Software & Apps - Page 27

Microsoft has been preparing the release of new AI features for Windows 11 for quite some time now, and it appears at least one of those features will be hardware restricted.

Beta testers have already gotten their hands on these new AI features that are expected to be officially unveiled at the Microsoft event scheduled to take place on May 20. At the event, Microsoft is expected to unveil how AI will be integrated into Windows 11 and new Arm-powered Surface hardware. One of these beta testers has taken to X to share the requirements for a feature called "AI Explorer," which turns everything you do on your computer into a searchable memory through the use of natural language.

AI Explorer will be able to navigate to conversations you have had with people across various applications, locate documents, specific web pages, images, files, and even have the capabilities of understanding context and tasks that are on-screen. @thebookisclosed posted a screenshot of the requirements for AI Explorer, which appear to be an ARM64 CPU, 16GB RAM, 225GB storage, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite NPU. If these requirements are correct, AI Explorer appears to be exclusive to ARM-based PCs, cutting out any AI PCs built with AMD and Intel NPUs.

If you're running Windows 10 and are using a local account - as opposed to being signed into a Microsoft Account with your OS installation - then prepare for a fresh round of nagging from Microsoft.

As Windows Latest reports, a change which has been in testing is supposedly coming through to arrive for the release version of Windows 10 with the next cumulative update for the OS (in May 2024).

What it means is that when you go into Settings, if you are working with a local Windows 10 install, there'll be a bar at the top of the panel - complete with a warning exclamation mark - telling you to sign in to a Microsoft Account.

Microsoft is testing a new idea for the Photos app in Windows 11, namely the ability to directly send an image you're editing in the client to Microsoft Designer.

The idea is to implement a 'Designer' button in the Photos application which when clicked sends the current image straight over to the Microsoft Designer site.

Designer is an online app that allows for considerable exercising of various AI abilities, so you can go to town on the image in question in that respect.

In a somewhat concerning development for people who are running Windows 11 without activating the OS, it appears that Microsoft is taking some initial steps - in testing - to punish those folks via its Edge browser.

Punish them how, exactly? Essentially by blocking off all access to any settings in Edge for those who haven't activated their Windows 11 (or Windows 10) installation.

Windows Report (via TechRadar) picked up on the move Microsoft has made which is being tested in Edge (the Canary version of the browser in preview).

If you're someone who likes to make use of the WhatsApp instant messaging app you're already probably familiar with the way the Meta-owned company updates the app and adds new features relatively regularly. The latest instance of that is a new feature that makes it easier for people to find their chats, especially when they have a lot of them going on at once.

Announced by a WhatsApp blog post, the new chat filter feature is exactly what it sounds like. When users receive the new feature they will notice three filter options at the top of the screen including the ability to see all messages, filter out read messages so they only see threads with something new to read, and grroups.

WhatsApp says that the new filter options are rolling out right now and that users should expect to be able to make use of them in the coming weeks. You'll need to make sure that you're using the latest version of the WhatsApp app for your device of course, and even then there is no guarantee that you will see the new filter option immediately. Instead, it appears that WhatsApp is enabling chat filters per account, which means you may have to wait longer than your friends before you see the option.

You may have noticed that recently, there's been a bit of a fuss about a Copilot application being installed quietly on some Windows PCs without the user's knowledge - and this has happened again.

However, this time around, it's an even stranger scenario as the Copilot app in question has been pushed onto Windows Server 2022 installations in some cases.

Windows Latest picked up on this development and has spoken to Microsoft about what has gone on here. The long and short of it is that the app getting onto Windows Server 2022 is a mistake.

Microsoft is testing out new ways to customize the Windows 11 Start menu, with one of the features being advertisements for recommended applications.

In a Friday blogpost the company outlined that its testing out the new feature within the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Build, and the goal behind the update is to expose users to more applications from the Microsoft Store. Users that have downloaded the latest insider preview build will notice clicking on the Start button displays two sections, one for Pinned applications and one for Recommended apps. The Recommended section has the chance to display ads for apps within the Microsoft Store.

Notably, Microsoft is only rolling out this feature to users who have downloaded the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3495 (KB5037000) and have enrolled in the Beta Channel for insiders. Additionally, Microsoft is only pushing out the feature to a small group of people who are within the Windows 11 Insiders program and are using their Windows 11 install as an individual. This means any Windows 11 PC that's considered a commercial device won't get the ads.

After years of preventing developers from releasing apps that emulate games from other devices into the iPhone's App Store, Apple made the decision earlier this month to change that stance. Now, such emulators are allowed into the App Store for the first time and developers are already starting to get their previously-banned apps ready. One popped up in the App Store yesterday, but just a few short hours later, it was gone. Nobody knew for sure why that happened, but Apple has now confirmed how things went down and why the app is no longer available for download.

