Software & Apps - Page 31

There's a new toy from Microsoft called PC Manager, an app that Windows 11 users (or indeed Windows 10 folks) can grab from the Microsoft Store.

PC Manager was noticed by Windows Latest and the tech site explains that it was first launched in January 2024, but as of this month, it has been more widely rolled out to other regions including the US. (In fact, it has been in testing for a year or more, going by reports online).

This app has come from the Microsoft China division - the initial version was in Mandarin as a result - and indeed the product blurb on the Microsoft Store does sound like a translation. For example, it talks about PC Manager being 'pure without disturbance' (presumably meaning streamlined).

It wasn't very long ago that Microsoft announced it was killing support for its most popular operating system, Windows 10, which was a clear bid to move users from the older operating systems onto the company's newer versions.

Now, Valve has released Steam's latest hardware survey that showcases trends from December 2023, which shows users are moving away from Windows 10, Microsoft's currently most popular operating system, to Windows 11. While Steam's hardware survey does show a shift toward Microsoft's latest operating system, the wider market hasn't responded as quickly as Windows 10 still dominates, with a 67% market share compared to Windows 11 at just 26%.

However, looking at Steam's hardware survey for December we can see Windows 11 is used by 44% of surveyed users, compared to Windows 10 with 51%. A move of 4% represents millions of gamers shifting operating following Microsoft's end-of-support announcement for the operating system, which will occur on October 14, 2025.

We've just caught a glimpse of some more evidence that Window 11 will get a 24H2 update later this year, meaning the next version of Windows won't be an all-new release (such as Windows 12).

Windows Latest uncovered a Windows App Development support document in which Microsoft talked about a specific function (EnumDeviceDrivers) and its history, noting that it will be changed in the next version of Windows.

Specifically, an incoming tweak is mentioned that'll start with Windows 11 version 24H2. The document states:

Windows 10 users are in some cases being hit by frustrating errors when trying to run core (default) apps in the OS.

The Register spotted a thread on Microsoft's Answers.com support forum where there are quite a few posts from disgruntled Windows 10 users who are suffering at the hands of recent app updates.

What's happened is that the most recent updates for these core Windows 11 apps, piped through from the Microsoft Store, appear to have broken them.

Windows 11 just got a new interface for the setup process of the OS - the first time the installation UI has been modified in ages - but it seems that this new look has been kicking about in Windows for, well, ages.

The change to setup came in with preview build 26040, the latest release in the Canary channel.

If you caught sight of it, you'll no doubt have noticed that while it is a fresher - and more fleshed out - setup interface than is currently in place, the UI still looks pretty basic.

WhatsApp is one of the world's biggest and best cross-platform messaging solutions and it appears that the Meta-owned company is hard at work on getting ready to add a new security feature for iPhone users.

The feature, as first reported by the WhatsApp watchers at WABetaInfo, will see iPhone owners gain support for signing into their accounts using a passkey for the first time. The move will give people a new option for signing into accounts that don't require that they remember any credentials.

Passkeys are seen by some as a replacement for usernames and passwords and they remove the need for people to remember those things - a change that is a huge one in terms of security. People often reuse passwords which puts their accounts at risk and that isn't a consideration when passkeys are used. Instead, passkeys use biometrics to handle the authentication mechanism which in the case of the iPhone means Touch ID or Face ID.

Microsoft Graveyard is a new website which is one of those that does what it says on the tin - namely, it offers up an array of headstones of products and services which Microsoft has killed off.

Actually, there's a slight twist in that there are also products which are still around, but on the chopping block - these are represented by a coffin.

Everything is in chronological order - coffins, followed by gravestones, with the most recently killed off products coming first. And that most recent headstone is Odyssey, the survival game from Blizzard which just got axed and became a casualty of the post-buyout reorganization.

Apple's macOS software powers each and every one of its Macs and it regularly releases new versions to the public. But before that happens Apple sends the same software to developers to allow them to test their apps and report any bugs that they might find. That's what happened today, with Apple making the macOS Sonoma 10,4 software available to developers before releasing it to the public.

