this, developers could only compile a package for x86, x64, and ARM32 while making a UWP app, as the 32-bit OS was used even by 64-bit Windows phones.

The New Microsoft ARM64 SDK Will Make It Possible for Developers to Recompile UWP Apps as ARM64, Allowing Snapdragon-Powered Machines to Run 64-Bit Apps Effortlessly

Windows 10 on ARM computers can run a 64-bit OS now, and although these computers can launch emulated x86 apps, they are 32-bitcompatible too.According to what Microsoftsaid earlier, Windows 10 on ARM will never support x64 apps.

The company says that it isn’t capable of delivering sufficient performance to support x64 apps. However, the new SDK will make that possible, as it will not only enable developers to recompile UWP apps as ARM64 but also Win32 apps. The Desktop App Converter can then be used to upload the apps on the Microsoft Store.

ARM32 and ARM64 will be supported by the SDK for UWP apps. The new ARM64 apps will still not be supported by Windows phones, however. Windows 10 Mobile will remain a 32-bit operating system as Microsoft is not going to issue any more updates. Also, ARM64 support will not be provided for Windows 8 apps that run on Windows 10.

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This move is more of a push for developers to recompile apps that will be picked up by machines that are running the Snapdragon 835. While only a handful of manufacturers are onboard with this, Microsoft collaborating with Qualcomm will certainly make this possible and encourage notebook makers to roll out their products in the near future.

The software giant also said that it does not take a lot of work to recompile an app for ARM64. Notable examples of VLC and OpenVPN were given, as none of them had to edit the code of their applications. However, if an application uses third-partylibraries,then it is going to be a different story altogether.

News Source: Neowin