Microsoft has stopped the rollout of some new features to Windows 11 testers as it “investigate a few issues” discovered in the Dev channel (build 26120.961).
The announcement was made in the blog post announcing the latest slew of new Windows 11 features which have now been put on hold.
Those features include improvements with Voice Access, such as support in Narrator to allow the hands-free dictation of text, as well as bringing Voice Access to Windows 11's search functionality, all of which are big wins for accessibility.
There's also a new account manager panel in the Start menu, and fixes for Task Manager, all of which are paused while Microsoft investigates said issues. The software giant hasn't given us any indication of when we might expect a resolution of these problems yet.
PhantomOfEarth, a regular leaker on X, observes that the brakes were applied by Microsoft due to issues including a “broken touch keyboard, emoji picker, and clipboard history.”
This set of features stopped rolling out yesterday. https://t.co/7VReYklRPm pic.twitter.com/DGGsMuFo16July 1, 2024
Windows 11's broader woes
We shouldn't have to wait too long for the gremlins in the works to be fixed, given that Windows 11 preview builds arrive on a pretty regular schedule (at least once per month, minimum).
In the case of this latest preview build, it makes sense why Microsoft has pushed back these more experimental features, but it's far from a good look given all the current problems around Windows 11 – particularly the controversial Recall feature which was recently put on ice, too.
In all honesty, Microsoft really needs to make an effort to get its act together on a broader level with Windows 11.
Microsoft recently announced that it’s resurrecting the Beta channel for Windows 10 in order to test new features – which means, yes, the OS is officially being actively worked on – and the very first preview build has arrived in this channel.
The not-so-exciting news is that build 19045 (aka KB5039299) for Windows 10 22H2 doesn’t actually contain any new features, and is all about making tweaks and minor adjustments, as well as the usual clutch of bug fixes.
Microsoft lists the various bits of work carried out in this new preview build in the usual blog post, and one of the notable changes for Windows 10 is to bolster the stability of the search box in the taskbar when you’re looking for apps. In other words, a search for a particular app should no longer produce wonky results (or at least fewer of these incidents should occur).
There are also improvements to the Windows Backup app such as now being able to store your device’s Activity History and Printer Device Settings preferences. The Windows Backup improvements mean that it'll be easier to restore all your previous hardware settings when you set up a new PC – as long as they're backed up and tied to your Microsoft account.
As well as the above changes, Microsoft also resolved a problem whereby backups would fail when desktop and lock screen backgrounds were backed up twice.
Bug squashing aplenty
That’s the main thrust of this preview build, but as we mentioned there are also bug fixes here. They include the cure for an issue whereby the PC fails to come back from hibernation after BitLocker has been turned on, and a folder management glitch in File Explorer, along with many more fixes.
So, as we said, there’s not a huge amount going on here to get excited about – but this release does at least mean that the Beta channel for Windows 10 is now active. Clearly, we will get new features coming to Microsoft’s older OS soon enough, and the software giant must have allocated some fresh resources towards Windows 10 development to facilitate that.
WWDC 2024 earlier this week saw the big reveal of macOS Sequoia, and of course, Apple’s new AI platform – with the further revelation that Apple Intelligence would not be available for Mac owners with Intel CPUs running Sequoia.
While Apple had previously stated that macOS Sequoia will run on the same Mac models as macOS Sonoma, whether they had Intel or Apple CPUs, Apple Intelligence requires an M1 processor (or better) to work – and that fact likely left Intel-powered Mac owners wondering if they’d be left out in the cold with Sequoia regarding other features. Well, the good news is this isn’t the case, and in fact there are only two pieces of functionality that’ll be exclusive to Apple silicon-powered Macs.
Those are Apple Intelligence, as already mentioned, and also live audio transcription in Apple Notes is only supported for devices which have Apple silicon. This feature will enable the recording of audio right in the Notes app, and will also swiftly generate transcriptions of that audio (which are fully searchable).
Other than that, all the other features in macOS Sequoia will come to Intel Macs (and M-series Macs too, of course).
