As Microsoft noted in the official announcement, Windows 11 Build 23493 adds a new style of snap layout. When you hover over the Maximize or Restore button (or use the WIN + Z combination), you will notice icons of running applications in various layouts, allowing you to select the most suitable option. But Microsoft has made them accessible to a limited group of Insiders. If you don't have them after upgrading to the latest Dev channel build, then you can manually enable them by following this guide.
How to enable the Home page in Settings on Windows 11
Microsoft is working on a new "Home" page for the Settings app for quite long. It is intended to become the first page you see after pressing the Win + I keys. It appeared several times in Insider Preview builds, but always in form of a half-baked hidden feature. Starting in Build 23493, Windows 11 finally reveals the new page to the public.
Bing will show AI-generated shopping recommendations
Bing, the search engine created by Microsoft, will now incorporate AI-generated recommendations. They will appear when you search for products. The suggestions are provided as a table, providing a comparative analysis of similar products from various manufacturers.
How to enable Windows Copilot in Windows 11 (Build 23493+)
Starting in Windows 11 Build 23493, Microsoft ships the Copilot feature with the OS. It is the latest Dev channel build as of this writing. Microsoft rolls-out the new functionality gradually, so you may have no access to it right away. Here's how to enable it and give it a try.
Microsoft Edge now has a 5 GB traffic limit for its free VPN
Microsoft has recently changed the traffic volume for the free VPN feature in its Edge browser. Users can now enjoy up to 5 GB of data usage when utilizing the built-in "Secure Network" service. The company has launched it in testing with the 1GB data cap for the free plan, and it has been released with the same limitation to the public. Finally, this has changed.
Windows 11 Build 22631.1972 (Beta) brings with it WinUI 3-based File Explorer
Along with the major Dev channel update, Microsoft is releasing Windows 11 Build 22631.1972/22621.1972 to Insiders in the Beta channel. Build 22631 allows testing the Windows App SDK-based File Explorer. Both builds also come with a good number of various fixes and general improvements.
Windows 11 Build 23493 (Dev) introduces Copilot, new Settings Home page & Volume Mixer, and more
Microsoft has released Windows 11 Build 23493 to Dev channel Insiders. The update comes with plenty of new features, including a preliminary version of Windows Copilot, new volume mixer flyout for the taskbar, new Home page in Settings, the ability to restore apps from the Store when setting up a new PC, extra archive format support, including 7z, rar, tar, etc, and much more!
Valve is banning games on Steam that include AI-generated images and text
Valve has implemented a new policy to check for AI-generated content in new games on their Steam platform. If developers fail to provide proof of rights to the libraries used by the AI to create game elements, Valve will block those games from being released.
YouTube is experimenting with limiting video access for users with ad blockers
YouTube is currently testing a feature where users with active ad blockers will have their site access limited to only three video views. A Reddit user, known as Reddit_n_Me, shared a screenshot of a pop-up window warning that YouTube suspects the use of an ad blocker and threatens to restrict video player access unless it is disabled. YouTube emphasizes that ads are crucial for keeping the platform free for billions of users worldwide.
Original Windows 11 Version 21H2 has got an update in release preview
Microsoft has released a new release preview update KB5027292. It is available for the original Windows 11 release, version 21H2. After installing the patch the build number will be 22000.2124. While it is mostly focused on fixes, there a few new features included as well.
