Microsoft has released the Remote Desktop app for Windows 8.1 to connect with Windows PC. In the previous year when it was launched for Android and iPhone users, the Windows Phone users were waiting for a word when their phone will be advanced with the Remote Desktop app.

Even when the Android and iPhone versions of Remote Desktop app were upgraded with the newer versions, Microsoft was silent as to when and how it would provide remoting for Windows phones.

Remote Desktop lets handset users to interact, connect and access resources from remote Window PCs. The app supports a "rich multitouch experience" according to the description. It uses RDP 8.1 and Remote FX to provide high quality video, graphic transfers and sound streaming with improved compression and bandwidth usage, while Network Layer Authentication (NLA) encrypts data to keep users information secure.

The application has been one of the most popular Windows Store apps among the users. The licensing requirements for these apps are complex. Microsoft has made Remote Desktop a unified store app as it can be installed on multiple devices under a single license although its listing on Windows and non-Windows devices is not yet clear.

The app can connect to Windows PCs running Windows Vista or higher and Windows Server 2003 or newer. Similar to the existing Remote Desktop apps, the Windows 8.1 preview version too is free. It is 1 MB in size and available in the Windows Phone Store.

The Remote Desktop preview app is available in stores for users with Windows 8.1 installed on their handsets. This is to remind that Windows Phone 8.1 is available in developer preview form only at this time. There is no confirmation by the Microsoft officials as to when compatible versions for the new and existing Windows Phone 8 will come, probably, starting this summer.