(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
Mirroring magic and more besides
This includes the hotly anticipated iPhone Mirroring feature, allowing you to view and control your iPhone’s screen using your Mac keyboard and trackpad. On top of that, macOS 15 ushers in the ability to receive iPhone notifications on your Mac, new window layout functionality that enables you to drag and ‘snap’ windows into a grid arrangement on your screen (just as in Microsoft’s Windows OS), the Password app replacing Keychain to manage and sync passwords more easily, and an improved Safari browser.
In short, that’s a pretty good haul even if your Intel-powered Mac can’t run Apple’s new AI features. How much that’ll matter to you is doubtless a subjective thing, and it’ll also depend on how well Apple Intelligence is realized when it actually arrives – although the Mac maker is certainly putting a lot of stock in it going by the initial launch, and has some well thought out ideas behind the AI system.
As 9 to 5 Mac, which spotted this info, observes, Apple Macs with Intel CPUs have at least one more year of support with macOS.
You may remember that Microsoft introduced a new Outlook app for Windows 11 (and Windows 10) at the end of last year, though plenty of users have stuck it out and held onto the ‘classic’ Outlook email app. If you aren’t willing to move over to the new app but don’t want to be left behind, don’t fret – Windows Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant, is finally coming to the older app.
Yes, this is a major feature that diehard old Outlook users won’t miss out on. According to a blog post, Microsoft stated that the classic Outlook app will get a trio of Copilot features: Summarize, Coaching, and Draft.
The Summarize option will be available in the top-right corner when you’ve got an email thread open. As you might guess, it gets Copilot to summarize the main points of that thread.
Coaching will offer tips on how to write the perfect email and hit the right tone in the message, as well as considerations such as clarity of the writing. That’s about honing an email you’ve already written, whereas Draft will let Copilot take the reins and create the entire email on the basis of a few prompts. You can then edit the results naturally as necessary.
(Image credit: Microsoft )
With these AI-powered features on tap, you can still cling to the original Outlook app without missing out on some very useful time-saving functionality.
In the blog post, Microsoft also noted that there are plans in place to add more Copilot features to the classic Outlook app for Windows in the near future. We assume these inbound features will debut on the new Outlook app first, then possibly the Mac version and even the mobile app, before reaching the classic Outlook app.
The reason for this is doubtless to persuade people to move over to the newer app by holding off on introducing new features to the old client. So, if you are planning to stay rooted in the classic Outlook, you may be in for a long wait as fresh features are drip-fed into the other app versions.
Microsoft says that new Copilot features are expected to arrive in the classic Outlook app in the next 3 to 12 months, so at least you’ve got something to look forward to in the next year or so!
Guess what: Yahoo Mail is alive and well in the year 2024, and has begun adding new AI capabilities to your inbox to to simplify your emails and improve your overall task management. It’s a big week for AI considering Apple also announced Apple Intelligence at WWDC 24 – and it looks like Yahoo Mail is diving right into the world of AI with the same focus of productivity and digital assistance.
You may be surprised to hear the words ‘Yahoo Mail’ and ‘artificial intelligence’ strung together in the same sentence – rightfully so. While there are probably still a lot of people who haven’t switched up since the earlier 2000s, or people who use it to filter out spam, I can’t say I’ve seen or been emailed by anyone with an @yahoo.com email address ever.
So, it’s safe to say that Yahoo’s push to include AI tech is likely aimed at trying to get more people to use the email client – and it might very well work. Whether you’re nostalgic for the good ol’ days or just looking to start fresh with a clean email hub that can offer you generative text assistance, personal context, and more, why wouldn’t you try Yahoo Mail?
I’ve already made my account
Unfortunately, the beta for Yahoo Mail AI is only available for US-based accounts, but I’m sure that will open up in the near future. In terms of some of the features to look forward to, you’ll have access to AI-generated summaries in a bullet point list, which you can find under a new tab called the ‘Priority Inbox’. So, Yahoo AI will highlight what it believes to be the most important information to you based on content and previous context from your general emailing habits.
You’ll also have access to a ‘Quick Action’ button so you can add an event to your calendar, check-in for flights, and even track packages on their way over to you.
However great these features are, there’s one big new change that’s cool enough to sway me over to Yahoo Mail. You’ll soon be able to link your Yahoo inbox to other email accounts like Gmail, and Microsoft Outlook so you can send and receive all your emails right from Yahoo Mail. So, if you want access to Gmail's sophisticated AI tools without having to pay, Yahoo Mail might be worth switching to!
