Microsoft announces iCloud integration for Windows 11 Photos app: Here’s what it means
Fall is a busy part of the year for tech, with big players like Apple, Google, and Meta already having announced their latest gizmos. With those out of the way, it was now Microsoft’s turn, and the company behind the most popular desktop OS sure didn’t disappoint. Aside from drawing the curtains on a bunch of upgraded Surface products, the Microsoft Inspire event held on Wednesday also unveiled a significant feature on the software end of things – iCloud integration on the Windows 11 Photos app. Microsoft also announced the availability of Apple Music on Xbox. The music streaming service along with the Apple TV app will come to Windows next year.
Microsoft rolled out an updated Photos app to Windows Insiders a few weeks ago with a brand new photos-managing experience. The new interface simplified the process of browsing, finding, and managing your collection of photos. Now adding to all that is an iCloud Photos integration that allows users to access any images they have uploaded to that service from the Windows 11 Photos app itself.
The new Microsoft Photos iCloud Gallery. (Image via Microsoft)
Considering that the Photos app already displayed stuff from OneDrive, the “All Photos” gallery view will now include images from three different locations – local storage, OneDrive, and iCloud. Additionally, you’ll also be able to make use of a dedicated page that you can access from the side navigation pane labeled “iCloud Photos.”
The fresh integration will not only let you view photos on the cloud but also add new ones to the collection.
If you’re looking to access iCloud Photos on the Windows Photos app right now, then you may have to wait a while. The new feature is currently only being rolled out to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel through version 2022.31100.9001.0 of the app, and it’ll undergo a wider release once deemed stable. But if you’re already on the Dev Channel and have received the update in question, you’ll see a quick guide running you through the necessary steps to set up the integration.
