Windows 11 could soon get a cool feature to seamlessly link your Android phone to the Start menu - and a nifty gamepad perk, too

Deeper smartphone integration, and support for iPhones will be coming, too

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A new preview forWindows 11version 23H2has been released with some nifty additions in terms of new features, including one thatPhone Linkfans will definitely enjoy.

This ispreview build 22631(also known as KB5044380 inMicrosoft’s documentation) and it has arrived in the Release Preview channel of theWindows Insider Program. In other words, this is the final testing channel before release, meaning that in theory, the features therein should arrive as part of November’s cumulative update for 23H2.

One of the most interesting moves is on the phone front, and it means that if you have anAndroiddevice hooked up to your PC courtesy of the Phone Link app, you’ll soon be able to access content on your mobile right fromWindows 11’s Start menu. You’ll be able to check the status of your phone’s battery, listen to voice messages and look at photos, and continue recent activities that you were in the midst of on your handset – all right from the Start menu.

To benefit, as mentioned you’ll need to have Phone Link set up with your Android phone, and for the moment, it’s an Android-only affair (Microsoftsays that iOS support is coming soon, though). This feature will be managed in the Settings app, and you’ll need to head toSettings>Personalization>Start.

More features and fixes coming to Windows 11

If you use an Xbox controller with your PC, build 22631 provides anew on-screen keyboardto allow typing using the controller, and also shortcuts that leverage the gamepad’s buttons (the ‘X’ button is backspace, for example).

With the broader Windows 11 interface, this preview also allows you to prevent apps from displaying suggestions to turn off notifications.

Furthermore, newer PCs with a ‘Copilot’ key can now customize this key to do something other than fire up the AI assistant, so it can be programmed to open a specific app. (With some limitations, mind you - this only works with signed MSIX apps, aswe discussed when this feature was spottedin an earlier testing channel).

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Build 22631 also delivers fixes for various bugs in Windows 11 and Microsoft apps, including aMicrosoft Teamsissue, a battery power drain glitch for some devices while in standby mode, and a fix for multi-function printer problems.

This is a very solid and thankfully uncontroversial update that brings nifty new ways to link your phone and Windows 11 PC, as well as addresses various bugs and performance issues. This is the kind of Windows 11 update I can get behind and as mentioned, hopefully, these features will be arriving in the November update for 23H2.

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Kristina is a UK-based Computing Writer, and is interested in all things computing, software, tech, mathematics and science. Previously, she has written articles about popular culture, economics, and miscellaneous other topics.

She has a personal interest in the history of mathematics, science, and technology; in particular, she closely follows AI and philosophically-motivated discussions.

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