Surface Duo Emulator image updated with improved keyboard, much more

Surface Duo
Surface Duo (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft released an updated version of the Surface Duo Emulator image today.
  • The update brings several improvements, including allowing a keyboard to be used in all postures.
  • You can grab the new image at the Windows Dev Center.

Microsoft is chugging along with tweaks to the Surface Duo emulator for developers, and today it released a new version of the emulator image with several improvements. Most notably, this update includes support for using a keyboard in all postures. There's also new support for searching the app drawer, improvements to notifications, and more.

Here's a look at all of the changes in version 2020.429.2 of the Surface Duo Emulator image.

  • Support for using a keyboard in all posture and flip modes
  • App Drawer and App searches support
  • Improved Notifications support
  • Improved Settings and quick settings experience to support dual screens
  • Enhanced Camera experience (you can access that via the Emulator too!)
  • Several platform improvements to better support App Compat around rotation, resizing, fullscreen, and spanning scenarios

In addition to this update, Microsoft also launched open-source versions of its Helper Functions, Layouts, and Controls code on GitHub, where they're now open for contribution.

If you want to experiment with the Surface Duo Emulator, you can visit the Windows Dev Center to grab the latest image and see instructions on how to set everything up.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl