Microsoft is rolling out its usual weekly build of Windows 11 to Insiders enrolled in the Dev channel, and with it comes a long-awaited feature – support for third-party widgets. Windows Insiders can now start developing and testing widgets for their third-party apps. This means widgets can be added to the Widgets board – currently only populated with web content offered by Microsoft.
Support for widgets from third-party apps was added to the Windows App SDK 1.2 Preview, which was released earlier this week. Because it’s in preview, developers don’t yet have permission to post apps with widget support on the Microsoft Store, so you can’t just go ahead and find apps with widgets right now. Still, it’s great to see this capability start to become available, as it should make the Widgets board more useful for a lot more users. Microsoft also mentioned that third-party web apps will be also be supported with a future update to Microsoft Edge.
Microsoft is also teasing a big update to Chat with Microsoft Teams on Windows 11. This is the first major change to the experience we’ve seen in a while, and it puts a bigger emphases on video calls. When you open the Chat panel, you’ll see a preview of your own video right away, so you know if you’re ready to start a call. The panel itself appears to have been redesigned in other ways, too, including a new search bar.
This seems to be a very limited release right now, as Microsoft isn’t even mentioning it alongside the other news in this build. Microsoft is calling it a “sneak preview release”, and you can open the Chat panel to see if you’re one of the lucky few to have this new experience.
Aside from this, Windows 11 build 25217 also brings some typing improvements for users of the Chinese input method editor (IME). The cloud suggestions feature, which suggests words based on popular Bing searches, has been improved on the backend, so the suggestions should be more “fresh”, as Microsoft puts it. That’s about it in terms of new features, though Microsoft also noted that the new Tamil Anjal keyboard that began rolling out a few weeks ago is now widely available.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has rolled back a change to the Settings app, where users could use a new dropdown menu to choose when the touch keyboard should appear. The company says it’s hoping to bring it back after refining the design of the experience.
Finally, while it’s not tied to this build, Microsoft is also rolling out an update to the Microsoft Store in the Dev channel, which makes it clearer in a game is included as part of Game Pass. Buttons have been redesigned so you can either download a game with Game Pass or buy it outright. This update also includes improved performance for the library page.
As per usual, the build comes with a few fixes and known issues, which you can read below.
Fixes in Windows 11 build 25217
[Tablet-optimized taskbar]
NOTE: These fixes will only show if tablet-optimized taskbar (documented here) is enabled on your device. Tablet-optimized taskbar is still rolling out to Windows Insiders and not yet available for everyone.
- We fixed the issue causing the taskbar to sometimes collapse when it should be expanded if there are no running windows on the desktop.
- We fixed an issue that would occur when using the left or right edge gestures resulting in the Widgets or Notification Center (respectively) to overlap with or look truncated by the taskbar.
- Fixed an issue that was causing the tablet-optimized taskbar to crash explorer.exe while switching apps.
- Fixed an issue that was causing the tablet-optimized taskbar to crash explorer.exe if you entered the overflow flyout.
[Windowing]
- Fixed an issue where the close button for window preview thumbnails in Task View was drawing slightly outside the bounds of the thumbnail.
- Fixed an issue where when switching between windows in recent builds you might see the entire window flash black for a frame while rendering.
- Fixed an issue causing Miracast video quality to be very slow and stuttering in recent flights despite having a solid internet connection.
[System Tray Updates]
NOTE: These fixes will only show if System Tray Updates (documented here) is enabled on your device. Tablet-optimized taskbar is still rolling out to Windows Insiders and not yet available for everyone.
- Fixed an issue so that Quick Settings items can now be rearranged with touch again.
[Settings]
- Fixed an issue under Network and Internet > Advanced Network Settings, where certain networks were displaying the wrong link speed.
[Other]
- Fixed an issue where remote desktop on ARM64 PCs was unexpectedly not using UDP and only TCP.
Known issues in Windows 11 build 25217
[General]
- We’re looking into reports that audio stopped working for some Insiders after upgrading to the latest flights.
- We’re investigating reports of a few different apps having started crashing in recent builds.
- We’re investigating reports that various UI elements in apps appear to be disappearing and reappearing sometimes in recent builds.
[Tablet-optimized taskbar]
- The taskbar sometimes flashes when transitioning between desktop posture and tablet posture.
- The taskbar takes longer than expected to transition to the touch-optimized version when switching between desktop posture and tablet posture.
- When using the bottom right edge gesture to see Quick Settings, the taskbar sometimes stays stuck in the expanded state, instead of dismissing to collapsed state.
[Widgets]
- In right-to-left display languages like Arabic, content animates out of view before the widgets board resizes when clicking to expanded view of the widgets board.
- Notification badge number may appear misaligned on the taskbar.
If you’re enrolled in the Dev channel of the Insider program, you can download Windows 11 build 25217 right now using Windows Update.
Source: Microsoft
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