New age media. Microsoft has started to roll out the new Media Player app for Windows 11 to Insiders in the Dev channel. This new application will replace the Groove Music app.
We first heard about this a while back, during what was a Windows Insider podcast, though nothing major leaked since then.
Now, though, the software titan is here with the news that this new program is up for grabs.
Microsoft says that it designed the new Media Player to make listening and watching your multimedia content more enjoyable on Windows 11. The music playback experience offers rich album art and artist imagery, while a mini player is also available.
The artwork will appear in the app regardless of the view mode of the player — full screen or mini player.
This new creation features a user interface that compliments the new look and feel of the OS, while beautifully showcasing your local music and video collections. It is a UWP app that makes use of the XAML technology and incorporates WinUI controls.
Although fully featured, there are a couple of issues affecting this new Media Player app, which the development team is aware of.
One is a bug that prevents playback from network locations. It also has trouble when editing album from metadata, and some UI elements not respecting your app theme preferences. You may also encounter problem sorting library content with accented characters.
But overall, this is a really solid debut.
And since this is just the beginning for this new Media Player app, the team will listen to feedback to improve it over the coming weeks.
Groove Music has been around since the launch of Windows 10. It will now be removed from the operating system and users will find their Groove library and playlists in this new Media Player application.
A Microsoft Store update will replace Groove Music with the new Media Player, so you don’t have to manually install this new app. It will not replace the Movies & TV app, however.
Oh, and if you are worried about the legacy Windows Media Player, don’t be, because that program will remain available in Windows Tools.
