Microsoft Remote Desktop just got a massive app update on iOS

Brad Stephenson

Microsoft Remote Desktop app

The official Microsoft Remote Desktop app for Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices updated today to Version 10.4.0 and this update is a big one.

Among the new features added to Remote Desktop Mobile are new dynamic screen orientation options, a redesigned on-screen keyboard, added support to features for both landscape and portrait orientations, a revamped connection center, and the addition of the username to PC bookmark thumbnails.

Here’s the full release notes:

It’s finally time for our first update of the year. This is a big one with some new feature additions and lots of bug fixes and improvements.

  • The biggest change in this release is that you can now dynamically change the orientation (landscape vs portrait) of the remote session while connected to Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, and later. Set your orientation preferences in Settings > Display.
  • To work seamlessly with dynamic orientation, we’ve made updates to the following experiences:
  • The in-session immersive switcher has a revamped look and feel, and plays well with both landscape and portrait orientation.
  • The on-screen keyboard has been redesigned to support portrait orientation.
  • The connecting UI now supports for both landscape and portrait orientation.
  • The PC tab of the connection centre now has support for high resolution thumbnails and portrait snapshots.

In addition, we’ve made the following improvements:

  • Reworked the connection centre to apply a consistent set of margins throughout the UI.
  • Added the Shift-Command-Space key combo to toggle the visibility of the connection bar.
  • Added the Command-Plus sign (+) and Command-Minus sign (-) key combos to zoom in and out respectively.
  • Fixed RemoteApp resource launch and reconnect scenarios.
  • Updated the client to send the correct physical dimensions for the iPad mini 6.
  • Added the username to PC bookmark thumbnails.
  • Updated the in-session connection bar to fade back after 3 seconds if it is minimized.
  • Added support for smooth scrolling in the connection centre on ProMotion-compatible iPhones and iPads.
  • We’ve also made some updates to enhance Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD) scenarios:
  • Integrated the MSAL/OneAuth component to improve present (and future) authentication scenarios.
  • Added eTag support to speed up AVD workspace refresh.
  • Note that this release removes support for iOS 13 and is only compatible with iOS 14 and 15.

We appreciate all the comments sent to us through the App Store, in-app feedback and email. If you encounter any errors, you can contact us via Settings > Submit Feedback.

Microsoft Remote Desktop is a service that allows users to connect to virtual and remote PCs and apps. The iOS version of Remote Desktop gets quite a few updates every month or so though today’s is the biggest by far in 2022.

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