Microsoft has been working on cleaning up the mess of overlapping apps found on Windows 10 with the release of Windows 11. As part of this effort, two apps, Maps and “Movies and TV”, will no longer be installed on new installations of Windows 11.
The latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25987 in the Canary Channel includes minor improvements to the initial setup process and editing PNG images, along with bug fixes. However, the most significant change is the removal of the Maps and Movies and TV apps from new installations.
In a blog post, Microsoft stated, “Starting with this build, the Windows Maps and Movies and TV apps will no longer be installed after doing a clean install of the OS. The Windows Maps and Movies and TV apps will not be removed on upgrade for Insiders in the Canary Channel and continue to be available and updated via the Microsoft Store.”
The decision to remove the Movies and TV app is not surprising, as Windows 11 now has a unified Media Player app that handles all video playback. The Movies and TV app is only necessary for watching purchased content from the Microsoft Store.
The Maps app, which was originally designed for both phones and PCs, is another app being dropped from Windows 11. With the decline of Windows Phone and the popularity of web-based map services like Google Maps and Apple Maps, it no longer made sense for Microsoft to invest in updating the Maps app.
It’s important to note that these changes will not affect PCs that already have the Maps and Movies and TV apps installed. Additionally, users will still be able to download these apps from the Microsoft Store if they wish to use them.
