7 new Windows 11 features coming soon, including phone-as-a-webcam perk
The next Windows 11 update will introduce a gaggle of new features, including enhancements to sharing photos and documents, tweaks to Snap Layouts, and changes to Widgets.
Microsoft has also made some changes to Copilot and two creator-focused, preinstalled apps (i.e., Photos app and Clipchamp). But here, we’ll be focusing on how the Redmond-based tech giant improved the Windows 11 experience at large.
7 new Windows 11 features coming to your PC soon
What’s in store for your Windows 11 workflow? Check out seven new features coming your way.
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Use your phone as your webcam. According to Microsoft, Windows 11 users will soon have the option to use their Android phone as a webcam for all video-conferencing apps.
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Snap Layouts is smarter. Snap Layouts, a beloved feature that lets Windows 11 users “snap” several windows into a layout of their choice, now has “personalized layout suggestions.” This should allow users to organize their apps in a quicker manner.
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More ‘focused’ Widgets. The next Windows 11 update will let you create a more ‘focused’ Widgets board, Microsoft said, allowing you to organize them into different, specific categories.
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Share content with third-party apps. Windows 11 extended its file-sharing options to apps like Snapchat and Instagram.
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Voice Access enhancements. Voice Access, a Windows 11 feature that lets you vocally control your PC, now supports more languages (e.g., French, German and Spanish). Plus, you can create custom voice shortcuts to access oft-used voice commands.
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Changes to Narrator. Narrator, Windows 11’s built-in screen reader, will now allow you to preview natural voice profiles before committing to downloading them. Plus, Microsoft claims that Narrator’s text dectection for images has improved. Finally, Narrator can announce the presence of Microsoft Word comments and bookmarks.
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New-and-improved Casting. Casting lets you “beam” content from your device to another nearby display. It now suggests the use of Cast while you’re multitasking via notifications. Plus, the Cast menu provides users with better help for finding adjacent displays.
Many of these new experiences should have broad availability by April 2024, but some may be accessible via a preview build in the coming weeks.