Windows 10: Any secure storage for key in desktop/UWP app equivalent to Android Keystore system?

s_bonny · May 22, 2021

Hello,I need to store encryption key used in desktop or UWP app.Android keystore provides secure storage for keys that could be used in data encryption/decryption.In Desktop app and UWP app context, what system I can use that is like Android keystore in terms of security. With Regards,Bonny

:)

Brink · May 22, 2021

Bringing your existing desktop apps to UWP

At Build 2016, we showed you how to use the Desktop App Converter to bring your existing desktop applications to the universal .appx packaging format as a first step to bringing your application to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP). Once on UWP, your apps are easier for users to manage and install, and you can integrate engaging UWP functionality and reach customers across the Windows 10 platform, including on IoT devices, Xbox One and HoloLens. We’d like to take this opportunity to further provide some context about the converter and other tooling involved (previously part of Project “Centennial”), and help you get started with the Desktop Bridge.

Since the release of the initial preview in early April, we’ve already seen hundreds of apps being converted and deployed for early testing. With the latest Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14342, you can now run the Desktop App Converter on the Professional version of Windows, alongside the Enterprise edition that was previously enabled. Now is a great time to get started with converting your existing desktop applications to bring them to UWP!

What is the Desktop Bridge?

The Desktop Bridge brings a number of important improvements to the Windows platform for all developers. First, you can convert existing Windows desktop apps or games to .appx packages, so your users will be able to install them easily and experience seamless updates, be it through the Windows Store or any distribution channel of your choice.

Once converted to the UWP application model, the desktop app has access to new UWP APIs, including Live Tiles, push notifications and local/roaming app data, which previously were inaccessible to desktop apps. With this conversion process, your existing code continues to run with minimal changes and UWP deployment ensures that whatever state the app writes to the PC is isolated and easily cleaned up on uninstall – addressing a major pain point users have had with desktop apps in the past. Additionally, the app can now expose App Services, run Background Tasks, and have a XAML UI by adding a UWP app container process to the same app package.

With your existing code now running in the UWP application model, it’s straightforward to add additional functionality over time, gradually migrating existing Win32/.NET code to move functionality into the app container. Running your code in the app container benefits the security of your user’s machine, and at the end of the migration results in a UWP app that can run on PCs, Phones, IoT devices, Xbox One and HoloLens.

Convert – Create an .appx deployment package for your desktop application

Enhance – Call new UWP APIs from your desktop application

Extend – Add new functionality, such as UWP App Services and Background Tasks

Migrate – Move more code into the app container part of your package, such as a XAML UI frontend

Expand – Finish the migration of all code to the app container and expand your reach to all Windows devices

Getting Started

To get started, you need the current Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14342 (or higher), and the Windows 10 Anniversary SDK Preview Build 14332 (or higher). Please keep this installation separate from your production environment, as this build does not output valid app package for Store deployment. Next you’ll need the latest Desktop App Converter to complete your development environment. This tool converts your desktop app installer (such as MSI) to an .appx package that can be deployed to a Windows 10 Anniversary Edition desktop. If you’re trialing Visual Studio “15” Preview 2, you can also take a look at the packaging and debug support for projects that are using the Desktop Bridge. For more information, please read the Visual Studio blog post on Visual Studio “15” support with the Desktop Bridge.

If your desktop application does not have an installer (e.g. deployment just consists of file copy operations), or you want to explore the Desktop Bridge with a simple example first, you can check out our sample repo on GitHub. Using the Basic Desktop Bridge App sample as a template, you can replace the sample .exe with your binaries, adjust the respective entries in the manifest according to the documentation and you are done with the conversion. You don’t even need to install and run the Desktop App Converter for this type of project!

Test, Update, Enhance and Extend your converted app

Once you have successfully converted your desktop app (either with the Desktop App Converter or manually), you are ready to deploy, test and enhance your app. Now that your app is in the UWP app model and has an .appx package, the methods for doing this are the same as for any UWP app. Check out our Deploy and Debug documentation for detailed steps on side-loading and debugging. Note that your converted app may need some code changes in some cases. Be sure to read the Preparing Your Desktop App for Conversion to UWP topic on the Windows Dev Center.

You can now iterate on your code and start enhancing your app with exciting new UWP features that were previously not available to desktop apps. Add background tasks and app services. Add a UWP process to your package to host a UWP XAML UI frontend, and so much more. We will continue to update the Desktop Bridge sample repo on GitHub to demonstrate many of these great UWP features consumed by converted desktop applications, as we are getting closer to the final release of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.

Over the coming months, we’ll be sharing more in-depth information about these approaches, what the end-to-end developer process looks like and how to add new functionality to your existing app.

Help us improve the bridge

The Desktop Bridge offers an exciting path to migrate your existing desktop apps to UWP. It enables you to gradually move across the bridge at your own pace while keeping your existing code investments running at all times along the way.

As you explore the tools on current preview builds, we’re very keen on hearing about your experiences and receiving your feedback. The best place to make feature suggestions is on the Windows Developer UserVoice site. For questions and bug reports, please head over to the Developing Universal Windows apps forums.

Additional resources

Desktop conversion for UWP apps on Dev Center

Build 2016 breakout session – Bringing Existing Desktop Applications to the Universal Windows Platform by John Sheehan, Peyman Zanjani

Build 2016 pre-record session – Bringing Desktop Apps to the UWP Using Desktop App Converter by David Tepper, Avneet Singh

Channel 9 Live interview – John Sheehan, David Tepper, Stefan Wick

Written by Stefan Wick, Principal Program Manager Lead for the Desktop Bridge
Click to expand...

Source: Bringing your existing desktop apps to UWP | Building Apps for Windows

Brink · May 22, 2021

UWP porting guidance for Android and iOS developers

Today, we are pleased to introduce a new app development concept map for app developers that aligns software development concepts across the iOS, Android, and Windows platforms. App developers new to Windows 10, who are already familiar with Android or iOS, will be able to use this reference to quickly orient themselves on building for the UWP.

Like the 2nd century B.C. Rosetta Stone tablet, which enabled translation between three different ancient languages, this Windows app concept map can be used to translate ideas between Android, iOS, and Windows, making porting much easier between platforms. You can use the concept map side-by-side with other useful resources found in our porting apps to Windows 10 section on MSDN. Reviewing this guide will help you port your apps to Windows and expose them to a larger user base.

Excerpt from the guidance document: a side-by-side map of data concepts in Android, iOS, and Windows.

The concept mapping guidance is broken out into 15 sections to make navigation between concepts and platforms simple:

User-interface – overview of controls and styling– overview of controls and styling

Navigation and app structure – toolbars, layouts and back buttons

Custom inputs – speech recognition and beyond

Data – databases, REST calls and web sockets

Tooling – comparing IDEs

App lifecycle – suspend and resume events as well as background tasks

Performance – threading, async calls and performance best practices

Monetization – in-app purchases and trials

Adapting to multiple platforms – responsive layout and device capability testing

Notifications – push and scheduled notifications as well as display widgets

Media capture and rendering – video and audio

Sensors – accessing raw and processed sensor data

Location and mapping – maps, geofencing and geocoding

App-to-app communication – talking between different apps

Software design – overview of preferred design patterns by platform

At a glance, you’ll be able to see the difference between platforms and identify which features and functionality are available to each. The guidance is laid out in a convenient table that let you easily locate and learn more about the platform details you are most interested in. Android supports app widgets, for example, but iOS does not. iOS supports badges, on the other hand, while Android does not. Windows supports badges and also has a tile system.

Beyond development concept mapping, it’s worth noting that the Dev Center provides a large array of additional resources to help app developers bring their existing code to Windows 10. Here are just a few links to help get you started:

What’s a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app?

Getting Started with UWP for iOS developers

Introduction to UWP Design

Porting Apps to Windows 10

Bringing your mobile apps to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) provides new reach for your existing code beyond mobile. For iOS developers, it’s also worth looking at the Windows Bridge for iOS, which makes it easier to use your existing Objective-C codebase on Windows.
Click to expand...

Source: UWP porting guidance for Android and iOS developers | Building Apps for Windows

farlex85 · May 22, 2021

Remote app for android

I recently traded in my iphone for an android, and just realized that hippo remote is iphone only. I'm looking for a similar app for android so I can use it as a remote for my htpc. Any suggestions?

Windows 10: Any secure storage for key in desktop/UWP app equivalent to Android Keystore system?

Any secure storage for key in desktop/UWP app equivalent to Android Keystore system?

Any secure storage for key in desktop/UWP app equivalent to Android Keystore system?

Any secure storage for key in desktop/UWP app equivalent to Android Keystore system?

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