Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3720 (Beta Channel)

Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3720 (KB5039312) to the Beta Channel. REMINDER: Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel will updates based on Windows 11, version 23H2 via an enablement package (Build 22635.xxxx). For Insiders in the Beta Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you, you can turn ON the toggle (shown in the image below) to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready. [caption id="attachment_176587" align="alignnone" width="634"] Turn on the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available to get new features rolled out to you.[/caption] Going forward, we will document changes in Beta Channel builds in two buckets: new features, improvements, and fixes that are being gradually rolled out for Insiders who have turned on the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available and then new features, improvements, and fixes available to everyone in the Beta Channel.

New features gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*​

Narrator users can now use voice access to dictate text hands-free​

Narrator users can start using voice access in Windows 11 to dictate text with voice and hear what is dictated. In addition, you can also use voice access to give Narrator commands. For example, “Turn on Narrator,” “speak faster,” “read selection,” “read next line,” etc. To know the entire list of Narrator commands supported with voice access, click help icon (?) on the voice access bar, select “View all commands” and choose “Narrator commands.” What will work:

• Start and set up voice access which includes downloading a speech model.
• Read a list of voice access commands and Narrator commands from voice access help menu.
• Changing voice access microphone state.
• Dictating text with voice and hearing back what was dictated.

Tips:

• If you don’t use headphones for listening to the screen reader, the audio output from the screen reader may get picked up by voice access microphone, leading to unwanted behavior.

FEEDBACK: Send us feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Narrator.

Auto Restart for Voice Access & New Voice Access Command for Windows Search​

We are introducing auto restart for voice access in Windows 11. This feature ensures that voice access will automatically restart if it encounters any issues so that individuals with limited mobility can get back to using voice access as quickly as possible. Customers will no longer need to rely on alternative assistive technologies or assistance from others to reactivate voice access. Should voice access automatically restart due to a crash, we are making it easier to report those crashes once voice access restarts so the team can investigate and work on fixes. We are introducing a new command for searching directly with Windows search. Users can now say the command Search "Entity"; Search Windows for "Entity"; or Search for "Entity" to search for their desired application or file in Windows (“Entity” is replaced with whatever application or file you want to search.) FEEDBACK: Send us feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Accessibility > Voice access.

Changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*​

[Search on the Taskbar]​

• We are beginning to roll out the ability to share local files directly from within the search results shown in the search box on the taskbar.

[caption id="attachment_177099" align="alignnone" width="502"] New option to share a local file highlighted in a red box in the search results from the search box on the taskbar.[/caption]

[Windows Share]​

• If you are in China and turn on nearby sharing, you will receive a notification asking to allow turning on Wi-Fi and or Bluetooth should these settings be off as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are required to be enabled for nearby sharing to work.

Fixes gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on*​

[File Explorer]​

• Fixed an issue where when pressing WIN + E, a screen reader might unexpectedly say a pane had focus, or focus may not be set within File Explorer at all.
• Fixed an issue which was causing CTRL + F to sometimes not start a search in File Explorer.
• Fixed an issue where keyboard focus might get lost sometimes when doing Shift + Tab in File Explorer.

Known issues​

[General]​

• We are investigating an issue where Internet Information Services (IIS) and Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) may not work after installing this update.
• We’re investigating an issue where Settings is crashing when trying to look at Wi-Fi properties.

[Start menu]​

• [NEW] Clicking your profile icon on the Start menu and choosing “Change account settings” will not open account settings. Should you need to adjust your account settings, you can navigate directly to them via Settings > Accounts.

[Settings]​

• [NEW] Attempting to install an optional feature via Settings > System > Option features may crash Settings. Should you need to install an optional feature, please do so before taking the update to Build 22635.3720.

[Widgets]​

Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who have the new position for the Widgets entry-point on left-aligned taskbars may see the following known issues:

• Swipe invocation for Widgets may not work if taskbar is center-aligned instead of left-aligned.
• Unpinning Widgets from the taskbar may not work if taskbar is center-aligned instead of left-aligned.
• The Widgets board is incorrectly positioned when Copilot is in side-by-side mode.

Introducing Suggested Replies in Phone Link for Android​

We’re excited to announce the addition of a new feature to the Phone Link app for Android users: Suggested Replies. Powered by our cloud-based intelligent suggestion model, this feature is designed to make your messaging experience seamless and more efficient. [caption id="attachment_177083" align="alignnone" width="473"] Suggested Replies as shown in Phone Link when replying to a message.[/caption] With Suggested Replies, you’ll see 3 contextually relevant reply bubbles to choose from when you receive a message. The feature is turned on by default, so you can start using it right away. Simply select a suggested reply and it’ll be sent immediately. Suggested Replies are beginning to roll out to Windows Insiders across all channels with Phone Link version 1.24051.98 and higher. FEEDBACK: Send us feedback in Feedback Hub (WIN + F) under Apps > Phone Link.

Reminders for Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel​

• Updates released to the Beta Channel are based off Windows 11, version 23H2.
• Features and experiences included in these builds may never get released as we try out different concepts and get feedback. Features may change over time, be removed, or replaced and never get released beyond Windows Insiders. Some of these features and experiences could show up in future Windows releases when they’re ready.
• Many features in the Beta Channel are rolled out using Control Feature Rollout technology, starting with a subset of Insiders and ramping up over time as we monitor feedback to see how they land before pushing them out to everyone in this channel.
• Some features in active development we preview with Windows Insiders may not be fully localized and localization will happen over time as features are finalized. As you see issues with localization in your language, please report those issues to us via Feedback Hub.
• Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel who want to be the first to get features gradually rolled out to you*, you can turn ON the toggle to get the latest updates as they are available via Settings > Windows Update. Over time, we will increase the rollouts of features to everyone with the toggle turned on. Should you keep this toggle off, new features will gradually be rolled out to your device over time once they are ready.
• Because the Dev and Beta Channels represent parallel development paths from our engineers, there may be cases where features and experiences show up in the Beta Channel first.
• Check out Flight Hub for a complete look at what build is in which Insider channel.
• Copilot in Windows** in preview is being rolled out gradually to Windows Insiders in select global markets. The initial markets for the Copilot in Windows preview include North America, United Kingdom and parts of Asia and South America. It is our intention to add additional markets over time.

Thanks, Amanda & Brandon

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