Microsoft might be eager to move users along to Windows 11, and from there, whatever the next iteration of its desktop operating system may be, but it looks like Windows 10 isn’t completely shelved just yet.
In fact, quite the opposite, as Microsoft has recently published a blog post announcing that it’s reopening the Windows 10 Beta channel.
The Beta channel is the penultimate testing avenue of the Windows Insider Program, ahead of the final Release Preview channel. Users sign up to test the newest features for Windows 10, which are eventually released to all users of the OS.
Bearing in mind that Windows 10 support is scheduled to end in October 2025, which is not all that far off now, it’s a bit surprising that Microsoft has made this move. It certainly shows that we can expect new features down the line, ones that need to be tested – although to be fair, Microsoft has made a number of additions to Windows 10 in recent times. (After briefly declaring the OS would only get security updates, and nothing else).
So, Microsoft isn’t totally finished with Windows 10 yet, and this is perhaps a kind of acknowledgment that it’s still the most popular Windows OS (by quite some margin over Windows 11).
(Image credit: Microsoft)
So, what does this mean for Windows 10 users?
I wouldn’t blame people for being a little confused by this move. It might seem strange that Microsoft is still dedicating resources to continue developing Windows 10, even though it’s due to stop receiving support next year.
Windows Latest probed Microsoft on whether this reactivation of the Beta channel could even be a hint that Windows 10 support might just be extended beyond October 2025, but that is not the case. All updates will still be ceased when that month rolls around next year.
Microsoft has indicated that it will offer a consumer version of its Extended Security Updates program, but the subscription price has yet to be announced. This will grant users the ability to continue receiving security updates past Windows 10’s end-of-life date, but again, only for a limited time and at a cost.
We recently saw Microsoft bring Windows 11’s ‘Mobile Devices’ page to Windows 10, allowing users to access, view, and edit photos from their Android device on their PC instantly. It’s unknown what other features Windows 10 will receive going forward, but I imagine these will be existing Windows 11 features as they’re already developed.
Overall, I think Windows 10 users will welcome this news and we’ll have to see how Microsoft fares when the big end-of-life date comes around.
Microsoft recently pushed out an update for the Photos app in Windows 11, one that brings some major changes under the hood, and it could also produce a noticeable change in terms of how the app runs on your PC.
The crux of the matter is that the Photos app has been migrated from Microsoft's UWP (Universal Windows Platform) to Windows App SDK, meaning that the app has been redeveloped using a different framework making it better suited for newer versions of Windows.
The revamped version of Photos is currently available to testers in the Windows Insider Program, and, as Windows Latest reports, it has already begun rolling out to individual customers running the finished version of Windows 11, too.
The new Photos app shifting to Windows App SDK allows for the incorporation of WebView2, and this web tech allows for various improvements to the software. Microsoft notes that these benefits include better image rendering quality for starters, and AI-related boosts.
There are many other tangible improvements ushered in with the new Photos app, such as it being able to run at a medium integrity level by default, the security status assigned to most activities and processes on a Windows PC. Furthermore, you can save a newly edited photo in the same location as the original photo without having to choose a file destination manually.
Another useful change is the previous multiple processes the Photos app consisted of being combined into a single process clearly labeled as ‘Photos,’ making it easier to hunt out and force-close the Photos app in Task Manager.
However, there’s apparently a downside here, namely that as Windows Latest claims, the big switchover to a new way of working for the Photos app means it takes longer to load than before.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Balancing new features with longer load times
Seemingly we’re looking at a trade-off between better quality-of-life and new features, versus a longer loading time. Windows Latest observes that this is a characteristic of many Windows App SDK apps, and that you may be staring at a ‘Getting things ready’ loading splash screen for some time while Photos fires itself up (perhaps for 20 seconds or so).
Additionally, the new Photos app could use more of your PC’s resources, especially when using the new web-based functions of the client. For example, when you’re editing a pic, the Photos app is rendering web-based image editing (WebView2) within the app’s native interface.
If you’re not interested in having this newer version of the Photos app, and the new AI features recently added to the software, you can download the Legacy Photos app from the Microsoft Store, and stick with that (for now anyway).
