KB5064093: Microsoft brings big update to how Windows 11 connects to your phone on new build

Microsoft, today, has released the newest builds to Windows 11 Beta channel and Dev channel Insider programs for users flighting those channels. The new builds, 26200.5761 for Dev and 26120.5761 for Beta, under KB5064093, adds several new features. The biggest highlight with this release is how Windows 11 PCs will now connect with your phones as the feature has now received a big upgrade.

Essentially, Microsoft is now testing the "ability to seamlessly resume using your favorite apps from your Android phone on your Windows 11 PC" and is another major step up for this feature which has been receving some big improvements recently. In the blog post, Microsoft explains:

To start with, you will be able to resume or continue listening to your favorite Spotify tracks and episodes right from where you left off on the Spotify app on your Android phone.

First, start listening to one of your favorite songs or episodes in the Spotify app on your Android phone. On your PC (running the latest Insider Preview builds in the Dev or Beta Channels) a ‘Resume alert’ will appear on your taskbar. When you click on that alert, Spotify’s desktop app will open and the same track will now continue playing on your PC.

If the Spotify app is not installed on your PC, when you click on the alert it will initiate a 1-click installation from the Microsoft Store and will automatically download and open the app for you. You will then be prompted to sign into your Spotify account.

Please note that you will need to use the same Spotify account on both your Android phone and your PC.

Here is how you can get set up to try this feature out:

1. Turn on access to your phone.
   1. On your PC, go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Mobile devices.
   2. Switch “Allow this PC to access your mobile devices” to On.
   3. Click the “Manage devices” button and follow the steps to connect your Android phone.
2. Set up the Link to Windows app on your phone.
   1. On your Android phone, open the Link to Windows app.
   2. Make sure you allow the app to run in the background (this keeps the Resume feature working reliably).
3. Try the feature.
   1. Open Spotify on your phone and play a track or episode.
   2. You should see a Resume alert on your PC’s taskbar.

After everything is all set up – just open Spotify on your phone and play a track to receive the resume alert on your PC’s taskbar.

As mentioned above – this feature is gradually rolling out so if you do not see it after completing these steps, please be patient and once the feature is rolled out to you, you will see this experience light up for you on your PC.

Aside from that, there are plenty of other improvements too, including a new "improved" battery icon, new keyboard shortcuts, gaming performance improvements when using game bar, updates to the Automatic Super Resolution feature on Copilot+ PCs and more. The rest of the changelog is given below:

First we have the new battery icones. Microsoft writes: "Our new and improved battery icons have been designed to communicate the battery status of your PC with just a quick glance – and we’re bringing them to the lock screen."

Here are the changes and Improvements gradually being rolled out to the Beta Channel with toggle on Copilot+ PCs:

[Click to Do (Preview)]

• By pressing and holding two fingers anywhere on your screen (on your Copilot+ PC with a touch screen), you can simultaneously launch Click to Do, select the entity under your finger and see relevant actions. This new invocation method provides the ability to use touch with an accelerated entry point into Click to Do, like Win + Click when using a mouse or touchpad today.

[Agent in Settings]

• We now provide a direct navigation link to the corresponding settings page from the agent search results.

[Automatic Super Resolution]

• We have simplified the settings controls and added streamlined ways to configure Auto SR directly from toast notifications.

Next we have the updates that are coming to all systems:

[Input]

• We’re adding a new keyboard shortcut to make it easier for you to insert an En dash (–) or Em dash (—) while typing anywhere in Windows. Going forward, pressing WIN + Minus (-) will insert En dash, and WIN + Shift + Minus (-) will insert Em dash. Note – if you have Magnifier running, WIN + Minus (-) will still zoom out Magnifier, rather than inserting an En dash.

[Windows Share]

• In the last few Dev and Beta flights, we have begun trying out the ability to pin your favorite apps in the Windows share window.

Up next we have the fixes gradually being rolled out to the Dev and Beta Channels with toggle on:

[Settings]

• Did some work to help improve performance of loading the apps list on the Apps > Installed apps page.
• Fixed an issue which was causing the new “Copy current user settings to the welcome screen and system accounts” under Time & Language > Language & Region option to crash Settings for some Insiders.

[Windows Hello]

• Did some work to address an issue where Windows Hello might recognize your face on the login screen, however it would still fail and then prompt you to enter your pin. If you continue experiencing issues, you may need to go to the Facial Recognition section under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options and select Improve recognition.

[Other]

• Did some underlying work to help improve performance when gaming with game bar or other overlays on top of your game. This may particularly help those with multiple monitors which have different refresh rates. As always, if you’re experiencing game performance issues, please file feedback including a trace of the issue, following these steps. Thanks Windows Insiders who’ve shared feedback so far!

Finally we have the known issues that Microsoft is working on:

[Recall]

• Windows Insiders in the EEA may hit in issue where Recall is not working correctly on their PCs after the most recent Dev and Beta Channel flights. To get back into a working state – please go to Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots > Advanced settings > Reset Recall and click “Reset Recall”.

[File Explorer]

• For some users, the Shared section in File Explorer Home may be visible even if there is no content to display.

[Settings]

• We’re working on the fix for an issue causing Settings > System > Storage > Temporary files is to get stuck when scanning files. This issue is also related to the previous Windows Installations section not showing on this page when it should.

[Xbox Controllers]

• Some Insiders are experiencing an issue where using their Xbox Controller via Bluetooth is causing their PC to bugcheck. Here is how to resolve the issue. Open Device Manager by searching for it via the search box on your taskbar. Once Device Manager is open, click on “View” and then “Devices by Driver”. Find the driver named “oemXXX.inf (XboxGameControllerDriver.inf)” where the “XXX” will be a specific number on your PC. Right-click on that driver and click “Uninstall”.

There is also a Snipping Tool update with the Beta build which adds a window mode screen recording. Microsoft writes:

"We are rolling out an update for Snipping Tool (version 11.2507.14.0 and higher) to Windows Insiders in the Beta and Release Preview Channels. In this update, we’re introducing window mode screen recording in Snipping Tool—an easy way to capture activity within a specific app window. To get started, toggle over to the Record option in the capture toolbar and click on the dropdown menu for Recording area to select window mode.

When you select window mode, Snipping Tool will automatically size the recording region to tightly match the app window you choose, making setup quick and precise. Once recording begins, however, the region remains fixed—so if the app moves or gets covered by another window, the recording won’t follow it. This gives you a simple, focused way to record what’s happening in a defined space on your screen, without needing to crop or adjust later."

You can find the official blog post here (Dev, Beta) on Microsoft"s official website.