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The wait is over! Microsoft has announced the release candidate of .NET Multi-platform App UI (.NET MAUI), marking a significant milestone in the evolution of cross-platform app development. This release candidate is now API complete, ready for libraries to update and prepare for general availability (GA) compatibility.
Get Started with .NET MAUI RC1
To access .NET MAUI Release Candidate 1 (RC1), install or update Visual Studio 2022 Preview to version 17.2 Preview 3. During the installation process, make sure to check the box for "Mobile Development with .NET workload" under the installer's "Additional Components" section. For Mac users, follow the command-line instructions available on the wiki. Support for .NET MAUI in Visual Studio 2022 for Mac will be included in a future preview.
Explore the Release Candidate
The release candidate notes are available on GitHub. To get started with .NET MAUI, refer to our documentation and the migration tip sheet, which provides valuable insights into changes to adopt when upgrading projects.
Jumpstart Your Journey
Take your first steps in mobile app development with the .NET Podcasts app, which showcases both native app UI as well as Blazor Hybrid. Want a hands-on experience? Our newly released .NET MAUI workshop is designed to guide you through building an app from start to finish and integrating native features.
Xamarin Support
Don't worry about your existing Xamarin projects! The Xamarin Support Policy remains in effect, covering those products for 2 years after their initial release. With the last release date being November 2021, support will continue until November 2023.
What's New in .NET MAUI?
As a multi-platform app building framework, .NET MAUI leverages platform SDKs for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. This release includes 40+ optimized layouts and controls for building adaptive UIs across both desktop and mobile platforms. You can also incorporate Blazor components or entire Blazor applications to distribute the same experiences on desktop and mobile as you may today on web.
Compare .NET MAUI to Xamarin.Forms
Get every UI control that ships with Xamarin.Forms, plus new controls like BlazorWebView, Border, GraphicsView, MenuBar, Shadow, and Window. Whether you're looking for a carousel view, line, stepper, or more, the range of layouts and controls is extensive.
Customize Your Controls
One of the key benefits of .NET MAUI is its low-code hooks to modify just about anything. Consider the example of removing the distinctive Android underline on an Entry field. With #if ANDROID directives and conditional compilation, you can achieve this customization seamlessly.
Conclusion
The release candidate of .NET MAUI marks a significant milestone in the evolution of cross-platform app development. With its API completeness, optimized layouts and controls, and low-code hooks for customization, .NET MAUI is poised to revolutionize mobile app development. Start your journey today and unlock the power of .NET MAUI!