While Apple has yet to confirm when we expect that software to be released to everyone globally, it's thought that we should expect Apple to release it before March 6 - the date that Apple will also have to release iOS 17.4 to the public to comply with an EU Digital Markets Act requirement in relation to the App Store. If that's the case, we can expect more betas to be released between now and then. For now, though, we have the very first beta as a guide for what we can expect.

Those who are registered developers can now download the macOS Sonoma 14.4 software update via the System Settings app but should only do so if they are using a Mac that is dedicated to testing - installing betas on mission-critical Macs is risky at best. And it doesn't appear that risk is worth taking - beta one only appears to have new emoji characters this time out.

Microsoft has given WordPad the chop, or what amounts to the final pulling of the curtain on the venerable app in Windows 11, after the software giant announced that the application was deprecated some time ago.

If you recall, the announcement about the deprecation of the app happened some time ago, back in September 2023. Then after that, at the start of January 2024, Microsoft announced that WordPad (not to be confused with Notepad, of course, which is staying - and is being actively developed) was being removed from future installations of Windows 11.

That was in preview build 26020, but the latest build in the Canary channel, which is version 26040, represents the final end for WordPad, as not only is it removed from clean installs of Windows 11, but the app will be taken out whenever existing users next upgrade their OS.

When the majority of podcast-listening iPhone owners go to listen to a new episode of their favorite show, they do it via the Apple Podcasts app. So any changes to that app are a huge deal for the podcasting industry which makes the news that podcast transcriptions are coming to the app particularly notable.

Apple will add podcast transcriptions to the iPhone's Podcasts app with the release of iOS 17.4, a software update that is currently in beta form and is being tested around the world. That initial beta already includes the functionality and Apple has updated its podcaster-oriented support website with information about the feature.

The new feature is enabled automatically for all podcasts which means that podcasters will not need to do anything on their end to make their episodes available in text form. However, Apple will offer a way for podcasters to opt out of transcription availability should they choose to and Apple has detailed how to do that on the same webpage.

Microsoft is now offering those in the Windows 11 Beta channel the ability to turn their preview build into a release installation of the operating system, if they've had enough of testing.

Normally, if you decide you want out of the Windows Insider scheme, you must start from scratch with a fresh (release) install of Windows 11.

However, with the latest preview in the Beta channel (version 22635.3130), Microsoft has implemented an escape route for those keen to turn their test build into a finished version of Windows 11.

The Sticky Notes app in Windows 11 (and Windows 10) is quite possibly a piece of software you've forgotten about - we certainly had - but this dusty application is set to get some attention from Microsoft.

The word from the devs on X (formerly Twitter) is that "we're back and better than ever" with new updates for Sticky Notes coming in 2024, apparently.

This won't be minor tweaking to the app, either, as we are promised that there will be some of the "biggest announcements yet." Prepare yourself for a major overhaul, then, perhaps.

Windows 11 is set to get a major update this year, codenamed 'Hudson Valley,' and it's so big it might end up being called Windows 12. Version 24H2 of the operating system is said to bring a suite of performance and security updates to Windows 11 and new features that will leverage AI and push the capabilities of Microsoft's Copilot even further.

A massive update that renames the OS to Windows 12 would be strange to see, and at this stage, this is just a rumor, but either way, by all accounts, Windows 11's big 2024 update will be a game changer. Yes, AI will play a major role in improving productivity, search, and how native Windows apps function - and will tie in nicely with all of the AI PCs launching this year.

Microsoft is targeting a September launch for this big update (via Windows Central), so a detailed list of all the features has yet to be made public - but several are set to be added to the new Insider Canary Channel build. Whether it becomes the long-rumored Windows 12 or simply a Windows 11 overhaul, it's said that Microsoft will market the release as its big 'Windows with AI' launch.

WhatsApp, the hugely popular instant messaging app and service that offers cross-platform messaging abilities is getting ready to allow the app to work with third-party messaging services as well. That's according to a new report that highlights a change in a new beta that has been made available for the iPhone. A previous Android beta added the same functionality.

