Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview build 22567. The build brings a couple of new features, including a cleaner “open with” dialog, new smart app control settings, as well as some tweaks to Windows Update. Here’s a look at what you need to know.
Since this is a fairly big release, we will look at the new features. We’ll start with the new “open with” dialogue. Microsoft has updated the Open With dialogue box to match Windows 11 design principles. The updated dialog box honors the light/dark theme. You can see this below. Also simplified is the experience to update your default app with just one click.
Elsewhere, with the new smart app controls, you should be aware that this is a new feature for Windows 11 that can block untrusted or dangerous apps. It’s only available with a clean install and Microsoft says more specifics of the feature will be shared in the future. For now, all they are saying is that it is in evaluation mode, and it will “learn if it can help protect you without getting in your way too much.” You can control the feature n the Windows Security app under the App & Browser Control section.
Anyway, here are other changes in this build, including the tweaks to Windows Update.
- Windows Update will try to schedule update installations at specific times of day when doing so results in lower carbon emissions. Most electrical grids are powered by multiple sources, including renewables and fossil fuels. Whenever possible, Windows 11 will now prioritize installing updates in the background at times when greater amounts of clean energy sources (like wind, solar, and hydro) are available. Users can always choose to install updates immediately by navigating to Settings > Windows Update and choosing “Check for Updates”. This feature will only be enabled when your PC is plugged-in and regional carbon intensity data is available from our partners electricityMap or WattTime.
- We are elevating the Microsoft 365 subscription management experience a level up under Settings > Accounts. We are introducing payment details within the subscription card experience. This will allow you to view your payment information and be notified when your payment method needs to be updated, allowing you to continue your subscriptions without any disruptions.
- You can now link your Android phone to your PC as part of the device setup (OOBE) for Windows 11. Linking will give you instant access to everything on your phone, right from your PC
Smaller changes in this build include animations for hovering over apps when creating folders, animations for multi-touch gestures, updates to pages across the settings app to adopt WinUI. You also can mute and unmute your audio by clicking the volume icon in the hardware indicator for volume. Microsoft is even rolling out the redesigned Task Manager to all Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.
You can check out Microsoft’s changelogs for the full list of known issues and other fixes. We’d also like to mention that Microsoft is working on bringing out updated ISO files. These files will be available “in the coming weeks,” and will allow Windows insiders to do a clean install or set up through a virtual machine, to see the new Your Phone out-of-box experience in this build.
