Microsoft has announced Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25324 to the Canary Channel with new features and improvements. The Redmond-based software giant also released ISOs for this build. You will receive the new update automatically if you are currently part of the Canary Channel. You can also manually check to download the update from Settings | Windows Update.
Refreshed Widgets
The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25234 has rolled out revamped Widgets board experience with a 3-columns larger canvas. However, this feature will be supported only based on the device. The board includes dedicated sections for widgets and feed content with a clear separation between them. You will be able to quickly access glanceable content from their apps and services including high-quality personalized news content. This feature is currently being rolled out in a phased manner for the purpose of feedback monitoring.
USB4 Integration
After the installation of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25234, you will view a USB4 hubs and devices settings page. This option can be located under Settings | Bluetooth & devices | USB | USB4 Hubs and Devices. The new USB4 technology provides enhanced productivity scenarios for docking, high-performance peripherals, displays, and charging.
The USB4 settings page provides detailed information about the capabilities of the USB4 systems including attached peripherals. These insights will be useful for device manufacturers or system administrators in case they need to perform troubleshooting. You can view the tree of connected USB4 hubs and devices including attributes and capabilities associated with the USB4 domain.
You can instantly copy the details into the clipboard to enable users to share with customer support or system administrators for troubleshooting purposes. This page will not be visible if the system does not support USB4 with the Microsoft USB4 Connection Manager. You can verify whether the system provides support for USB4 or not by checking “USB4 Host Router” from the Device Manager.
Detection of Unsafe Passwords
The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25324 had added IO warning on unsafe password copy and paste. However, you should enable warning options for Windows Security by navigating to App & browser control | Reputation-based protection | Phishing protection. This feature will be available only to select Canary Channel Windows Insiders. Microsoft is gathering feedback before pushing the new feature globally.
Improved Security
Microsoft has added support for the SHA-3 family of hash functions and SHA-3-derived functions such as SHAKE, cSHAKE, and KMAC. The SHA-3 family of algorithms are the latest standardized hash functions announced by the National Institute of Standard and technology. These library functions are enabled via the Windows CNG library.
Animated Icons
Microsoft has started to push animated icons for Widgets on the Taskbar with Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25324 flight. The animation will be triggered when you hover or click on the Widgets taskbar entry point. The animation will also be activated when a new Widget announcement is displayed on your Taskbar. You will be able to view the animation only on select weather and finance icons.
The Taskbar search box will include a dedicated button that directly opens the Bing chat experience. If you don’t have access to the new Bing, then the search box will feature a dynamic search highlight mode. This feature is being pushed to select Windows Insiders.
The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25324 has updated several simplified Chinese fonts and the Microsoft Pinyin IME to support GB18030-2022. You can display characters from conformance level 1 or 2 via the additions to Microsoft Yahel, Sumsun, and Dengxian. Microsoft also added File Explorer improvements when sending a large number of files simultaneously from the Explorer to the Recycle Bin.
The Canary Channel releases are hot off the presses and will have limited documentation. Microsoft will only publish content only if there are new features available in a build. The company revealed that these build offer very little validation and hence will be unstable. There can be situations where you need to reinstall Windows completely. Microsoft will not provide daily Canary Channel builds but this can’t be ruled out in the upcoming future.
