Microsoft has deprecated the UWP Map control API in Windows. Windows applications using that feature to embed Bing maps will stop receiving updated maps, and they will eventually stop working entirely. Microsoft’s own Maps app might also shut down.
Microsoft introduced the MapControl API in Windows 10, which allowed apps to display maps using data from Bing. It was a helpful feature for weather applications, device tracking tools, and anywhere else an app might need to show a world map or local area. However, it was a component in the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) architecture, which was never a popular way to build Windows applications. Microsoft merged UWP back into Win32 with Project Reunion, and most UWP functionality is now available to traditional Windows apps.
The MapControl API was powered by Bing Maps for Enterprise, which has already been retired in favor of Microsoft’s newer Azure Maps service. Microsoft announced today that the Windows UWP Map control is now officially deprecated—it will continue working in existing applications for a while, but the maps will no longer be updated.
In a blog post for software developers, Microsoft said, “In May 2024 we announced the unification of Bing Maps for Enterprise with Azure Maps into the compliant Azure offering powered by the same Bing Maps data. If your solution leverages the Windows UWP control, we would like to request that you look to move to an Azure Maps based replacement before April 2026 rather than the end date for the entire Bing Maps for Enterprise platform.”
The Impact
The good news is that this change doesn’t matter for most people. The most notable app using these APIs seems to be Windows Maps, which used to be installed by default on new PCs. Microsoft said the Bing API shutdown “aligns with the same announcement for the Maps Application.”
That sounds like the Windows Maps app will also stop receiving new maps data, but Maps is already using TomTom for at least some of its features, so the exact impact isn’t clear. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment, and we’ll update this article when we hear back. The Windows Maps app currently shows a banner about offline maps being removed “by the end of 2023.”
A GitHub search reveals some smaller projects using the maps API, including an openHAB client for Windows, and an unofficial Pokémon GO port for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile. There might be some niche apps still in use that require the API to function, but it’s probably not being used in any popular tools at this point. Windows applications using map data from Google, OpenStreetMap, and other providers are not affected.
Microsoft said the “UWP Maps platform support within Windows will no longer be available” in “approximately 1 year from this announcement,” which sounds like any apps still relying on the Map control API will stop working around April 2026. That’s not entirely clear, though, since the underlying Bing Maps for Enterprise platform is supposed to continue working until June 30, 2028.
If you are a software developer with a project using the UWP Map control, Microsoft recommends that you migrate your code to Azure Maps.
Source: Microsoft Bing Blogs
