Windows 11: 7 new features we didn't expect - wrightwerighly

Windows 11 is virtually here, complete with a current look, a revolutionary emplacemen for your taskbar icons, and a unaccustomed (and stringent) name of hardware requirements. But a fresh coat of paint is essentially mandatory with a novel version of Windows. What wedidn't anticipate was the laundry list of features coming with the new operating system, many of which caught us by storm.

From Humanoid apps to automatic HDR in games to the glorious return of widgets, here are 7 new Windows 11 features we didn't expect. You'll live competent to try them outgoing for yourself when the operating system launches on Oct 5.

Android apps happening your Windows 11 PC

Microsoft chief product police officer Panos Panay said that he was "pumped" to bring Android apps to the PC, and wherefore wouldn't he be? Humanoid apps bear been one of the advantages of Google's Chrome OS platform, which powers competitive Chromebooks. Their addition to Windows 11 substance that the number of apps available to Windows PCs will grow potentially much large. Microsoft doesn't frequently break verboten the number of Windows apps, but in 2018 Microsoft discovered that there were 35 million Windows-capable apps, including bequest software. AppBrain puts the number of Mechanical man apps at almost 3 million.

android apps on your pc retry — Android apps will arrive happening Windows 11, but information technology's not clear how many Windows 11 will take in.

It's not clear whether Microsoft will bringevery Android app to the Personal computer, as they'll appear in the Microsoft Store, not a version of the Google Play Store for the PC. And as a matter of fact, it'll cost Amazon's Mechanical man app computer storage powering things tail the scenes. Microsoft showed off Caravanserai Academy, Elicit Reader, TikTok, and more in an example screenshot.

To bring Humanoid apps to Windows PCs, Microsoft's using the Intel Bridge technology, which Intel describes on a high level as a "runtime post-compiling program that enables applications to run natively connected x86-based devices, including running those applications on Windows."

It sounds suchlike Windows 11 will glucinium performing that work connected your PC, rather than on the Microsoft Store, so that Windows 11 PCs should be able to sideload Android apps and games—eventually, at least. Not far before of Windows 11's launch, Microsoft proclaimed that Android apps South Korean won't be available on day one.

Teams Chat in your Taskbar

Equivalent it or not, Microsoft insists that you atomic number 4 able to reach contacts easily from your Windows desktop. It began with the now-defunct The great unwashe app, then moved to Skype Encounter Now in your Taskbar, too. Now it's moving on to Teams, putt Teams Chat into your Windows 11 taskbar.

teams chat windows 11 microsoft — Microsoft is adding Teams Chat to the Taskbar.

"With Windows 11, we're aroused to introduce Jaw from Microsoft Teams mainstreamed in the taskbar," Microsoft said in a web log post introducing Windows 11. "Now you throne now connect through text, chat, voice or video with all of your personal contacts, anywhere, disregarding the platform or device they'rhenium on, across Windows, Android or iOS. If the person you'Ra connecting to along the other end hasn't downloaded the Teams app, you can still colligate with them via two-fashio SMS."

You'll also be able to instantly mute and unmute people right from the taskbar, and flatbottom start presenting during a Teams call.

We glimpsed Widgets briefly in our Windows 11 hands on, but there's clear more to it based on Microsoft's official presentation. Right now, Widgets is a ginormous card that slides out from the left-hand incline of your desktop. It appears to be a combination of Windows 10's News & Interests, Your Speech sound, and more, with news program, notifications, and personalized information of various types being pushed to your PC.

windows 11 widgets screen Microsoft — What leave Windows 11 Widgets look like in a twelvemonth's time?

Will there be specialized whatchamacallum apps? It sounds comparable at that place could be. There's even an absorbing feature that Microsoft embedded into the livestream describing the new Widgets feature (detected by the Verge): the ability to tip local content creators. "Our breathing in is to create a vibrant grapevine for global brands and localized creators alike, in a way that some consumers and creators can benefit," Microsoft said.

An upgraded Microsoft Store

Stop us if you've heard this before: The Windows Store needs a makeover. Not only is there back-end functionality that could stand to atomic number 4 improved, but the power to find new apps isn't every bit good as it could be.

Microsoft plans to upgrade the Store—though it's not saying when—with a new UI and greater curation. "Not only bequeath we bring you more apps than ever so before, we're too making whol content – apps, games, shows, movies – easier to explore for and discover with curated stories and collections," Microsoft says.

microsoft store redo windows 11 — This is the updated look at the Microsoft Store app.

Microsoft is delivery to a greater extent apps to the Store, including some of its possess apps that have never made an appearance yet, such as Microsoft Teams and Visual Studio apartment. It's adding significant third-party apps, to a fault, such equally Disney+, Adobe Creative Cloud, Zoom, and Canva.

microsoft store adobe Windows 11 Microsoft — The individual app pages are receiving an overhaul, likewise.

We just hope that we can somehow store an app that we've downloaded without the require to re-download it all time we want to add it to a modern PC.

Faster Windows updates

Some people really, really detest Windows updates—enough that we added a how-to narrative to assistance you get by your Windows updates. Microsoft's promising to service improve Windows updates by making them small and faster, presumably making them less obtrusive as well. Historically, Microsoft has accomplished this aside "knowing" on the button what code your Microcomputer has and then delivering exactly what information technology needs.

DirectStorage and Auto HDR touch Windows

Microsoft has aforesaid previously that DirectStorage, the memory backbone of the Xbox Series X, is coming to PCs —sporty not when. Now we know it will get in as part of Windows 11.

DirectStorage is a Windows API that will be accustomed controller what Microsoft calls the Xbox Speed Computer architecture. It's Microsoft's approach to reduction the storage capacity that an Xbox Serial publication X lame requires, loading the biz and its assets Eastern Samoa quickly A possible. Now IT's approaching to Windows.

If you've recently read our first-class explainer connected what HDR is and how to enable it in Windows 10, you give birth a head start connected what this means for Windows 11: AutoHDR is coming for Windows games. "When enabled connected your HDR adequate gambling PC, you will mechanically mother awful HDR visuals connected an extra 1000+ DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 games!" Hannah Fisher, a program manager with Microsoft, noted in a recent web log post explaining the new feature.

autohdr heatmap — Microsoft shows slay how it handles luminance in a PC game when enabled with HDR. Information technology won't be quite as good as "native" HDR, but it will beryllium close.

Did we expect AutoHDR sometime on PCs? Sure. But information technology's being released in junction with Windows 11, which is pretty cool.

Windows 11 S is a thing

Microsoft's simplified Windows 10 S in operation system never got much respect—we published instructions on how to switch to Windows 10 Home OR Pro instead. Microsoft's Windows 10X was originally designed to exist even simpler as a direct take exception to Chromebooks, and a possible refilling for Windows 10 S. But having cancelled Windows 10X entirely, Microsoft is moving ahead with a simplified Windows 11 Home in S Mode.

Part typing with punctuation

We're unavowed in an octad feature, that Microsoft quietly announced: spokesperson bidding, but with punctuation algorithmically applied. Bid is always one of those things that's a bit tricky, but if you commode pull IT hit then it hindquarters save scads of time. (Test it prohibited yourself in Windows 10 by typingCome through+H).

Editor's note: This article primitively published on June 24, 2021, but was updated to include Thomas More current info and revision the introduction.