The Windows Insider Program today is seeing a major shift for the new year. Though it’s only temporary, Microsoft has just merged both the Canary and Dev Channels, to receive the same 26000 series builds. This means that Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel are getting build 26052.1000 today, while Insiders in the Dev Channel are getting Build 26052.1100 (KB5035384) today. The builds are the same, and there’s a ton of new features. This change is only temporary, though, so let’s divide things up for you.
What’s new for those on the Dev Channel
For those in the Dev Channel, there’s a whole set of new features thanks to the jump up to the 26000 series in builds. Energy saver, scrollable quick settings, QR codes for Wi-Fi sharing, support for creating 7-zip and TAR archives in addition to ZIP in File Explorer, Windows-protected print mode, voice clarity, along with recent Server Message Block (SMB) protocol changes and improvements to Windows Local Administrator Password Solution (LAPS), and improvements across Settings and improvements for Bluetooth and Graphics are examples Microsoft has shared.
If you’re a gamer, we advise against downloading this build. Some popular games may not work correctly and cause a bugcheck (green screen) when launched on the most recent Insider Preview builds in the Canary Channel.
A window to switch between channels
Because both Dev and Canary channels now have the same builds, there’s a temporary chance to switch between them. Windows Insiders who are in the Canary Channel can now switch to the Dev Channel. Once the build number gets higher in the Canary Channel though, that will no longer be possible. At the same time, some rollouts for some features in the Dev Channel may get reset which means you might also see features disappear, but don’t worry, they will return.
What’s new in the build
Now, for what’s new in the build itself. As rumored, build 26052 brings the new Sudo for Windows feature in the Terminal. You can use the sudo command in a new window, and some of the same commands sudo can do on Linux. You can enable it by going to Settings > System > For developers and toggle on the sudo command. Some of the other new features can be seen below.
- Hearing Aid Support: Now, we are thrilled to introduce a set of features that will take this support to the next level: We’re introducing new capabilities to control audio presets, ambient sounds, and experience enhancements to the Settings > Bluetooth & devices page.
- Microsoft Store: We’ve improved the Microsoft 365 pages to better describe all the benefits included in the subscription.
- Windows now offers a convenient way to test the difference between Default and Communication mode audio. This new utility can be found under the microphone properties via Settings > System > Sound. You can select the mode and record/listen to audio in both modes, allowing you to easily compare audio processing modes for applications built for the Windows ecosystem.
- Starting with Build 26-xx today, Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels will see the versioning updated under Settings > System > About (and winver) to version 24H2. This denotes that Windows 11, version 24H2 will be this year’s annual feature update.
- Plugging in to use a Windows Mixed Reality headset will not work starting with his build. Windows Mixed Reality is no longer available to users as Windows Mixed Reality has been announced as deprecated.
- We are trying out a new experience for Copilot in Windows that helps showcase the ways that Copilot can accelerate and enhance your work. This experience will show when you copy text – since Copilot supports helpful actions that you can take with text content. In this scenario, the Copilot icon will change appearance and animate to indicate that Copilot can help (there are several different treatments so you may notice a different visual effect).
- We are trying out opening Copilot automatically when Windows starts on widescreen devices again with some Windows Insiders in the Canary and Dev Channels.
- We have updated the energy saver icon for desktop PCs (PCs without batteries). This icon is shown on the system tray when energy saver is enabled, under quick settings, and under Settings > System power & battery.
- When “Show all devices” is clicked in the “Add a device” window or the Bluetooth quick settings flyout from system tray, the UI will seamlessly show all devices, including “uncommon” ones, that the PC discovers.
- Windows Insiders who use the Color Management Control Panel to make changes to their color profiles can now use the all-new Color management settings page located under Settings > System > Display > Color management.
- The Registry Editor now supports limiting a search to the currently selected key and its descendants.
- Starting with this build, we are introducing the Power Grid Forecast API. This API empowers app developers to optimize app behavior, minimizing environmental impact by shifting background tasks to times when more renewable energy is available in the local electrical grid.
- Developers can use the Cryptography API: Next Generation (CNG) framework to help secure Windows keys with virtualization-based security (VBS).
- You can go Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners to choose to setup Windows protected print mode but clicking the setup button under “Printer preferences”
- We moved the option to show your Wi-Fi password to the top of the Wi-Fi properties page under Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi.
- We’ve adjusted the text in the notification when a PC detects a slow charger.
- You can now use the Camera app to join a Wi-Fi network. Just scan a QR code with Wi-Fi details and a link will be provided that will open Settings to quickly get the new Wi-Fi profile added and connected.
For the full list of what’s changed in this build, we invite you to head over to Microsoft. We just hit the highlights. As a reminder, Microsoft also released a Beta channel build today, too. That build was fairly minor with tweaks to the Start Menu, Copilot.
