#Moment #Proposals #pinning #windows #contactless #sharing #heading #Windows #Živě.cz
Unofficially, it was rumored that the next major version of Windows would arrive in the fall, but after the New Year we should have at least one more smaller package of news waiting for us. These packs are internally referred to as Moment, and it looks like Microsoft has just unveiled the first such pack for this year. He just doesn’t refer to it as Moment. But we’re obviously talking about a larger set of news than usual.
Surprisingly, it is not only targeting Windows 11 23H2, but also the previous version 22H2. Both versions are on the same platform, so it’s not technically a problem, I’d just expect Microsoft to save the news for later releases. After all, migrating to Windows 11 23H2 is a matter of minutes. However, this is how the improvements reach a wider audience.
The first to get the new features are those who have joined or will join the Windows Insider program, specifically the Release Preview channel. First, let’s take a closer look at the news itself. If you’ve been following the development for a long time, then you might have heard about all of them already, because Microsoft presented them in other test channels.
The first part of the improvement
If you want this feature, you will have to turn it on manually
- Section Connection with the phone v Settings is renamed to Mobile Devices. It is preparation for expanding support for working with mobile devices.
The section is now called Mobile Devices
- When a picture is added to the mobile, you will be offered Windows, to edit it in the Clipboard application. The feature is optional and replaces the previous solution where the Connect to Phone app displayed notifications of new images.
Windows will offer you to edit the new picture on your mobile
The second part of the improvement
- The menu for pinning windows across the screen suggests setting up multiple windows across the screen at once.
Windows arranges windows across the screen with a single tap
- Windows 365 Boot and Windows 365 Switch have entered public testing. You can read about improvements to these tools in an earlier article.
- Voice access is available in French, German and Spanish.
- You can make full use of voice access on multiple screens.
- Voice access supports custom commands and shortcuts.
- You can use voice access to launch applications, dictate text, and interact with elements on the screen. Narrator can also be controlled with it.
- Before downloading voices in Narrator, you can listen to their samples.
- The sharing dialog will offer you applications that you log into with the same account as Windows. In the case of personal accounts, it can be, for example, free Teams, in the case of Entra ID, it can be a paid Teams client.
- The share dialog will offer to share to WhatsApp. If you do not have the client installed, you will be allowed to install it.
- You can turn on contactless sharing either in Settings or in the quick settings menu. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will be turned on when the function is activated.
- You can name your Nearby Sharing computer to make it easy to identify.
- Contactless sharing transfers data faster when both devices are connected to the same network. Not only private but also public networks are supported.
- The wireless image transfer menu in quick settings is more helpful in troubleshooting and finding screens.
You will also disconnect from the cloud computer from the task view
How to get new features
Now for a change comes the trickier part. After all, it’s not the first time. Although Microsoft introduced a package of news, some of them are turned on by the regular service update (KB5034848), while the other part is updated with a separate package (KB5035349). That’s why I’ve split the enhancement overview above into two parts.
For the sake of simplicity, let’s call this type of package activation. They do not add functions to the Windows code, but only turn on “sleeping” functions, which are already present in the system. Microsoft thus technically inserts a set of functions into Windows using a service update, but activates a large part of them only later, through an activation package. (It’s actually more complicated than that, but that’s enough for now.)
If you want to try the new products, activate priority access
Now the rules are clearly stated. Who in the Insider program in the Release Preview channel turns on the switch Get the latest updates as they become available, so after installing the service update KB5034848, the activation package KB5035349 will also be downloaded to it. You should have all the new features available right away.
If you install only service update KB5034848, you will only get the improvements from the first part of the overview. The activation package can be installed additionally, just be aware that the installation will require a restart of the computer. If you turn on priority access to updates now, you can install the service update and the activation pack at the same time.
Since public testing in the Release Preview channel started around mid-February, Microsoft could offer the new features to all mainstream PCs in March. Looking at the company’s progress in the past, I would rather guess that in March the activation of the function will be optional and it will be mandatory in April or May. We can only speculate, a clear plan Redmond didn’t overshoot.
Sources: Windows Insider Blog
