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Windows 11’s next major feature drop is available now – for those brave enough to grab a preview update
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Windows 11’s next feature update known as ‘Moment 5’ is now rolling out, albeit it’s still an optional update at this point.

The preview update KB5035942 became available yesterday, so pretty much everyone on Windows 11 (23H2 and 22H2) should see it now – if they check for it.

As mentioned, this is an optional installation, so it will only show up if you manually fire up a check in the Windows Update panel, whereupon you can then choose to download KB5035942.

Bear in mind that as it’s still in testing, there could be wrinkles in the preview update. But if you want those new Moment 5 features and can’t wait, well, they’re up for grabs now.

Currently, there are no known issues with KB5035942, but that’s not a guarantee you won’t encounter technical hitches, of course – it’s just that they might not have been flagged up yet.

At the time of writing, there are no reported issues on the Reddit thread announcing the update at any rate, which is a good early sign – there’s just a warning that this one is a hefty download. Given that it’s a major feature update, that’s to be expected, of course.

Analysis: Lock and load – or wait for next month?

What new features are provided by Moment 5? There’s an extensive list of the fresh additions in Microsoft’s support document for the March 2024 preview update, but let’s touch on some of the highlights here.

They include new functionality for the lock screen in Windows 11 in the form of cards that pipe through info on weather, stocks, traffic and more – a somewhat controversial addition as some regard it as bloat. Mind you, if you don’t like the idea, you don’t have to enable the lock screen cards, and we should note that this is rolling out gradually within those adopting Moment 5 right now – so you may not see it yet anyway.

The Voice Access feature has also received a good deal of attention here, including nifty new shortcuts for custom commands (like pasting a boilerplate piece of text), and the ability to use voice controls over multiple monitors for the first time. Narrator has a raft of new features too, and that includes being able to use voice commands with the screen reading tool, so you can verbally ask it to “speak faster” for example.

For those not signed into a Microsoft account, it’s also worth noting that Copilot now lets you run 10 queries, so you can give the AI assistant a quick trial without being logged in. (Copilot is now rolling out to more users, incidentally, so if you haven’t seen it yet, you might do very soon).

So, should you bag all these features now? Well, you need to balance your desire for new toys to play with against the possibility of faulty bits in testing. Generally speaking, the safest course of action is to wait for this to become a finished cumulative update in April, and install Moment 5 then. Still, if you can’t wait for any particular piece of functionality – or important bug fix, as there are some glitches resolved here, too – then you might want to go early on this one.

Via Neowin

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Microsoft was quick to drop this Windows 11 pop-up that took annoying to new levels
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Microsoft has reversed course to remove a pop-up that it was trying out with some Windows 11 users that attempted to discern why they were quitting out of OneDrive.

Specifically, this move concerned the OneDrive sync client which resides in the system tray on the far-right of the taskbar (the little cloud icon). As the name suggests, this client oversees the syncing of the files on your PC with OneDrive in the cloud.

If you close it, you’ll see a pop-up telling you that your files will no longer be synced to the cloud, which is a fair enough warning to issue – but then Microsoft incorporated something else for some users.

As Windows Latest reports – and Neowin first observed – as November began, Microsoft added a survey pop-up for those shutting down the syncing client which appeared after the aforementioned warning.

That dialog box was piped through to a small group of Windows 11 users, we’re told, and it asked them to give a reason why they were quitting out of OneDrive sync. Reponses included ‘I don’t want OneDrive running all the time’ (which it is, in the background, with this client) and ‘I don’t know what OneDrive is’ among others. (If the latter would be your response, check out our guide to using the cloud storage service).

This annoyed a fair few Windows 11 users as you might imagine, so Microsoft canned the idea.

Microsoft told Windows Latest: “Between Nov. 1 and 8, a dialog box temporarily appeared for a small subset of consumer OneDrive users when closing the OneDrive sync client asking for feedback on the reason they chose to close the application.

“The prompt was removed after a sufficient sample of user feedback was gathered. This feedback helps inform our ongoing efforts to enhance the quality of our products.”

Analysis: Repeated aggravation

Microsoft is constantly testing these kinds of more intrusive elements in Windows 11, whether it’s ‘suggestions’ or ads for its services or polls, and like most people, we find that quite frustrating. Okay, so this was a limited subset of users, and it was quickly reversed – we’re not surprised and can only imagine the reaction (indeed, we’ve seen some of it on Reddit).

What was overstepping the mark here is that not only was this poll sent to users on the release version of Windows 11 (it may have been a test, but it wasn’t deployed in preview builds of the OS), it actually appeared repeatedly.

Yes, Windows Latest tells us that this pop-up would be summoned for affected users every single time they quit OneDrive sync. Surely, when Microsoft got an answer out of the user, that should have been it, done and dusted as they say?

Hopefully Microsoft will learn a lesson from the spicy feedback on this one and not try to insert any more such surveys cluttering up the flow of using the interface (and certainly not outside of preview versions of Windows 11).

Finally, it’s worth pointing out that for OneDrive sync there is a middle-ground in terms of not quitting, but not having it running either – the pause option. Right-click the icon and you’ll find the choice to ‘Pause syncing’ which will do exactly what it says, plus you can set the length of time (to a fairly hefty pause of 8 hours, or even 24 hours, from the drop-down menu). The app will still be running, but doing nothing, and so it shouldn’t be consuming any noticeable system resources.

