Microsoft is facing scrutiny over a bug in build 20026.20182 affecting classic Outlook users with Copilot features, causing the Copilot button to disappear and other functionalities to become inoperable for those with either a Copilot Chat (Basic) license or a paid M365 Copilot (Premium) account. The Copilot icon is missing from its usual locations, and while the Microsoft 365 Copilot app and web experience are functioning, users are advised to switch to Outlook on the web or the new Outlook app for immediate access. Standard troubleshooting methods have not consistently resolved the issue.
Users can connect to SMB shares with features like RDMA, leases, and Continuous Availability, allowing efficient data transfer and session management. Hyper-V users can create, checkpoint, and export Generation 2 virtual machines, enable virtual TPM and BitLocker, and connect USB storage and MIDI devices. MSI package management has improved, allowing easy installation, repair, and uninstallation with UAC prompts. TAPI has 11 entries focused on parity fixes, with enhancements in TCP/IP, HTTP.sys, Windows Firewall, Bluetooth, wired 802.1X, and message queuing. Users can verify TAPI line status, HTTP.sys functionality across protocols, and confirm TCP/IP IPsec tunnels. Office updates include client updates for MSI Office 2016 and SharePoint Server updates for 2016, 2019, and Subscription Edition, requiring attention to browser-based editing functionality. On-premises Exchange Server receives a security update addressing seven CVEs, including one critical elevation of privilege vulnerability and six important issues.
The Windows Insider Program has released two new builds in the Release Preview Channel, introducing several enhancements for Windows 11. Key updates include:
- Taskbar: Users can position and resize the Taskbar on any side of the screen.
- Start Menu: The Start menu is now resizable and features a Recent section, replacing the Recommended section, with independent toggles for Pinned, Recent, and All items.
- Windows Search: A streamlined home view allows users to choose whether to display web and Store results.
- File Explorer: Improvements focus on performance and touch scrolling for smoother navigation.
- Design: Updated progress indicators appear during startup, sign-in, restart, shutdown, and update installations.
- Windows Share: A suggested app interface has been introduced for improved sharing options.
- Administrator Protection: This feature returns but is disabled by default.
- Additional Minor Updates: Enhancements have been made across multiple desktops, display settings, Task Manager, Setup, Windows Update, and more.
Further refinements include:
- File Explorer: Improvements in file size displays, middle-click support, and enhanced file thumbnails.
- Windows Search: Adjustments for better accommodation of typos and partial app names, with results based on user Settings.
- Additional Minor Changes: Updates across Start, Widgets, Touchpad, Windows Hello, and other components.
Google is rolling out a feature in the Play Store that allows users to add widgets to their home screens during the installation of new apps. A snackbar message will appear at the bottom of the screen, informing users of the widget availability and providing a button to access the widget picker. This snackbar only appears once and not for every app installation. Additionally, app descriptions in the Play Store have been resized to be larger, enhancing visibility. Google is also exploring a Pause button for downloads, allowing users to temporarily halt large downloads, although this feature is not yet fully operational.
Google TV Freeplay has launched a catalog of over 10,000 on-demand movies and TV shows at no subscription cost, expanding its live channel lineup to over 300 channels. The library includes titles from studios like A24 and Lionsgate, featuring films such as Lady Bird and Seventeen Again, and is regularly updated. The service is integrated into supported Google TV devices, accessible without additional app installations, but is ad-supported. Currently, it is available only in the U.S. and requires a Google account and high-speed internet. This shift positions Freeplay as a competitor to subscription services like Netflix and free streaming platforms like Tubi and Pluto TV.
Samsung's One UI 9.5 will introduce an app lock feature that enhances user privacy by allowing applications to be secured with a PIN or biometric authentication. Users can activate the app lock by pressing and holding an app icon in the app drawer, where a padlock icon will appear. Accessing locked apps will require biometric verification or the device's screen lock, and once locked, the app's widgets and shortcuts will be removed from the home screen, with notifications concealed. However, content from locked apps will still be accessible to other applications with prior permissions. Currently, Samsung devices offer the Secure Folder feature, which has limitations, as it creates a cloned version of the app while leaving the original accessible. The new app lock feature is similar to the one introduced in Android Canary 2608, indicating a possible influence on Samsung's development.
Microsoft has expanded its Low Latency Profile (LLP) feature to all Windows 11 applications through the KB5121003 update, which is part of this month's Patch Tuesday. This update temporarily boosts CPU frequency to speed up app launches and is now available for most applications and Win32 programs. Following the installation of the update, standard applications like Notepad, Calculator, and web browsers such as Chrome showed faster opening times. The LLP feature is being rolled out gradually via Microsoft's Controlled Feature Rollout system, and users can enable it early using the ViveTool program if it does not appear immediately. Critics have described LLP as a superficial enhancement, while Microsoft has defended it by comparing it to similar strategies used by Apple in macOS.
Studycat has reported a significant increase in downloads for its Spanish language app on Google Play during the back-to-school season, reflecting a seasonal trend where parents seek educational tools as they establish new routines. The rise in downloads is attributed to increased searches and installations on Android devices, consistent with historical patterns of heightened interest in educational apps during this time. The Studycat Spanish app, designed for children aged two to eight, features interactive games, songs, and stories to teach vocabulary and pronunciation. It allows parents to create multiple learner profiles and includes a VoicePlay feature for real-time pronunciation feedback. Parents can monitor their children's progress through a dashboard that displays completed lessons and badges earned. Studycat develops language-learning apps for various languages and offers additional educational resources on its website.
Microsoft has rolled out its Low Latency Profile (LLP) technology to all Windows 11 users as part of the KB5121003 update, aimed at enhancing performance across the Windows graphical user interface, native OS applications, and third-party software using Win32 APIs. The LLP utilizes a "race to sleep" mechanism that temporarily elevates CPU frequency to expedite app launches. Following the update, users reported reduced loading times for applications like Notepad, Calculator, Chrome, and the Epic Games Store. The feature is being distributed through the Controlled Feature Rollout system, and can be force-enabled using the ViveTool program. While some critics view it as a superficial enhancement, Microsoft defends it by comparing it to similar strategies used by Apple in macOS and noting its commonality in Arm chips.
