In line with our commitment to provide seamless and efficient experiences for Azure Virtual Desktop users, we’ve recently implemented Preferred app group type—an enhancement that improves how resources are displayed in the feed for users assigned to both RemoteApp and Desktop applications. Previously, people could be assigned both types of resources in their feed, but this could cause session connectivity issues. To address this, users are now required to specify the preferred application group type. With this update, only the preferred application group type resource will show in the feed to users that have been assigned both RemoteApp and Desktop. This prevents users from connecting to two different sessions simultaneously.

What does this mean for you?

The Preferred app group type setting is a mandatory configuration that determines whether users will see Desktop or RemoteApp in their feed if both have been published to them. If a user is assigned to both a Desktop and a RemoteApp application group, only the application group type specified in the Preferred app group type setting will be displayed in their feed. We urge all organizations using Azure Virtual Desktop to proactively set the Preferred app group type to either Desktop or RemoteApp.

Note: This update is being deployed progressively. Some have already received the update, while others will receive it over the coming weeks. You will be alerted via an Azure Service Health notification prior to this update. Currently, no host pools in the US have been updated.

How do I update the settings?

To determine the current setting and to update the Preferred app group type, you can use Azure Portal, PowerShell, or Azure REST API. It’s important to note that you can only change the group type to Desktop or RemoteApp. Reverting it to “Not Set” is not an option.

In Azure Portal

When this setting has not been set Azure Portal will display:

In PowerShell

To view the setting run:

get-AzWvdHostPool -Name <host pool name> -ResourceGroupName ResourceGroupName <resource group name> | ft name, preferredAppGroupType

If the value has not yet been set, you will see “None” listed:

Via the Azure REST API

If the value has not yet been set, you will see “None” listed:

How do I set the Preferred app group type?

To set the Preferred app group type, you can use Azure Portal, PowerShell, or Azure REST API.

In the Azure Portal

You will need to select either Desktop or RemoteApp in the dropdown menu:

In PowerShell

To set this value run:

Update-AzWvdHostPool -Name <host pool name> -ResourceGroupName <resource group name> -PreferredAppGroupType <RailApplications or Desktop>

Via the Azure REST API

In the body of your Azure REST API PUT request, you will need to include:

“preferredAppGroupType”: “<RailApplications or Desktop> “,

Benefits of updating Preferred app group type

This update is part of our ongoing efforts to optimize Azure Virtual Desktop and ensure it meets the evolving needs of organizations and their users. By enforcing the Preferred app group type, we aim to streamline the user experience and reduce the likelihood of session connectivity issues. We appreciate your cooperation in making these adjustments, and we’re here to support you through this transition. If you have any questions or need assistance, please refer to our documentation or contact Azure support.

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