Microsoft announced that a huge update is coming to Windows 11 next month, with a set of features that the company has been working on with Windows Insiders since the operating system was launched on the 5th of last October.
Every week, Microsoft tests new features with Windows Insiders Dev Channel, which will arrive in Windows 11 in a future update. The company says that these features it's testing do not match a specific Windows release and that they could appear in future stable versions of Windows when they're ready, and might be offered as full OS updates or servicing releases
Windows 11 gets security and non-security updates every month, as is the case with the rest of the other supported Windows systems, which carry with it from time to time some new features such as new emojis, new Microsoft Store, and some minor changes here and there.
The upcoming February update for Windows 11 will bring many new features at once, making it the largest update the operating system has received since its launch, and according to Microsoft, it will include a public preview of support for running Android apps on Windows 11, which Microsoft is improving with Windows Insiders months ago.
This feature depends on a new component on top of Windows 11 called Windows Subsystem for Android, which powers the Amazon Appstore and its apps catalog.
This update will also bring an easy way to mute and unmute your microphone directly from your taskbar during a Microsoft Teams call.
When you join a meeting, you will see the following icon instantly appear in your taskbar. The icon will be present throughout your call, so it is always accessible, no matter how many windows you have open on your screen.
Windows 11's February update will also give users the ability to share the content from open app windows directly from your taskbar to your meeting calls.
When you are in a meeting call through Microsoft Teams, simply hover over the apps running on your taskbar, and you will see a new button that allows you to share your window with your meeting attendees. When you are done sharing your content, hover over the window again and click Stop Sharing, or choose another window and click Share this window.
Two Windows core apps will receive a complete design refresh with this update to match Windows 11 modern look, Notepad, and Media Player.
Media Player is a new music and video player app for Windows 11 that will replace the Groove Music app (and possibly the Films and TV app too), and Notepad will receive the first UI update in decades, and it will gain dark mode support with this update.
Last but not least, the widgets button will be moved to the left corner of the taskbar and will now display the weather (like the News and Interests button in Windows 10) instead of just appearing as a static button.
When hovered over it, the button will open the familiar Windows 11 widgets window, and this nice change will take up some free space on the left side of the Windows taskbar.