Microsoft has started rolling out the Windows 11 24H2 update, which is known simply as “Windows 11 2024 update”. This version improves security, brings new connectivity options and adds more AI capabilities to Copilot+ PCs.
One handy change is that the Quick Settings is now a scrollable list, which you can customize by reordering the various options. The Wi-Fi selection UI has a Refresh button, so that you can easily re-scan for nearby networks.
If your PC has the right hardware, this update adds Wi-Fi 7 support for much faster data transfers. Additionally, Windows 11 now works with hearing aids that support Bluetooth LE Audio.
Scrollable quick settings • Wi-Fi 7 support
Another thing you will find in the Quick Settings is the Power Saver toggle. This has always been there for laptops, but it is now also available on mains power in case you want to reduce power usage.
Devices with fast-enough NPUs, the ones branded Copilot+, have a host of new AI features. One breaks down language barriers – auto-generated captions are available system-wide for all video players. They transcribe the audio and can translate it to your language. All this from a local model too, which keeps latency as low as possible.
System-wide captions with translation • Windows Studio Effects
Also available system-wide are the new Windows Studio Effects. These work with your web cam to blur the background or to apply various styles to your camera feed. Additionally, Voice Focus uses the NPU to remove background noise and cancel echoes from the room. There’s a teleprompter feature for those who have prepared speeches and this has an “eye contact” mode that adjusts your gaze to maintain eye contact with your audience (instead of showing your eyes flitting left and right as you read).
The controversial Windows Recall is returning with added security features. Saving snapshots is now an opt-in feature. Secure Windows Hello sign ins are required to use those snapshots. Recall will be available on Snapdragon X devices from October and on Intel/AMD-powered devices from November.
Windows Recall • Windows Search now also has AI
Windows Search also got a dash of AI – instead of trying to remember file names, just describe the thing you are looking for, e.g. photos of a barbecue party.
Speaking of photos, the new Super Resolution feature can upscale your old images by up to 8x. This runs on-device, so it’s not uploading your photos to the cloud. Windows Paint has new AI tools, which include generative fill and generative erase, so you can add and remove things from photos as you wish.
Super Resolution for photos • Generative editing in Paint
Don’t worry if you can’t remember all of these things – the new Click To Do is a simple gateway to all the new features. Clicking while holding down the Windows key brings up a context menu with relevant actions like doing a visual search on Bing, blurring the background in a photo, removing objects from a photo, summarizing text and more.
A few other improvements deserve a mention. For example, you can now use HDR images as your desktop background. Also, File Explorer can now natively create and read RAR and 7z archives. Running apps now have a new way to display the progress of ongoing operations with a progress bar below the app’s icon.
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