So, if you’re fine with these changes, your Windows 11 PC should automatically install the updated Photos app in the coming weeks, but if you find that you’re not happy with the app’s performance, you can switch back to the legacy version of Photos instead.
Google Pay is receiving three new features that collectively aim to make online shopping easier and more transparent. At first, it may seem strange how the tech giant is updating Google Pay when the app is scheduled to go offline on June 4 in the United States.
However, it turns out the patch is rolling out to the Google Pay payment system rather than to the app itself. The Google Pay app is still set to be discontinued in about two weeks from the time of this writing. You’ll see the following changes appear on desktop and mobile.
According to their announcement post, the company states “American Express and Capital One cardholders” will now see the benefits they can receive when checking out on Chrome desktop in the “autofill drop-down” menu. Google gives the example of someone buying a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Your American Express Gold Card may offer three times the travel points, while a Capital One Quicksilver Card will give you “1.5 percent cash back on [your] purchase.” There are plans to add “more cards in the future” as well.
(Image credit: Google)
Next, the buy now, pay later (BNPL) payment option is expanding to more “merchant sites and Android apps across the US.” Google appears to be working with two BNPL services, Affirm and Zip, to make the expansion possible. Exactly which websites and apps are unknown, and Google didn't provide any additional details in the post, although we did ask.
Autofill update
The first two features are exclusive to people in the United States; however, the Autofill update is seeing an international release. Moving forward, shoppers on either Chrome or Android can use biometrics or their screen lock PIN to verify card details. With this, you'll no longer have to enter your security code manually.
(Image credit: Google)
Autofill will normally work without a hitch, but Google states if it detects suspicious transactions, it’ll prevent payments from going through. Also, users can “set up device unlock” to have Google Pay ask you to unlock your smartphone to reveal “full card details.” It ensures your card isn’t used by other people who might have access to your device.
Be sure to keep an eye out for the patch when it arrives. The Google Pay update is currently rolling out. While we have you, be sure to check out TechRadar's list of the best Android phones for 2024.
Cocreator will run locally on Copilot+ PCs and make use of the more powerful NPUs (Neural Processing Units) on these devices to generate images based on text prompts that you provide. The current Paint app does have an AI-powered Image Creator feature, but it’s not the same as Cocreator.
Cocreator is different because it will work locally on your computer and won’t need to go online to tap the computing power to generate images. Furthermore, it’ll produce images faster than Image Creator, although the latter isn’t being dropped – the two options will run side-by-side.
The new feature was demonstrated by Microsoft on a Surface Pro, showing the presenter putting in a prompt and drawing a basic outline of what they wanted the image to look like. Cocreator then used this information to generate the image based on the rough shapes that were drawn.
(Image credit: Microsoft)
Cocreator is also shown to have a ‘Style’ dropdown menu, presumably to choose the style you’d like the image to be generated in, and a ‘Creativity’ slider.
Increasing that Creativity slider produces a higher quality image filled in with a greater level of detail, with the AI exercising its abilities more, whereas towards the lower end of the scale, the generated image sticks more closely to the rough sketch provided by the user.
The ability to experiment with styles in the Photos app
The Photos app in Windows 11 is also getting an AI boost on Copilot+ PCs in the form of a feature named ‘Restyle Image.’ This enables you to transform your own photos with preset artistic styles, for example taking a photo of your pet and making it an anime-style picture.
There is a text box where you can enter prompts to give the feature your own specific instructions about what kind of style you’d like it to transform your photo into, and a ‘Creativity’ slider that apparently works similarly to the one in Cocreator.
One interesting aspect that was picked up on by Windows Latest is that there doesn’t appear to be a fixed number of credits limiting the amount of times you’re able to use either feature. Both Cocreator and the ‘Restyle Image’ capabilities can be run as many times as you like locally on your PC using small language models.
Both features will also require the PC to have a processor with a suitable NPU, so they won’t be available on all Windows PCs, including existing devices running Windows 11. This will be for laptops using the new Snapdragon X chip only, or other Copilot+ PCs with future AMD or Intel silicon.
For those keen on AI assistance, this is good news, as are the other AI tools Microsoft is introducing to Windows 11. It’ll make things that were unimaginable to most people not all that long ago easily accessible with a few clicks without even going online.
