However, as of 2019, Microsoft has taken steps to increase the parity between these application platforms and make UWP features usable inside non-UWP software.
[8] Windows Bridge for iOS (codenamed "Islandwood") is an open-source middleware toolkit that allows iOS apps developed in Objective-C to be ported to Windows 10 by using Visual Studio 2015 to convert the Xcode project into a Visual Studio project.
[7][9][10] An early build of Windows Bridge for iOS was released as open-source software under the MIT License on August 6, 2015, while the Android version was in closed beta.
Kevin Gallo, technical lead of Windows Developer Platform, explained that the layer contained some limitations: Google Mobile Services and certain core APIs are not available, and apps that have "deep integration into background tasks", such as messaging software, would not run well in this environment.
[12][13] In February 2016, Microsoft announced that it had ceased development on Windows Bridge for Android, citing redundancies due to iOS already being a primary platform for multi-platform development, and that Windows Bridge for iOS produced native code and did not require an OS-level emulator.
[21] During Build 2016, Microsoft Xbox division head Phil Spencer announced that the company was attempting to address issues which would improve the viability of UWP for PC games, stating that Microsoft was "committed to ensuring we meet or exceed the performance expectations of full-screen games as well as the additional features including support for overlays, modding, and more."
[22][23] Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney criticized UWP for being a walled garden, since by default UWP software may only be published and installed via Windows Store, requiring changes in system settings to enable the installation of external software (similarly to Android).
With Xamarin, UWP developers can not only reach all Windows 10 devices, but they can now use a large percentage of their C# code to deliver a fully native mobile app experiences for iOS and Android.
"[25] In a live interview with Giant Bomb during its E3 2016 coverage, Spencer defended the mixed reception of its UWP-exclusive releases, stating that "they all haven't gone swimmingly.
It was also announced that future Xbox Game Studios releases on Windows would be made available on third-party storefronts such as Steam, rather than be exclusive to Microsoft Store.