General Capabilities

InstallShield 2025

Project: The Capabilities view is available in the MSIX projects.

The general capabilities allows you to access most of the common app scenarios.

General Capabilities

General Capabilities Settings

Project Type

Description

3D Objects

MSIX

Provides programmatic access to the user's 3D Objects, allowing the app to enumerate and access all files in the library without user interaction. This capability is typically used in 3D apps and games that need access the entire 3D Objects library.

AllJoyn

MSIX

Allows AllJoyn-enabled apps and devices on a network to discover and interact with each other.

Appointments (Calendar)

MSIX

Provides access to the user’s appointment store. This capability allows read access to appointments obtained from the synced network accounts and to other apps that write to the appointment store. With this capability, your app can create new calendars and write appointments to calendars that it creates.

Background Media Playback

MSIX

Changes the behavior for media APIs to enable background playback by default. All active audio streams will no longer mute, but will continue to be audible when an app transitions to the background. Additionally, application lifetime will be extended automatically while playback is occurring.

Blocked Chat Messages

MSIX

Allows apps to read SMS and MMS messages that have been blocked by the Spam Filter app.

Chat Message Access

MSIX

Allows app to read and delete Text messages. It also allow apps to store chat messages in the system data store.

Code Generation

MSIX

Allows apps to generate code dynamically.

Contacts

MSIX

Provides ability to enumerate the aggregates on the Phone. With this capability your app can access all linked contacts and provides and uber view of the Person.

Graphics Capture

MSIX

Allows developers to acquire frames of a targeted item returned by the capture picker control.

Internet (Client & Server)

MSIX

Provides inbound and outbound access to the Internet and the networks in Public places like airports and coffee shops. The capability is a superset of Internet(Client). Internet(Client) doesn't need to be enabled if this capability is also enabled.

Inbound access to critical ports is always blocked.

Internet (Client)

MSIX

Provides outbound access to the Internet and networks in Public places like airports and coffee shops. For example, Intranet networks where the user has designated the network as public.

Most apps that require Intranet access should use this capability.

Music Library

MSIX

Provides the capability to add, change, or delete files in the Music Library for the local PC and HomeGroup PCs.

Offline Maps Management

MSIX

Allows apps to access MapControl APIs. This capability is needed in order to download map packages shared between users and apps.

Phone Call

MSIX

Allows apps to access all of the phone lines on the device and perform the following functions:

Place a call on the phone line and show the system dialer without prompting the user.
Access line-related metadata.
Access line-related triggers.
Allows the user-selected spam filter app to set and check block list and call origin information.

Phone Calls History Public

MSIX

Allows apps to read cellular and some VoIP call history information on the device. This capability also allows the app to write VoIP call history entries.

Pictures Library

MSIX

Provides the capability to add, change, or delete files in the Picture Library for the local PC and HomeGroup PCs.

Private Networks (Client & Server)

MSIX

Provides inbound and outbound access to Intranet networks that have an authenticated domain controller, or that the user has designated as either home or work networks. Inbound access to critical ports is always blocked.

Remote System

MSIX

Provides access to devices associated with this user's Microsoft Account. This capability is needed in order to discover and connect to remote devices.

Removable Storage

MSIX

Provides the capability to add, change, or delete files on removable storage devices. The app can only access file types on removable storage that are defined in the manifest using the File Type Associations declaration.

Spatial Perception

MSIX

Provides access to the location of a device that's tracked relative to the user's surroundings, such as a HoloLens or other Mixed Reality headset.

User Account Information

MSIX

Gives apps the ability to access the user's name and picture.

User Data Tasks

MSIX

Enable apps to select and acquire info about tasks.

User Notification Listener

MSIX

Allows ability to read and manage a user's notifications; typically used for Companion Device makers that mirror a user's notifications on a wearable device.

Videos Library

MSIX

Provides programmatic access to the user's Videos, allowing the app to enumerate and access all files in the library without user interaction.

VOIP Calling

MSIX

Allows apps to access the VoIP calling APIs.