Microsoft today released two new builds to Insiders in the Beta channel. Traditionally, one of them (22622.598), is designed to ship new features, while the other one (22621.598) comes with general fixes and improvements.
Windows 11 build 25197 official ISO images are available for download
Here's a bit of good news for those who need to install Windows 11 from scratch directly to the Dev channel. Microsoft today released official ISO files for the most recent build 25197.
The new system tray in Windows 11 has a neat icon animation
With release of Windows 11 Build 25197, Microsoft revamped the appearance of the system tray. It now has touches of WinUI and plays well with the appearance of the OS. It features rounder corners of the icon selection, and tooltips of the Fluent Design style. It also features a hidden secret animation that makes the appearance of icons much nicer.
Microsoft is working on a new search for the Windows 11 Start menu
Microsoft is internally testing a new behavior for the search feature in the Start menu. It currently includes a search box which redirects you to a dedicated search pane once you click it. It looks like the software giant isn't happy with this inconsistency, and is working on improving this experience.
Microsoft is testing a new Xbox homepage
The Xbox team starts a series of experiments to find the best solution for building the best experience for Xbox home page. They try to create a more personalized dashboard based on contribution and feedback from users. Starting this week, some Xbox Insiders on the Alpha Skip-Ahead channel will notice changes to the layout and design of the dashboard. There will be new groups of gaming content and collections that appear in the below area when you scroll the screen.
Here’s how to enable New Windows Spotlight UI in Windows 11
Starting in Windows 11 Build 25197, the operating system includes a new user interface for the desktop Spotlight. When you click the "Learn more about this picture", it opens a pop-up at the bottom of the screen with details about the image. Besides, it allows switching the wallpaper, and even use Bing to find similarly looking desktop backgrounds. As it is a hidden feature, we will learn how to enable it.
Windows 11 Build 25197 (Dev) features Tablet-optimized taskbar, new system tray, and more
Microsoft has released a new Dev channel Build 25197 to Windows 11 Insiders. The key changes in this build are the return of the Tablet-optimized taskbar, the updated appearance of the system tray. Also, there are more fancier animations in the Settings app, and improvements made to the built-in apps.
uBlock Origin ad blocker with Manifest V3 support is available for testing
Raymond Hill, the author of uBlock Origin advanced ad-blocker, published an experimental "uBO Minus" browser add-on that is built around the declarativeNetRequest API of Manifest V3. Unlike the classic uBlock Origin, the new version directly uses built-in browser's capabilities to filter content. It also no longer need a permission to access site data.
A bug may prevent you from signing in to Windows 11
Microsoft has confirmed one more bug in Windows 11. It affects the stable version of the OS, and may prevent the user from signing in to a newly added Microsoft Account. Fortunately, the company already mitigated the issue.
Xbox OS September update adds party chat noise suppression and more
Microsoft has released a new firmware update for the Xbox game consoles that brings noise cancellation support in voice chats. This feature allows you to get rid of annoying clicks, background music and breathing sounds. Another new feature in this update is the ability to go to a game from a screenshot or clip shared by your friends.
