Microsoft releases Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7271 with new context menu, Xbox full screen experience for PC and more
Microsoft continues to release the same preview builds of Windows 11 to Insider on the Beta and Dev channels, and has just pushed out Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26220.7271. While the company focuses on the introduction of the Xbox full screen experience for PC – and this is certainly a big addition – it may not be the highlight for most people.
Certainly more useful is the arrival of the recently announced Point-in-time restore for Windows, and the expansion of the resume across devices feature. Also of note is a significant redesign of the context menu for improved efficiency.
WhatsApp brings back the About feature to supplement statuses
If you are a seasoned user of WhatsApp, brace yourself for a blast from the past. The company has just announced that it is bringing back one of its earliest features in a new and improved form.
What is returning is the About feature, a simple text field that can be used to share information about yourself, your availability, or anything else you can think of. It is not entirely dissimilar to the Notes feature of Instagram.
Google updates Android Quick Share for compatibility with Apple AirDrop
Out of the blue, Google has announced a significant change to the Quick Share feature of Android. The company says that – on a limited number of devices – Quick Share can now be used to share files and photos from Android to iPhone thank to newly added compatibility with Apple’s AirDrop.
The strange and sudden interoperability comes as good news, but it is not clear how many Android devices will ultimately be able to take advantage of this change, or when. It is also not clear quite what prompted the move from Google, although the company has quite a lot to say about what is involved.
Spotify has bought WhoSampled to expand music data
Spotify has announced that it has acquired WhoSampled, a service which reveals information about the origins of musical components.
The company will use data from the WhoSampled community to power a new SongDNA feature. Available to paying subscribers, the feature provides a wealth of information about tracks including the source of samples used within songs.
Microsoft is adding a much-needed agenda view to the Windows 11 taskbar calendar
If you have been waiting for Microsoft to make Windows 11’s taskbar flyout calendar useful, there is not much longer to wait. At Ignite, the company has provided details of a significant change that is coming in December.
The calendar flyout that appears when clicking the taskbar clock is in line for an upgrade. Now, in addition to displaying a quick-view calendar, there will be an agenda view.
Apple thinks these are the best apps of 2025
We have reached the time of year when ‘best of’ roundups become increasingly difficult to avoid. Not wanting to buck the trend, Apple has released its list of finalists for the 2025 App Store Awards.
The list is not just about apps, but also includes games. Apple says that the aim is to recognize developers’ “achievements in innovation, user experience, and cultural impact”.
Microsoft unveils two new Windows 11 recovery tools: Cloud Rebuild and Point-in-Time Restore
Microsoft’s Ignite developer conference is underway, and the company has used this as a platform to announce new recovery options for Windows 11. This is something which is being pushed not as an evolution of recovery, but a reinvention.
Having already released Quick Machine Recovery a few months ago, Microsoft is now switching focus. With Intune remote recovery via WinRE, the company enables admins to not only see the Intune console when a managed PC has entered recovery, but also perform recovery actions.
Microsoft releases PowerToys v0.96.0 with support for more AI model providers
It is that time once again – there is a new version of PowerToys to install. Microsoft has just unleashed PowerToys v0.96.0 as part of a release cycle that focuses on “new features, stability, optimization improvements, and automation”.
First things first: are there any new modules here? Sadly not. But while there may not be any brand new utilities to play with, PowerToys v0.96.0 does see a number of significant changes and additions to the tools you already know and love – including Command Palette and Advanced Paste.
Microsoft to make Sysmon a native Windows 11 tool
Windows 11 power users will be pleased to learn that Microsoft is planning to bring the Sysmon (System Monitor) tool to Windows as a native utility. Usually part of the Sysinternals suite of utilities, Sysmon will be integrated into not only Windows 11, but also Windows Server 2025 starting next year.
The announcement was made not by Microsoft, but by Sysinternals creator Mark Russinovich. He says that by integrating the Sysmon utility into Windows, administrators will simplify deployment and bring additional functionality.
Google Calendar can now include schedule tasks
Sometimes, it is small changes that make a big difference, and this is something Google has just demonstrated perfectly with a relatively minor tweak to Google Calendar. There has been some integration and interaction between Google Tasks and Google Calendar for a little while now, but the latest change is a really useful one.
Users of Google Calendar now have the option to include entries for a Task in their Calendar. Put another way, Google now lets you set aside time in your Calendar to spend working on a Task.
Google wants you to plan your next trip with AI
The AI-with-everything trend continues, with Google very much at the forefront. Latching on to the holiday season and the increase in travel the period sees, the company is pushing its new AI tools as a way of planning your next trip.
The tools that Google is highlighting can all be accessed from Search, and while the company is using the holiday season as a hook, these are not seasonal tools – they can be used at any time for any sort of travel plans. There are various options here, so let’s take a look at what Google has to offer.
Meta launches Facebook content protection to stop Reel reuse
Creators on all social media platforms have a lot to worry about, but the theft or reuse of content must be near the top of the list. To help combat this, Meta has launched Facebook content protection to help prevent Reels from being stolen.
The automated tool can warn Facebook creators when their Reels are detected being reused on either Facebook or Instagram. If reuse is detected, creators have a number of options available to them, including blocking anything being used without consent.
Google boosts AI to provide more accurate weather forecasts
That artificial intelligence is used in weather forecasting is to be expected, but Google has just announced WeatherNext 2. Self-described as its “most advanced and efficient forecasting model”, this last incarnation improves not only accuracy, but also speed.
Forecast generation can be up to eight times faster, and Google is already using the data produced by WeatherNext 2 – this is not something that is coming, it is here now. After heavy research work, Google is ready to give the tool to users.
Google to use Android developer verification to allow safe app sideloading
Like Apple, Google has gradually made it more difficult to install apps from outside its own store. But the company is aware that neither users nor developers necessarily want to be tied to just the Play Store – this is why it has come up with the Android developer verification program.
The idea is that Google will check and verify developers so the users know they can be trusted. Now the company has an update based on early feedback it has received.
Apple Digital ID is a passport-based identity document on iPhone and Apple Watch
Apple has launched Digital ID, a new Apple Wallet-store identity document for US users that is accepted at airports and other locations.
Digital ID is created from information from a US passport, and it can be used as a travel document as well as a way of proving age. Although the company is making much of the system, it concedes that there are numerous limitations.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. She is currently training to be an LGBTQ+ affirmative psychotherapist. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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