According to a 9to5Mac report, Apple has clarified its decision, saying that the iGBA app violated two specific App Store guidelines: the copyright section 5.2 and spam section 4.3. MacRumors was also able to confirm that Apple did not disapprove of the iGBA app's functionality, suggesting that a similar app will be allowed into the App Store in the future.

Where the iGBA app fell foul of Apple's rules was the fact that it was an ad-filled clone of a popular open source project called GBA4iOS, an app that has been available for jailbroken iPhones. That app is also going to be available via an alternative app store in the EU soon enough, but this version wasn't the same app - it just looked and behaved like it.

Microsoft is working toward moving Windows 10 users over to Windows 11 as the company recently announced it was officially ending support for Windows 10, it's most popular operating system.

Before the announcement of ending support for Windows 10, Microsoft implemented a compatibility hold on Windows 10 users that prevented them from upgrading to Windows 11. The problem was traced back to specific drivers for Intel Smart Sound Technology, and according to reports these drivers would cause Windows 11 to bluescreen. In response to the problem Microsoft put a compatibility hold on those Windows 10 users, preventing them from being able to upgrade. Until now.

Microsoft has announced via its website that it has lifted the compatibility hold as it has resolved the issue, meaning those restricted Windows 10 users can now simply open up their Windows Update, check for updates, download, and install them. After that is complete, wait 48 hours, and there should be an offer for an upgrade to Windows 11.

Lossless music is something that Spotify has been working on for a long time and we've often wondered whether it would ever actually launch. Spotify still hasn't confirmed when it will happen, but we might now finally be getting closer to it arriving.

Lossless audio was first known as Spotify HiFi before it was rumored to be part of a new Supremium subscription tier that would sit above the current options. Now, it appears that we could see the lossless audio become part of the new Music Pro add-on that is already being previewed.

That Music Pro add-on will include the DJ remix features that have been touted of late, and a new report by The Verge, based on a Reddit poster's research, suggests that lossless audio could also be part of that option.

Business users have a new web browser option after Google revamped its business approach with Google Chrome Enterprise Premium. The browser is available to enterprise users for a monthly fee, bringing with it features that are designed to offer additional value to businesses.

Google Chrome Enterprise has been around for a little while and offers administrators more features to help manage the devices and software that people are using. Chrome Enterprise offers advanced data protection as well as protection against phishing, things that could understandably be a boon in a business setting.

The new Chrome Enterprise Premium offering costs businesses $6 a month per user. There are two versions on offer with Core available for free, but it's the Premium offering that costs the additional fee. That is the tier that includes data loss prevention and deep malware scans, making this the go-to option for businesses that need additional protections. The Core option includes neither of those things.

We've just had word of some hints as to what Microsoft is planning to reveal about AI PCs and Copilot, as well as Windows on ARM, at its Build conference which takes place in May.

Build 2024 runs from May 21 to May 23, in fact, and Windows Central was quick to spot that new details of the sessions that'll take place at the conference have been shared via the official website.

One of those sessions is entitled 'Introducing the Next Generation of Windows on Arm' and we're told that this is all about telling us why the ARM-based spin on Microsoft's desktop OS is about to experience a leap in its potential.

An ex-Windows developer has taken to social media to call out what they perceive as "comically bad" performance for the Start Menu in Windows 11. With an accompanying video that you can watch below, Andy Young showcases a laggy and unresponsive Windows 11 Start Menu running on his Intel Core i9-powered rig with 128GB of RAM.

Of course, this is anecdotal, and based on the nearly infinite hardware configurations that make up the modern Windows PC, there are bound to be issues. "I love Windows," Andy Young adds. "I helped build parts of it. I want it to be as good as it once was. If data suggests the software you build frustrates a significant percentage of users, it means there's work left to be done."

That last big issue is the amount of negative feedback, opinions, and criticism about Windows 11. Of course, in 2024, negativity is amplified online. After posting his critique on the Windows 11 Start Menu, Any Young notes that his posts received over 3 million impressions, an increase of 2,576%.

Modding and customizing software used to be a big thing a couple of decades ago, from Winamp skins that would transform the only music player you needed for a PC to Nintendo-themed Windows XP skins for GameCube games like Super Mario Sunshine and Metroid Prime. Customization still exists, from wallpapers to different colored themes, but this new Cyberpunk 2077 browser mod for Opera GX reminds us of the good old days.

