Microsoft has released a preview version of the next Windows update for members of the Windows Insider Program. It brings updates to numerous pre-installed apps, namely Calculator, Camera, Clock, Media Player, Notepad, Paint, Photos, and Sound Recorder.
Even though each individual update isn’t spectacular on its own, all the improvements together make the base Windows 11 experience just a little bit better.
For example, Microsoft lists the following Calculator improvements:
- More accurate results in square root calculations — Rare cases have been fixed where a calculation that should have yielded zero instead produced a tiny residual value.
- Readable text in high-contrast designs — The text in the settings is now displayed in the correct colors in the high-contrast “Aquatic” and “Desert” themes.
- Correct layout for right-to-left writing languages — For languages such as Arabic and Hebrew, the chart, numeric keypad, equation fields, and scroll buttons are now displayed in correct orientation.
- Reliable startup after upgrade — A problem has been fixed where, after upgrading from significantly older versions, outdated settings remained and prevented the app from opening.
As for Sound Recorder, the changelog lists these improvements:
- Waveform display for Bluetooth microphones — The live waveform is now displayed correctly when recording with a Bluetooth audio device.
- No more annoying scroll bar — A non-functional horizontal scroll bar no longer appears at the bottom of the waveform unless you have zoomed in.
- “Highlight” button immediately available — The “Highlight” button no longer appears grayed out after opening the app until you hover your mouse over it.
- Tags hidden for WAV files — Tags are now disabled for WAV recordings, as this format cannot save them, so they will no longer be lost unnoticed.
- Smoother deletion — Quickly pressing “Delete” and “Enter” to delete multiple recordings in succession no longer triggers a “File does not exist” error.
- Memory issue resolved — A memory leak that occurred every time a recording started has been fixed.
Reports indicate that Microsoft has also added features such as watermarks to AI-generated images in the Photos app and a zoom slider to the Camera app. It’s also now possible to customize subtitles in Media Player and delay the alarm by 15 minutes in Clock.
A more detailed overview of all the new features in Windows 11’s pre-installed apps can be found on Windows Latest.
