888017 - Firefox metro tile does not get pinned by default on Windows 8.1

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Firefox for Metro Graveyard :: Install/Update, defect)

Description

[juan becerra [:juanb]]

Tested on 2013-06-27 using latest nightly.

While test driving Windows 8.1 I noticed that after installing the nightly and setting up as my default browser, the Nightly tiled was not shown in the Windows Start page automatically.

Steps:
1. Install Windows 8.1 (http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/preview-download)
2. Download and install Firefox Nightly (nightly.mozilla.org)
3. Set it up as your default browser
4. Go to the Start page

Expected: The Nightly tile should be there.

Actual: By default the Nightly tile is not added to the Start page.

You can go to the list of all Apps and you can then bring up the context menu to pin it, and it will then show in the Start page.

This is different from Windows 8 where this happens automatically. It could be intended because the new Windows 8.1 interface has a simplified Start page.

Comment 1

[Tim Abraldes [:TimAbraldes] [:tabraldes]]

I thought this was one of the "features" of Windows 8.1?  I remember reading that it would not be possible for apps to pin themselves, and only the user would have that power.

Comment 2

[Jim Mathies [:jimm]]

I don't think a bug in a non-released rev of the os should block v1.

Comment 3

[Asa Dotzler [:asa]]

Let's not go changing anything until we're sure that change is shipping to the world in a release. Also, let's wait to hear back on our query about any changes to the Modern Style Enabled Desktop Browsers docs.

Comment 4

[Marco Mucci [:MarcoM]]

Moving to Triage Backlog based on Comment #3 from Asa.

Comment 5

[Brian R. Bondy [:bbondy]]

I think this is just how win8.1 works.  New apps do not get pinned to the start screen.
http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/windows-81-tip-find-your-installed-apps

Also see bug 915375.

Comment 6

[Jim Mathies [:jimm]]

Per testing results in bug 915761, this appears to be out of our control. I think we should keep this bug open though in the hope that at some point we'll be able to come up with something.

Comment 7

[Karen Rudnitski [:kar]]

I would like this investigated to see if there is anything we can do about pinning this app to the Start page (obviously for ease of discoverability once the app has been downloaded).

Comment 8

[Jim Mathies [:jimm]]

This data is stored in a binary file (appsfolder.itemdata-ms) in the user data folder. AFAICT there's no api to manipulate it, and editing it manually seems like a bad idea.

We could simulate user input to try and pin, but that's hackish.

At this point we have no good solution here.

Comment 9

[Matt Brubeck (:mbrubeck)]

Resolving because this is a change in Windows policy, and no longer a feature that Windows supports.