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What is App Connector...?


Windows 10 Settings have this mysterious item.

What does the App Connector do and why does it need access to my location, camera, etc....?


Thanks,
BBDS

Have a look at this article. It won't answer your question though.

Source
exceprt :
Microsoft allows you to uninstall App Connector, which seems to support the idea that it doesn’t do anything super important. If uninstalling this app caused problems with Windows 10, Microsoft wouldn’t let you do it so easily.

More for you to read if you have the time....................



There are many more if you google for it. But, seriously, nobody seems to have an answer, at least not an answer that everyonecan understand.

There doesn't seem to be an official definition from MS on the App Connector.

Here's my educated guess (and there are lots of them out there )

This seems to be a canonical UWP App that enables 3rd party Apps to access various pieces of a system.
Call it a bridge, call it an API
... but it's an App that provides services other Apps

A few things have happened with Windows 10.
The Store (MS wants more developers writing Windows Apps)
Visual Studio (Makes it easier to write Apps for different Hardware and port code to run on Windows)
Android app porting (see 1 & 2)
and there's this: Windows App Studio | Microsoft

I exorcise the UWP Apps desktop/laptop machines - at least until they become more robust and feature rich.

Thank you Slartybart,

I am just a regular PC user, not a developer.
Web, Skype, FB chat, some light gaming, some light photo/video editing.
Can you give a simple example of how you think this App Connector impacts my PC activity.....?
Do I even need it.....?

-BBDS

As far as I myself is concerned, as a regular user, I wouldn't give that feature a second thought.

Thank you Slartybart,

I am just a regular PC user, not a developer.
Web, Skype, FB chat, some light gaming, some light photo/video editing.
Can you give a simple example of how you think this App Connector impacts my PC activity.....?
Do I even need it.....?

-BBDS
Right, you might not be a developer but at some point you might use a 3rd party UWP App.

The UWP Skype App needs access to your camera and your microphone ... while not a 3rd party App, Skype might not have access to those without App Connector - not sure, just an example.

The Google App (Ok Google) needs to access your microphone.

Instead of everyone writing their own access, getting permissions, etc, their Apps ask the App Connector to service their requests.

This approach is nothing new to Android users, when an Android App gets installed, it lists the permissions it requires. You either accept them or cancel the install. Most people accept and install the App. MS might be trying to get past that one install step by granting the permissions to the App Connector. The permissions are listed on the App page in the Store - nothing nefarious, just eliminating a step.

Keep in mind - this is all conjecture on my part - no hard evidence did I find

Thank you Slartybart.

I will keep the App Connector and allow it access my Camera, Mic, etc..


-BBDS

What is App Connector...?