Windows 10 Insider Build 16251

With phone-to-pc linking Android owners will be able to test a new “Microsoft Apps” application that links a phone to a PC. The link will enable new cross-device features which include the ability to share a link from a phone directly to a Windows 10 PC. This is the start of many features that will align Android and iOS to Windows 10. In the future, you’ll be able to directly share content to and from PCs and copy and paste between devices via a cloud-based clipboard. Basically, the idea here is that you are able to start something on your phone and then transfer it over to your PC to continue working it. You can get started after installing today’s build and go to Settings > Phone and start the link process.

Cortana has been improved in this build and lets you get web search results within the digital assistant without the need for opening a separate browser. New Cortana voice commands have also been added that will let you shutdown, restart, lock, or sign out of your PC. For example, you would say: “Hey Cortana, restart PC.”

There is also an improved boot experience that will use your sign-in information to automatically finish setting your device after an update has been extended to regular reboots and shutdowns. It will help you sign in faster, however, if you are concerned about security, you can opt-out of this feature under the pRivacy section of the Sign-in Options page.

More Changes, Fixes, and Improvements

Other new features include improvements to PC gaming, Microsoft Edge, touch keyboard as well as the following features that received minor updates.

We fixed an issue resulting in IMAP email accounts such as Gmail, Yahoo, and Aol potentially not syncing in the Mail app in the last two builds.We fixed the issue causing Windows Defender Security Center to be unable to configure and list items for Controlled folder access, Threat History and Exclusions due to a crash in the UI.Narrator Scan Mode is now on by default for just the Edge app. You can continue to toggle Scan Mode on and off with Caps Lock + Space. We made this change based on your feedback. Please keep providing feedback with Caps Lock + EE.We fixed a bug that resulting in poor text rendering on some machines when Magnifier was running with bitmap smoothing enabled. Please try it in today’s build and let us know if it seems better now.We fixed an issue where the Windows Defender Security Center icon appeared unexpectedly stretched out when using a wide sized tile pinned to Start.We fixed an issue where certain inbox apps might unexpectedly show a progress bar on their Start tiles for a short time after upgrading.We fixed an issue resulting in explorer.exe using an unexpectedly high amount of CPU in recent flights when certain apps such as Microsoft Edge were running.We fixed an issue where Groove Music’s mini view player would reset its position to default if you used File Explorer to open and start playing a new mp3 in Groove Music.We fixed an issue resulting in some apps, such as Tweetium, not rendering the UI correctly and becoming difficult to use.We fixed an issue resulting in the notification prompting you to enter tablet mode not working properly when you access in recent flights.We’ve heard your feedback and have adjusted the My People emoji above the Taskbar to now be referred to simply as “My People notifications”. This terminology can be found in Taskbar Settings.We fixed an issue where the mouse response might appear erratic on certain devices when playing games with Raw Input disabled. If you are a gamer and had noticed this issue, we’d appreciate you trying this in today’s build and letting us know if it’s improved.We fixed an issue where the insertion point mouse cursor appeared white for some Insiders, making it invisible against the white background of many text boxes.Some Insiders may have noticed the Windows Error Dialog had a new string in recent flights (“opening a portal to another dimension”). It was a placeholder while we decided what string we wanted to go with, and based on your feedback we’ve updated it to explain that the problem is being reported to Microsoft.We fixed the issue with PC Games using the Origin overlay where the use of overlay may cause game movement to lock up.TruePlay, formerly called Game Monitor, is a placeholder within the Windows UI. Your games cannot be affected at this time. We’ll have more to share soon.

Of course, with all preview builds there are also known issues and bugs. If you’re still rocking Windows Phone, it’s worth noting that Mobile Build 15235 was released today, too. You can read the full changelog for PC and Mobile on the Windows Experience Blog. If you’re an Insider, let us know how this build is running for your and if you the type of success (or failure) of the Phone-to-PC linking feature.   Comment Name * Email *

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