Microsoft has released .NET 10 RC 2, the second and likely final release candidate ahead of the full production launch, expected around November 11. This update focuses on enhancements for .NET MAUI (Multi-platform App UI) and Android, along with fixes for Entity Framework Core. Developers can download RC 2 from the official .NET website, and it comes with a go-live support license, allowing production testing before the general release.
One of the key additions in RC 2 is microphone permission support in .NET MAUI. Developers can now use Permissions.RequestAsync<Permissions.Microphone>() on Windows to request and verify microphone access in their apps. This addition simplifies handling of device permissions and improves cross-platform consistency. The update also brings XAML source generation improvements, particularly around debug-time view inflation, which should streamline the development workflow.
Android apps built with .NET MAUI gain edge-to-edge support for unsafe display areas using SafeAreaEdges. This ensures better use of screen real estate on devices with notches, cutouts, or rounded corners. Microsoft emphasizes that these updates enhance user interface flexibility while maintaining consistent behavior across different devices and platforms.
For Entity Framework Core, RC 2 addresses complex JSON support, enabling mapping of complex types directly to JSON structures. Other aspects of .NET 10, such as libraries, the runtime, and C# and F# language features, see no major additions in this RC. Previous previews and RC 1 had introduced features like an XAML source generator, improved JIT code generation, and C# 14 enhancements, building toward a comprehensive and modern .NET 10 platform.