Microsoft Starts Testing macOS-like Bluetooth Controls on Windows 11

Microsoft has started testing new Bluetooth Controls in the Windows 11 Quick Settings menu that will make it much easier to manage Bluetooth devices connected to a PC. The new feature has started rolling out to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel running the preview build 22563 released yesterday.

The Windows 11 Quick Settings menu, which is accessible from the taskbar corner can currently show paired devices below the Bluetooth icon used for turning the feature on and off. However, users need to go to the Settings app to connect or disconnect Bluetooth devices, which isn’t exactly convenient.

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With this new flyout menu, Windows 11 users will be able to easily connect, disconnect, and see the battery level for supported devices right from the Quick Settings menu. This pretty much matches how Mac users can manage Bluetooth devices from the macOS Menu Bar, with a similar flyout menu listing all Bluetooth devices that can be connected and disconnected with just one click.

Managing Bluetooth devices on Windows PCs has never been a really seamless experience, and it’s great that Microsoft is finally doing something about it. Since this new feature has only started rolling out to Dev Channel Insiders, it could take some time before it becomes available to all Windows 11 users. Anyway, this is definitely a nice late Insider gift to end the week.

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Conversation 5 comments

  • fishnet37222

    Premium Member
    25 February, 2022 - 2:27 pm

    <p>They must be doing an A/B rollout since I have that build but don’t see the new functionality.</p>

  • JacobTheDev

    Premium Member
    25 February, 2022 - 2:35 pm

    <p>Man, this looks awesome! Bluetooth sucks, so I’m constantly in and out of the Bluetooth menu when I’m using my headphones to disconnect and reconnect (exagerating a bit, but it’s multiple times per week). It’ll be great to just be able to quickly pull up a fly out menu instead of having to dig through Settings!</p>

    • Laurent Giret

      Premium Member
      25 February, 2022 - 2:42 pm

      <p>yup, macOS makes this so easy and it’s good W11 is catching up</p>

  • ronh

    Premium Member
    25 February, 2022 - 5:29 pm

    <p>Android does this well now to</p>

  • whistlerpro

    26 February, 2022 - 2:49 pm

    <p>Thank goodness, been waiting for this forever.</p>

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