If you’re not a fan of AI-powered apps, then I can imagine this news will simply be a continuation of issues you may have with AI getting everywhere these days.
Either way, it doesn’t seem like Microsoft is going to be remotely discouraged from forging on this path, and it will continue to try and push to become the industry standard for AI-focused consumer products.
Ahead of Global Accessibility Day on May 16, 2024, Apple unveiled a number of new accessibility features for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro. Eye tracking is leading a long list of new functionality which will let you control your iPhone and iPad by moving your eyes.
Eye Tracking, Music Haptics, Vocal Shortcuts, and Vehicle Motion Cues will arrive on eligible Apple gadgets later this year. These new accessibility features will most likely be released with iOS 18, iPadOS 18, VisionOS 2, and the next version of macOS.
These new accessibility features have become a yearly drop for Apple. The curtain is normally lifted a few weeks before WWDC, aka the Worldwide Developers Conference, which kicks off on June 10, 2024. That should be the event where we see Apple show off its next generation of main operating systems and AI chops.
Eye-Tracking looks seriously impressive
(Image credit: Apple)
Eye-tracking looks seriously impressive and is a key way to make the iPhone and iPad even more accessible. As noted in the release and captured in a video, you can navigate iPadOS – as well as iOS – open apps, and even control elements all with just your eyes, and it uses the front-facing camera, artificial intelligence, and local machine learning throughout the experience.
You can look around the interface and use “Dwell Control” to engage with a button or element. Gestures will also be handled through just eye movement. This means that you can first look at Safari, Phone, or another app, hold that view, and it will open.
Most critically, all setup and usage data is kept local on the device, so you’ll be set with just your iPhone. You won’t need an accessory to use eye tracking. It’s designed for people with physical disabilities and builds upon other accessible ways to control an iPhone or iPad.
Vocal Shortcuts, Music Haptics, and Live Captions on Vision Pro
(Image credit: Apple)
Another new accessibility feature is Vocal Shortcuts, designed for iPad and iPhone users with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), cerebral palsy, stroke, or “acquired or progressive conditions that affect speech.” This will let you set up a custom sound that Siri can learn and identify to launch a specific shortcut or run through a task. It lives alongside Listen for Atypical Speech, designed for the same users, to open up speech recognition for a wider set.
These two features build upon some introduced within iOS 17, so it’s great to see Apple continue to innovate. With Atypical Speech, specifically, Apple is using artificial intelligence to learn and recognize different types of speech.
Music Haptics on the iPhone is designed for users who are hard of hearing or deaf to experience music. The built-in taptic engine, which powers the iPhone’s haptics, will play different vibrations, like taps and textures, that resemble a song's audio. At launch, it will work across “millions of songs” within Apple Music, and there will be an open API for developers to implement and make music from other sources accessible.
Additionally, Apple has previews of a few other features and updates. Vehicle Motion Cues will be available on iPhone and iPad and aim to reduce motion sickness with animated dots on that screen that change as vehicle motion is detected. It's designed to help reduce motion sickness without blocking whatever you view on the screen.
(Image credit: Apple)
One major addition arriving for VisionOS – aka the software that powers Apple Vision Pro – will be Live Captions across the entire system. This will allow for captions for spoken dialogue within conversations from FaceTime and audio from apps to be seen right in front of you. Apple’s release notes that it was designed for users who are deaf or hard of hearing, but like all accessibility features, it can be found in Settings.
Since this is Live Captions on an Apple Vision Pro, you can move the window containing the captions around and adjust the size like any other window. Vision accessibility within VisosOS will also gain reduced transparency, smart inverting, and dim flashing light functionality.
Regarding when these will ship, Apple notes in the release that the “new accessibility features [are] coming later this year.” We’ll keep a close eye on this and imagine that these will ship with the next generation of OS’ like iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, meaning folks with a developer account may be able to test these features in forthcoming beta releases.
Considering that a few of these features are powered by on-device machine learning and artificial intelligence, aiding with accessibility features is just one way that Apple believes AI has the potential to make an impact. We’ll likely hear the technology giant share more of its thoughts around AI and consumer-ready features at WWDC 2024.
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