Microsoft has restored one tiny feature that has been removed from the OS years ago. The Wi-Fi icon in the system tray now shows connection progress via an animation.
The updated change log for Windows 11 Build 25977 now states:
The network icon in the system tray now animates when a connection is in progress. This animation replaces the disconnected globe when a network is taking time to establish internet.
So, there is a good chance that in one of the upcoming updates will bring with it this useful addition to the OS.
While the connection animation is indeed a minor but welcome change, personally I miss something different. Many legacy Windows versions, including Windows 98, Windows XP, and up to Windows Vista, had a true animated network icon. It was a nice and quick way to check out your network connection activity.
When you had an incoming or outgoing traffic, the appropriate indicator was flashing in the tray. So you could spot some unusual network activity at a glance, without using any special app. But in Windows 7 and above, Microsoft made the icon just static. The only way to had a visual network activity indicator were third-party tools and desktop gadgets (in Windows 7 only).
It would be great to get THAT animation back too, in addition to the connection animation.
Thanks to Xeno.
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“When you had an incoming or outgoing traffic, the appropriate indicator was flashing in the tray. So you could spot some unusual network activity at a glance, without using any special app.”
Well with how often recent Windows phones home I assume it’ll be flashing all the time.