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New Windows 10 update gives it Windows 11’s photo-sharing capabilities with Android devices – but you might want to hang on
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Microsoft has recently released an optional update, KB5037849, for Windows 10 that brings in a useful feature that we’ve only seen in Windows 11 thus far, one that improves integration with Android devices.

This development is a little unexpected as Microsoft has been pushing Windows 10 users to transition to Windows 11, and reminding them that its end-of-support date is approaching – so you’d expect that adding new features to the older OS would be shoved down the priority list by now, but apparently that’s not the case.

After installing KB5037849, Windows Latest noticed that the 'Mobile Devices' feature page, previously seen only in Windows 11, had been introduced to Windows 10. This feature enables you to access photos taken and stored on your phone instantly on your PC. It appears as a ‘Mobile Devices’ page found in the Settings app, and when you toggle ‘Allow this PC to access your mobile devices’ on, it will prompt you to ‘Download and install Cross Device Experience Host’ from the Microsoft Store. 

Apparently, it does require that you’re logged into a Microsoft account, but it doesn’t need setting up via the Phone Link app (which allows users to fully sync their Android or iPhone with their Windows PC towards all kinds of ends). 

Once you do this, you can head to the ‘Manage Devices’ page (via the ‘Mobile Devices’ panel) and turn on ‘Get new photo notifications.’ You will then receive notifications on your PC when you take new photos on the Android phone that you’ve linked, allowing you to view the photos and edit them with the Snipping Tool in Windows 11. Or indeed you can also open the photos with Paint, or share them with others via Windows Share. 

Microsoft Surface tablet on desk with businesman and businesswoman

(Image credit: Worawee Meepian / Shutterstock)

How to get this new photo-sharing with Android feature

For now, Windows 10 users will have to install the optional May 2024 update to gain these capabilities, but all Windows 10 users are set to get this feature as part of the mandatory June 2024 Patch Tuesday update. 

Remember that any optional update is still in testing, and could have unpredictable results, so you may want to wait for the full release of the patch (which happens a week today, in fact, so it’s not far off).

If you can’t wait and want to install the optional update KB5037849 now, go to the following location: Settings > Updates & Security > Windows Update. Then click on ‘Download and install’ where the optional update is flagged up (check for updates if it isn’t).

This update also delivers several bug fixes, as well as other changes, that you can check out in more detail on Microsoft’s official support page for the patch. 

I’m glad Windows 10 is still receiving new features, even if they’re not the biggest updates, and it’s good to see Microsoft hasn’t completely given up on the OS, despite the scheduled end-of-support date being just over a year away.

Hopefully, Microsoft will continue to add features to improve Windows 10, although I’d imagine the company will halt this practice in the near future, as resources are likely to be redirected elsewhere, which will no doubt disappoint Windows 10 fans even further. 

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Google Gemini’s new Calendar capabilities take it one step closer to being your ultimate personal assistant
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Google’s new family of artificial intelligence (AI) generative models, Gemini, will soon be able to access events scheduled in Google Calendar on Android phones.

According to 9to5Google, Calendar events were on Gemini Experiences Senior Director of Product Management at Google Jack Krawczyk’s “things to fix ASAP” list for what Google would be working to add to Gemini to make it a better-equipped digital assistant. 

Users who have the Gemini app on an Android device can now expect Gemini to respond to voice or text prompts like “Show me my calendar” and “Do I have any upcoming calendar events?” When 9to5Google tried this the week before, Gemini responded that it couldn’t fulfill those types of requests and queries – which was particularly noticeable as those kinds of requests are pretty commonplace with rival (non-AI) digital assistants such as Siri or Google Assistant. However, when those same prompts were attempted this week, Gemini opened the Google Calendar app and fulfilled the requests. It seems that if users would like to enter a new event using Gemini, you need to tell it something like “Add an event to my calendar,” to which it should then prompt the user to fill out the details manually by using voice commands. 

Google Calendar

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Going all in on Gemini

Google is clearly making progress to set up Gemini as its proprietary all-in-one AI offering (including as a digital assistant, replacing Google Assistant in the future). It’s got quite a few steps before it manages that, with users asking for features like the ability to play music or edit their shopping lists via Gemini. Another significant hurdle for Gemini to clear if it wants to become popular is that it’s only available in the United States for now. 

The race to become the best AI assistant has gotten a little bit more intense recently between Microsoft with Copilot, Google with Gemini, and Amazon with Alexa. Google did recently make some pretty big strides in its ability to compress the larger Gemini models so it could run on mobile devices. The capabilities of these more complex models sound like they can give Gemini’s capabilities a major boost. Google Assistant is pretty widely recognized and this is another feather in Google’s cap. I feel hesitant about placing a bet on any single one of these digital AI assistants, but if Google continues at this pace with Gemini, I think its chances are pretty good.

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HP leaks Windows 11 2024 update with new Wi-Fi 7 and Copilot 2.0 capabilities… but where’s Windows 12?
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If Windows 12 (or whatever Microsoft ends up naming it) exists, hardware manufacturer HP is keeping its lips sealed, but it has given us a peek at the next version of Windows 11 it seems.

We thought that we might have seen the last major update to Windows 11 last year, version 23H2, but it looks like that’s not the case. HP has published new documentation that makes references to “Windows 11 2024 Update” and “24H2”, which has Windows enthusiasts buzzing.

HP released spec sheets for its newest Spectre laptops and 2-in-1 PCs, and makes several mentions of the Windows 11 2024 Update, suggesting that it exists and it's coming soon. 

According to Windows Latest, these references suggest the update will bring support for the next iteration of Microsoft’s new artificial intelligence tool, Windows Copilot 2.0, along with cutting-edge Wi-Fi 7 connectivity. Windows Copilot is being branded as the all-purpose digital assistant that will change how we engage with our devices, so it’ll be interesting to see what new features arrive with this update. 

Screenshot of Windows Copilot in use

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Looking at the specifics in the specs

You can have a look at HP’s new specification documents for yourself, but here are some major takeaways: 

According to the documentation, “Windows 11 2024 Update” will be required to be able to use the Spectre devices’ Wi-Fi 7 (802.11BE) functionality, alongside their new Intel Core or Intel Core Ultra processors. Of course, a new Wi-Fi 7-compatible router will also be required. Windows Latest also points out that Wi-Fi 7 will be backwards compatible with devices that have older 802.11 specifications.

While HP has mentioned the Windows 11 2024 update in other documents, Microsoft itself has not officially announced it, so while these references by HP seem legitimate (and likely included by accident), we don’t fully know all of the new features that Microsoft is planning.

However, the updates mentioned by HP certainly hint at a major Windows 11 update, and the upgrade to Wi-Fi 7 is particularly exciting. These are pretty sizable updates and the advancement of the HP devices’ Wi-Fi specs is notable, but we don’t know for sure if we’ll see Windows 12 in the first half of the year or the second. What we do know is Microsoft is making some pretty big steps, especially in the development of Windows Copilot, and I expect this will be the case for most of this year, at least up till the release of Windows 12 and devices with these new specifications.

The absence of any mention of Windows 12 could be a sign that HP is being more careful with keeping secrets about a new operating system than about Windows 11 updates – but it could also hint that Windows 12 may be further off than many of us hoped.

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