Windows 10 Build 16215
Windows 10 has a plethora of updated features and improvements to its previous version. Microsoft has now released Windows 10 build 16215 for PCs in the Windows Insiders Fast ring. This new preview brings a lot of changes in its features that will be available at a later time.
Windows 10 build 16215 is the biggest update that Insiders might have received. Some of its features that have been updated are its Start menu, Action Center, Cortana, a new emoji panel for the hardware keyboards, a new handwriting experience. More than this, Microsoft brings the phone touch keyboard experience to the desktop. Even the Settings app gets a lot more improved. Microsoft Edge adds the ability to pin sites to the taskbar. It has become easy to annotate ebooks now.
Let’s now discuss the latest features and improvements with the Windows 10 build 16215 for PCs.
1. Start menu:
The Start menu in Windows 10 has added new Fluent Design System elements. This has included acrylic to bring new transparency like the ones in many Store apps like Groove music and photos. The updates in Start menu includes resizing of the menu diagonally and switching to tablet mode. These changes have made it easy to use the Windows 10 PC.
2. Action Center:
Action Center gets the Fluent Design System elements, such as acrylic for a new transparency effect. The group notification headers are now centered, and notifications are listed as cards. Toast notifications are also getting acrylic on this flight. You can customize the visible quick actions as a reminder. Go to System settings under Settings app and click on “Notifications and actions” to customize the action center.
3. Cortana:
Cortana, as we already know, is a helpful feature that can remain you with a search result whenever you ask anything. It is getting even more useful with the introduction of two new features. The first one is the “Camera Roll” that allows the assistant to scan and detect events within images, such as from fliers or posters. It will prompt you to create a reminder. So you don’t miss an upcoming event. The second one is the “Cortana Lasso” that allows you to circle relevant information on the screen. Then Cortana will identify its content and follow up with a reminder suggestion.
4. New Handwriting experience:
Windows 10 introduces a new handwriting panel that includes more gestures, editing features. It also has support to emojis with this panel. The main purpose of redesigning this new panel is to provide a continuous writing experience. As you write and the panel fills up, you can lift your pen off the screen to see the text shift, resulting in continue writing.
In a case of committing a mistake, there is an option to edit the text. It’s also possible to ink on top of a letter to make corrections. The new gestures, such as strikethrough, scratch, join, and split can be used to make simple edits. Additionally, the handwriting panel adds two new buttons to easily input emojis and symbols. On the “Pen and Windows Ink” settings page, there is a new option to reduce palm rejection when writing.
5. New emoji panels for hardware keyboard:
I think it was very difficult to input emojis on the desktop until now. But Windows 10 is adding a new emoji panel. It has now become as easy with this panel to input emojis. To open this emoji panel, you just have to use the new Windows key + period (.) or Windows key + semicolon (;) keyboard shortcut while the focus is in a text box.
As in the emoji panel in a smartphone, the Windows 10 has the similar feature to change the skin tone of the people emoji on a desktop. Here are some keyboard shortcuts to navigate, instead of using the mouse.
- arrow keys: Navigate among emoji
- Tab/Shift + Tab: Switch emoji category
- Enter: Select the emoji
- ESC: Close the emoji panel
6. New phone touch-keyboard:
Windows 10 now brings the phone touch-keyboard experience to the desktop with build 16215. The new phone touch-keyboard is the same as in Windows 10 smartphones. This new feature in the Windows 10 includes enhanced text prediction with more intelligent text suggestions. There is a single-handed touch-keyboard experience that looks similar to the one you get with your phone.
This new experience also includes Microsoft’s shape writing. This allows you to swipe over the keys to type even faster. There is a new microphone button on the touch keyboard, which can be used to add dictation in English or Chinese. All these updates improve the way you switch into handwriting and other keyboard layouts. Just click the menu button in the top-left corner of the touch keyboard.
7. New Pen features:
Windows 10 adds a few pen improvements. While digital pens don’t feature GPS, the OS will now let you know where you were the last time you were inking to help you find your pen. Go to Update and Security under the Settings app and tap on “Find My Device”. This pen can help you scroll just as, usually, we do with our finger. The selection has been improved to be more intuitive, faster, and accurate.
Settings Update:
Windows 10 build 16215 also has made a lot of improvements to the Settings app. They include new tweaks and options, such as the ability to add other work or school users and uninstall apps in Apps & features, and apps will now show a progress bar.
The following are the improvements in the Settings app and how to get them done.
1. Display:
Go to Settings > System > Display – you’ll find a new “HDR and advanced color settings” page with more options (if your display supports).
2. Remote Desktop:
Go to Settings > System > Remote Desktop – you can enable or disable the ability to access your computer remotely using the Microsoft Remote Desktop application. This is available on iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows.
3. Pen & Windows Ink:
Go to Settings > Device > Pen & Windows Ink > Press and hold – you can use Cortana Lasso.
4. Network & Internet:
Go to Settings > Network & Internet – the network adapter properties page updates and removes the “Make this PC discoverable” section and replaces it with two radio buttons to select whether the network profile should be Public or Private. There is a link to configure the firewall and security settings using the Windows Defender Security Center.
5. Video Playback:
Go to Settings > Personalization > Video Playback – it’s the place to change video settings for apps that use the video functionality built into the OS. If you have an HDR monitor, you can even control video streaming. Additionally, there is also an option to play video at a lower resolution which will help to reduce data usage and save battery.
Finally, the Settings app now has new battery settings to select to optimize video streaming for battery usage or video quality.
6. Apps & Features:
Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & Features – you’ll notice that Microsoft Edge is now listed here. While you can’t uninstall the browser, in the Advanced options page there is an option to reset the app.
7. Default apps:
Go to Settings > Apps, the Default apps – This includes a new section to let you set per-app default settings using the Settings app experience instead of using the one from Control Panel. Click Set defaults by App link > Manage > all the file types and associations, then select the file or protocol to change its default settings.
8. Game bar:
In Settings > Gaming > Game Bar – There are some game bar enhancements but visually everything remains the same. Starting with build 16215, the Game Bar features a button to enable or disable Game Mode for the current game. You can now take screenshots on HDR monitors, and images will be saved in PNG format that is tone-mapped for SDR.
9. Broadcasting:
In Settings > Gaming > Broadcasting – the streaming games using Mixer are smoother and seamless. Also, when broadcasting, you can specify the language you’ll be speaking during the broadcast.
10. Game Mode:
In Settings > Gaming, the Game Mode page doesn’t add new visual changes. But it has been updated to improve Game Mode performance on six-core and eight-core processors.
11. Color and high contrast:
In Settings > Ease of Access > Color and high contrast page – you can turn on color filters to help users with color blindness to see the difference between colors like red and green.
12. Permissions & history:
In Settings > Cortana > Permissions & history page > Manage the information – Cortana can access from this device, there is a new Camera roll option to enable new Cortana’s insights reminders.
13. Windows Update:
In Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Advanced options page – allows automatic download for updates, even when you have a metered connection enabled.
14. File History:
In Settings > Update & Security > Backup page – you can no longer configure File History to create a file backup. You can only restore files from previous backups because Microsoft seems to be retiring this feature.
Windows 10 Build 16215 Update will now show individual update status. The process makes it easier for the users to track each different status.
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