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Windows 11’s final major update before Windows 12 could drop soon – and here’s what it will look like
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Keen-eyed observers have spotted ISOs of the next version of Windows 11, Windows 11 23H2, on Microsoft’s servers. This suggests that the company is preparing the update for public rollout very soon. 

ISO files are digital versions or copies of a whole disk like CD, DVD, or Blu-ray – but all in a single smaller file. In this case, ISO files (or sometimes called ISO images) of Windows 11 23H2 have been seen on Microsoft’s servers. 

It’s also expected that Windows 11 23H2 will have all the new features from the recent “Moment 4” update to Windows 11 22H2, and introduce some new changes like an enhanced notification center, a System Components page, and Microsoft's shiny new AI assistant, Copilot.  While the Windows 11 23H2 update isn’t the most ground-breaking in Windows 11’s history, it’s still worth installing to get the new features and ensure your PC gets support from Microsoft.

With rumors that Windows 12 could be coming sooner rather than later, this may be the last major update we get to Windows 11.  The last major update to Windows 11 was version 22H2, which was released in September 2022, and has seen regular updates. Windows 11 22H2 Home, Pro, Pro Education, and Pro for Workstations editions will be supported by Microsoft until October 8, 2024, according to its lifecycle policy. Meanwhile, Windows 11 Enterprise and Education editions will be supported a little longer until October 14, 2025.

Young woman using a laptop inside at night

(Image credit: Getty Images)

How to get the new Windows 11 update

Microsoft will continue to put out security updates, bug fixes, or technical support for the above versions of Windows 11 22H2 up until those stated dates. That means you shouldn’t wait too long to upgrade to Windows 11 23H2, as upgrading will ensure you get the latest features and fixes. If you want to make the change sooner, we hope to see it available as an optional update in Windows Update very soon – and we’ll let you know as soon as it’s available to download.

Windows Latest, which reported on the existence of the ISOs, concludes that update 23H2 will be the last major update for Windows 11, with Microsoft expected to announce the next generation of Windows (which many people are calling “Windows 12”, despite Microsoft being understandably tight-lipped about any potential successor to Windows 11). Windows Latest also states that it’s known for some time that we’re to expect Windows 11 23H2 at some point in October or November of this year, and that seems spot on now that the ISOs of the update have appeared on Microsoft’s servers over the weekend, suggesting the launch is imminent. 

Apparently, there are two versions of the update ISOs, English (United States) and China, and we can reasonably conclude that the update is done and dusted (at least for these languages), and being prepared for commercial dispatch to users. What’s left is to watch for Microsoft’s official communications about the update.

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Huawei could drop another foldable at its MWC 2020 virtual conference on February 24
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Huawei is going to host a virtual press conference on February 24 from Barcelona, Spain after GSMA decided to cancel MWC 2020 as many companies dropped out of the event due to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus) in may countries across the world.

Huawei will be streaming a pre-recorded launch session where it is expected to unveil multiple products across PC, laptop, wearables, audio and TV categories. However, according to a recent report by Gizmochina, Huawei is also expected to announce its next foldable phone during the event. This is a new foldable product by the company and we are not sure about the name of this upcoming phone, if it's really being unveiled on the said date.

Now, we think this foldable phone could be the Huawei Mate Xs that was announced back in October 2019. A significant update in the Mate Xs is said to be the presence of the Kirin 990 5G chipset, an improved hinge design and a more durable screen. 

The Mate Xs is confirmed to feature a similar design as the Mate X with the same set of Leica-branded camera array. It's worth noting though, that while the Huawei Mate X debuted in 2019, it's availability is still limited to China.

With a ban on Huawei currently in effect, it's unlikely that any phone they launch would have access to Google's suite of applications or even Play Store. As for the other products, we believe some of them could be powered by HarmonyOS.

Previously, the Mate Xs was scheduled to launch during MWC 2020 but as the event was scrapped, Huawei seems to be going ahead with the virtual launch anyway. We'll know more about the upcoming phone as we near the date of the conference on February 24.

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It’s not too late to grab a fantastic Xbox One deal this weekend as prices drop once more
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We've been surprised by some fantastic Xbox One deals this week, and those Xbox One S and Xbox One X bundles are sticking around for the weekend as well. We've been used to seeing these prices over Black Friday and during the seasonal sales, but a sudden price drop back to $ 149 on the All Digital Edition and $ 349 on the Xbox One X are very welcome indeed. 

That's right, those looking to take advantage of the current Game Pass roster or who simply want the cheapest Xbox One deal possible can pick up an All Digital Edition on sale for just $ 149. That low price is courtesy of the fact that this console does not have a disc drive. If you're looking to save on pre-owned physical games or to build up a case collection you'll want to check out the full Xbox One S bundle for $ 63.99 more.  

The $ 212 Xbox One S bundle comes with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order included. Looking for the 4K upgrade? You can also bag an Xbox One X deal with the latest Star Wars title for just $ 349 as sales return to Black Friday level discounts this week. 

These Xbox One deals have been sorely missed over the last few weeks as prices have been rising back to their usual retail positions for the New Year. It's never too late to save on a brand new console, however, so these sales could have come at just the right time for a January mood booster. 

Not in the US? Scroll down for the latest Xbox One deals in your area. 

Today's best Xbox One deals

If these cheap Xbox One sales aren't taking your fancy, why not check out our full collection of Xbox bundles. Or, while you're stocking up on Microsoft goodies, you'll want to take a look at these Xbox controller deals and Game Pass prices. 

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