Microsoft Releases the First Windows 11 Insider Builds of 2024

Microsoft has just released the first Windows 11 builds of the year for Insiders on the Canary and Dev Channels. The various Voice Access improvements that Beta Channel Insiders got to test first last month, including multi-display support and custom commands, are now available for both channels. On the Dev Channel, a richer weather experience is also coming to the Lock Screen.

What’s new in the Windows 11 Canary build 26020

If the Canary channel is mostly getting features already available on other channels today, one notable addition is a new Energy saver icon for desktop PCs. You can find more details about what’s new below:

Voice Access improvements: The accessibility feature adds support for more languages including French, German, and Spanish, and it now works on multiple displays. With Voice shortcuts, Insiders can also create custom commands that perform a series of specific actions.

Natural Voices Previews in Narrator: Insiders can now listen to previews of new natural voices (Chinese, Spanish, Spanish, Japanese, English, French, Portuguese, English, German, and Korean) before downloading them.

Removal of WordPad and People apps: The two apps will no longer be installed after doing a clean install. WordPad, which is now deprecated, will also be removed in a future flight.

New Energy saver icon for desktop PCs: Desktop PCs with no batteries will now display a new energy saver icon in the system tray when the new energy saver feature is on.

Printing improvements: Insiders can now pause and resume print jobs in the print queue for printers in the Settings app.

WhatsApp integration in Windows Share: Insiders can now share to or install WhatsApp directly from the Windows share window.

Nearby Sharing improvements: The AirDrop-like feature now lets users give their device a more friendly name.

What’s new in the Windows 11 Dev Channel build 23612

This build is getting the same Voice access improvements I detailed above, including extended languages, multi-display support, and custom commands. The biggest change is the richer experience on the lock screen, which will roll out to a subset of Dev Channel testers.

The new experience works as a small card at the bottom of the lock screen that can provide more information when you hover your mouse over it. If you tap or click on the card, a full forecast will be opened in MSN Weather in Microsoft Edge.

While Microsoft says that this richer weather experience will be on by default, it can still be disabled by choosing “None” in Settings > Personalization > Lock screen > Lock screen status.

That’s it for what’s the biggest changes included in these first two Windows 11 Insider builds of the year. According to a recent report, Microsoft could be planning to release a “Moment 5” update in February that includes most of the features that Insiders are currently testing.