10 Windows 11 Features You May Have Missed
Following the initial release of Windows 11, Microsoft provided Windows Insiders with a number of significant Windows 11 previews, including Build 22000.51 and 22000.100, to give them a thorough look at all the new features. Since we began testing Windows 11 a few weeks ago, we have discovered some of the most impressive features that you ought to be aware of. Here is a list of Windows 11’s features you may have missed.
1. Universal Media Control
In Windows 11, the Action Center allows you to control all of your media playback. Everything that you are playing appears in the Action Center, whether it is a YouTube video, Spotify playlist, Twitter clip, or local video. This feature gives you control over all your However, when I played the same local video through the native “Films & TV” app, it worked flawlessly. So yeah, Universal Media Control is another neat feature in Windows 11.
2. Android Apps Support in Windows 11
A major highlight of Windows 11 is that it can now run Android apps powered by the Amazon App Store. However, Android app support has not been rolled out in the stable Windows 11 build. Microsoft has confirmed that the option to install Android apps will arrive in the upcoming builds. But wait, there’s more. The best part is that you can even sideload APKs on your Windows 11 PC. How cool is that?
As for the implementation, Microsoft has taken the same approach as WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux). That means Android apps will run natively on Windows 11, and the performance will be pretty good. Not to mention, Android apps will run both on Intel and AMD processors, irrespective of the Intel Bridge technology that brings this amazing feature to life. To learn more about Android app support on Windows 11, check out our explainer on Project Latte.
3. Android Apps on Windows 11
You also get a power and battery usage report (screen on time in Windows 11) similar to smartphones, some stunning themes, and more. All in all, I really like the new Settings redesign, but in its current form, it’s a bit slow and not as responsive as one would expect. And for those who are wondering, yes, you still have Control Panel at your disposal.
4. Snap Layout & Other New Multitasking Features
Snapping was already great on Windows 10, but Microsoft has taken it a notch further with easier Snap Assist. This new feature is called Snap Layouts. Now, when you hover your mouse pointer over a window’s maximize button, you will find various layouts for how you want to position the window. You can also invoke the snap layout option with the “Win + Z” Windows keyboard shortcut. If you use a large monitor, this will help maximize your productivity.
Similarly, the Timeline feature has been removed in Windows 11, and you now have a clean Task View where you can add as many desktops as you want. I like the fluidity while creating a new desktop. Overall, both of these features are quality additions to Windows 11 and elevate the multitasking experience.
5. Teams Chat Integration
After the release of Windows 11 Build 22000.100, Microsoft finally brought Team Chat to the taskbar. It’s going to be one of the best new Windows 11 features. With a click from the taskbar, you can connect to your friends and family through video calls, audio calls, and chat. Think of it as an alternative to iMessage/ FaceTime available on macOS. However, if you are unaware, you can now use FaceTime on Windows as well. Having said that, keep in mind that audio and video calls are not supported yet.
6. New Your Phone App
Since its release in 2018, Microsoft has continuously improved the Your Phone app, but after the stable Windows 11 release, it seems a new redesigned version of Your Phone has come to Windows 11 with the stable release. Recently, during the Surface event, a new version of the Your Phone app was teased, and it’s built on the Windows 11 aesthetics to match the rest of the UI.
While the existing version of Your Phone app supports launching Android apps from your phone, but it’s only limited to flagship Samsung phones. We hope that the new Your Phone on Windows 11 brings app mirroring to all Android phones.
Also: 5 Things You Should Do First When You Turn On Your New Computer
7. Focus Sessions
Focus Sessions is one of the best new features of Windows 11 as it brings something new to Microsoft’s desktop OS, similar to what we have seen on smartphones. To be productive on Windows 11, Microsoft wants users to utilize the dedicated Focus Sessions feature in the Alarms and Clock app. You can link your Microsoft To-Do list to manage your tasks and integrate Spotify to listen to your favorite music during work.
It also reminds you to take a break after longs hours of work, lets you set timers so that you remain disciplined to the task, and brings a helpful dashboard to keep track of your progress. What I love the most is that there is a widget as well for Focus Sessions, which you can place on the desktop for quick glancing. If you want to learn how to use Focus Sessions on Windows 11, go through our linked guide.
8. Voice Typing
Voice Typing is among my favorite Windows 11 features as it makes typing much easier and acts as a great accessibility tool. You just need to press the Windows 11 keyboard shortcut “Win + H“, and you can dictate whatever you want to write.
I use Google voice typing on my Android device, and it’s fairly accurate, but I was surprised to find that Microsoft has indeed improved its voice recognition algorithm, and it works wonderfully well. It even supports auto punctuation which is just awesome. So go ahead and try out Voice Typing on Windows 11.
9. Clipboard Syncing
With Your Phone app, Microsoft is trying to bridge the gap between PCs and smartphones. Furthermore, it also wants to tightly integrate some of the basic things like universal clipboard syncing between a PC and a smartphone. With Windows 11 and SwiftKey Beta on your Android smartphone, you can copy texts on your smartphone and paste them on the computer seamlessly and vice versa.
Currently, it does not support image and video sharing through cloud clipboard, but we might get these features in the future. If you want to learn how to sync clipboard across Android phone and Windows 11 PC, follow our linked tutorial.
10. Screen Time and Battery Usage
As Microsoft has completely overhauled the Settings page, some new features have also made their way to Windows 11. You can now find out how long the screen has been turned on after a full cycle of charging the battery. Apart from that, it also displays a graph of battery usage so that you can gauge the battery health of your laptop. Not to mention, you can also discover the list of apps that have consumed the battery juice.
For Windows laptops users, this is a great Windows 11 feature, and you should definitely check it out.
Which is your favorite Windows 11 feature? Let us know in the comment section below.
