Microsoft has just added new builds for Windows 11 Insiders, including a new Canary Channel build complete with its own blog post. Let’s tackle that first. Canary Channel 25324 includes a number of new features:
Widgets Board evolution
Microsoft is “beginning to preview a revamp of the widgets board experience” with a larger canvas and a separation between widgets and feed content:
USB4 Settings Page
Microsoft is expanding the new USB4 settings page it introduced in yesterday’s 23419 Dev Channel release, and it’s included here in this Canary Channel build.
Password copy/paste unsafe warnings
This change to the way phishing protection works in Windows 11 22H2 adds warnings to copy/pasting passwords, as it does when users currently type in their passwords.
SHA-3 Support
Starting with this build, we are adding support for the SHA-3 family of hash functions and SHA-3 derived functions (SHAKE, cSHAKE, KMAC). The SHA-3 family of algorithms are the latest standardized hash functions by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Support for these functions has been enabled through the Windows CNG library.
Supported SHA-3 hash functions: SHA3-256, SHA3-384, SHA3-512 (SHA3-224 is not supported)
Supported SHA-3 HMAC algorithms: HMAC-SHA3-256, HMAC-SHA3-384, HMAC-SHA3-512
Supported SHA-3 derived algorithms: extendable-output functions (XOF) (SHAKE128, SHAKE256), customizable XOFs (cSHAKE128, cSHAKE256), and KMAC (KMAC128, KMAC256, KMACXOF128, KMACXOF256).
Also included in this build are the additions of the Bing Chat link in the taskbar search experience if you have access to The New Bing, additions of animated icons for Widgets on the taskbar, and more. Check out the Windows Insider blog post for more.
Beta Channel 22621.1470 and 22624.1470
Beta Channel Insiders are also getting a USB4 settings page in 22624.1470, along with the ability to copy/paste 2FA passcodes from notifications from PC apps or Phone Link apps, the glanceable VPN icon change, and an option to show seconds on the system tray clock (woohoo!).
Both versions of the Beta Channel builds include a lighter search box on the taskbar, and there are the usual list of fixes and improvements, check out the blog post for all the details.