The report, by WABetaInfo, highlights that WhatsApp is getting ready to abide by the European Union's Digital Markets Act with laws set to require that messaging apps like WhatsApp work with others, removing the so-called "gatekeepers" of the market. WhatsApp is working to comply with interoperability requirements and will allow its app to communicate with people who are using other messaging apps so long as those messaging apps do the same - WhatsApp will only work with iMessage, for example, if Apple allows it to. Apple might be forced to do so, but that's out of WhatsApp's control.

In an image shared by WABetaInfo we can see a new section within the Chats portion of the WhatsApp app on iPhone called "Third-party Chats," and that is where these conversations will take place. It isn't possible to test that functionality yet because nothing is currently live and other platforms will also need to make the same interoperability changes, too.

X, the social network previously known as Twitter, has rolled out support for passkey authentication via its iPhone app. While the feature is currently only available on the iPhone we can of course expect it to roll out to other platforms, but the Eloon Musk-owned social network has not confirmed when we should expect that to happen.

The move comes shortly after it was confirmed that the SEC's account was compromised via SIM-swap hack and the lack of any multi-factor authentication but it isn't clear whether this move to add passkey support is related to that.

Passkeys are seen by some as a long-term replacement for usernames and passwords because they don't require that users remember any credentials. Instead, a passkey is generated by the user's device and stored and protected locally. Passkeys are then authenticated using biometric security such as Face ID or Touch ID.

WhatsApp, the hugely popular instant messaging platform that is available across all platforms including the web, is testing a new feature that will allow people to send and receive files with others within close proximity. The feature, which sounds similar to Apple's AirDrop feature, is currently being tested by beta testers of the WhatsApp app on Android.

AirDrop is a feature that allows iPhone, iPad, and Mac owners to easily share files between devices just by bringing them close together. But the feature in testing appears to be part of the work that WhatsApp is doing to make it easier for people to do something similar across platforms for the first time.

The new feature was first reported by WABetaInfo and is currently available to beta testers who have access to the Android version of WhatsApp's beta app. The report claims that users will need to shake their device to initiate a share request, while end-to-end encryption is used when sending the files between devices. It's also worth noting that phone numbers are reportedly not transferred which could make this a great way to send files to people who aren't in your contacts should the need arise to do so.

Windows 11 has an incoming new feature that allows Android phone owners to edit recently snapped photos from their handset on their desktop PC.

This is a fresh introduction with Windows 11 preview build 23619 (in the Dev channel) although it's only rolling out to a limited number of testers at the moment, so if you aren't seeing it, hold tight.

The idea is that when you take a photo, or a screenshot, on your Android phone, you'll get an instant notification of this on your Windows 11 PC (assuming you've granted the OS access to your Android device, that is, in your settings for mobile devices).

An enterprising Linux developer has managed to cook up some tweaks for Linux that give a 6% boost to file system performance.

As explained on X (formerly Twitter), Jens Axboe made just a couple of changes to a caching algorithm that led to a notable increase in speed for I/O operations.

Apparently Axboe had been meaning to make this code change for years, but only just got around to doing so.

Ever wondered how Windows 12 might look? Of course, we don't know for sure that's what it'll be called, but whatever Microsoft names its next-gen OS, we've just been treated to a concept video of how it might turn out.

Watched it yet? It's the clip just above this paragraph - credit to The Register for spotting it - so give the video a whirl, and come back when you're done. Otherwise you won't know what we're banging on about in the following paragraphs (more so than normal).

The concept design (note: it has nothing to do with Microsoft) presented by 'AR 4789' is very smart and we like the more streamlined feel to the desktop and core elements of the interface. It's much like the modern design of Windows 11, but a bit neater, bolder, and cleaner (though still very obsessed with those rounded corners).

Whatever your preferred search engine, sometimes you run a query and don't get a great set of returns - so off to another engine you pop to spin the wheel of search again - but Microsoft Edge is taking a new approach when this scenario occurs.

As highlighted on X (formerly Twitter) by Mikhail Parakhin, who is head of Advertising and Web Services at Microsoft, now when you search in Edge with Bing, you get Google results presented simultaneously in the browser's side panel.

Or vice versa, if you Google, you get Bing results, and the idea is you can glance across and easily see alternatives to what your primary search engine has dug up on any given search query.