Opera GX, designed for gamers, delivers a custom internet experience to its users. It allows users to change backgrounds and sound effects while offering CPU, RAM, and Network limiters to reduce browsers' resource-hungry nature. Thus, users can game and browse with minimal impact on performance.

The Cyberpunk 2077 mod for Opera GX is impressive. It features a live wallpaper (V in Night City alongside his Quadra Turbo-R V-Tech car) that dynamically changes and animates based on the time of day. The color, neon glow, and glare effects are all customizable, and the theme can also sync with RGB lighting from ASUS, Razer, Corsair, Logitech, and more.

In February, Microsoft announced its killing support for Windows 10, its most popular operating system, and users of that OS are now receiving full-screen advertisements informing them to upgrade to Windows 11.

Microsoft announced its ending support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, and users of the operating system are now recommended to start the migration process over to the company's latest version of Windows, Windows 11. Notably, as of early December, Windows 10 held a massive 71.64% market share, which hasn't changed from figures in September 2023 and September 2022. However, as of February 2024, the market share for Windows 10 dropped to 67% compared to Windows 11 at 26%.

In an effort to make the transition more known to users, Microsoft has decided to start displaying full-screen advertisements to Windows 10 users, with one user taking to Reddit to share the above image that details the company's decision to end support for the popular operating system on October 14, 2025. Furthermore, the advertisement doesn't appear to have a "never remind me again" option, only "remind me later," meaning users will likely get the full-screen ad randomly in the future.

Microsoft is bringing new features to Windows 11's Snipping Tool which include the ability to detect QR codes and also the gift of emojis - and plenty of them to be used in decorating your screenshots.

As discovered in testing by regular leaker PhantomOfEarth, there's a new emoji icon which when clicked brings up a panel of 18 commonly used emoji (currently - though this may be expanded).

You can then pick and choose from various smilies and gestures, a star, heart, and other expected icons, which will appear in the canvas. It's then possible to move the emoji, or pull the corners to make it bigger, until you're happy with the result.

Google Vids is the company's latest productivity app. It is part of the Google Workspace productivity suite, which includes Gmail, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet, and more. Per the name, it's all about video, with the Gemini AI-powered tool set to make video editing, creation, and writing a breeze.

As it's part of Google Workspace, one example of how it could be used would be to create a tutorial or sales-focused video using existing Google Docs or Slides. With Gemini, it can generate a script and a short video that users can then edit to change various aspects of the creation. As a tool, it's designed to streamline the video creation process so you can put something together without knowing much, if anything, about video editing.

As a work-centric app, Google Vids is an extension of productivity apps like PowerPoint and Slides - bridging the gap from presentation or pitch to video. As a part of Google Workspace, it can draw assets and data from Google Drive, letting you add voiceover, music, and AI-generated art.

At this point, we're all accustomed to a 'nudge' or 'recommendation' in Windows 11 -Microsoft's suggestions that are basically veiled adverts of one kind or another - and sadly there might be more of this coming in the pipeline.

PhantomOfEarth, a regular leaker and Windows 11 tester, shared a discovery on X (formerly Twitter) of a new flavor of recommendation which has appeared in Window 11's Start menu, specifically the 'Recommended' section.

In a preview version of Windows 11, alongside the normal content here (of frequently used software and the like), there are now 'app promotions' - which as you can see in the case of the tweet consists of prodding the user to adopt the Opera web browser. (Although we suppose that is a twist on the usual pushing and shoving to gee up Edge adoption).

If you run Windows 10, you may have been unlucky enough to hit trouble installing the KB5034441 patch released back in January 2024 - and the sad news is this problem still isn't resolved.

Windows Latest points out that some folks are still unable to install KB5034441 which resolves security issues related to the recovery partition, so is a pretty important safeguard for your Windows 10 PC.

Now, there are fudges available that can work to get the patch installed - Windows Latest has provided some feedback on this itself - but Microsoft hasn't yet piped through an official cure.

If you're a Spotify music streaming fan you're likely already very familiar with the concept of creating new playlists and you might have a ton of them that you listen to regularly. But now a new feature makes it easier than ever to create new ones, and all you have to do is ask for it.

The feature, which is only available in beta and even then, only in the UK and Australia for now, allows Spotify subscribers to create a new playlist using nothing more than their words. There is no need to give the app any songs to base the playlist on, and users can simply write a sentence that explains what they want the music to be, or what they intend to use it for and leave the AI to do the rest.

Spotify says that people should try using places animals, activities, colors, and more when creating their new playlists. the streamer also says that the most successful playlists are generated using prompts that contain a combination of genres, moods, artists, and even decades.