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Windows 11 taskbar is getting fixed (but not in a hurry)
Windows 11 is receiving further attention in terms of ironing out bugs with the taskbar, and there’s been some fresh buzz from the grapevine suggesting that a major change to drag and drop functionality won’t appear until late in 2022.
Windows Latest pointed out that the major development in the works requested by many – the ability to drag and drop apps onto the taskbar, to swiftly and easily create shortcuts to the most commonly used programs – is still underway as previously rumored, with Microsoft testing the feature internally.
The word from sources at Microsoft is that this capability will come to preview builds in a few months, but won’t arrive in the release version of Windows 11 until later in 2022 – it’ll come as part of the 22H2 update.
This aside, Microsoft is also busy on minor fixes for the taskbar, and that includes resolving an issue whereby the battery icon tooltip sometimes mistakenly shows a charge level above 100%. This fix has been applied with the latest preview build 22523 (which emerged a couple of weeks back), and so it should be delivered in a cumulative update soon enough.
Other taskbar bug squashing in that preview build includes fixing an issue where app icons could overlap with the date and time display on secondary monitors, and the solution for a gremlin with ARM64-powered PCs which caused the taskbar’s core UI (search box, Start menu) to become unresponsive.
Analysis: Microsoft dragging (and dropping) its heels – but better late than never
The Windows 11 taskbar has drawn a lot of criticism for some of the changes made by Microsoft in terms of options for tweaking this part of the UI, and in particular losing the drag and drop functionality which is a simple and core part of the Windows experience, let’s face it.
As to the timeframe of the potential return of this feature – and remember, this is just rumored, and only the plans apparently underway at Microsoft currently (which could presumably change) – it’s a little disappointing that we may not get drag and drop back until much later in 2022, in theory.
That said, remember that there isn’t a 22H1 update, as Windows 11 has dropped to a once-per-year cadence for delivering major upgrades, but it’s a long wait until what could be September or October 2022 (or possibly even later) for this feature to make its much-requested return.
We had hoped that maybe Microsoft could squeeze this move in with some kind of a feature pack update beforehand – or online service pack as the company has renamed these with Windows 11 – but it seems not, and drag and drop will only be in testing when it comes to the near-term future.
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Date
28 Dec 2021Sources
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You can already use Google's Play Store in Windows 11 – here's how
Read MoreRunning Android apps in Windows 11 through Amazon was brought to the Insider program last week, and already a developer has unlocked Google’s Play Store for you to run any apps on Microsoft’s operating system instead.
While you can currently run apps from Amazon’s Android Store, you were limited to what was available on there, compared to the thousands of apps on Google’s store.
From games to productivity tools, and other social media apps, there’s thousands to choose from to run on your laptop or tablet, thanks to a guide that the developer has released over the weekend.
However, the benefits of what a larger app store could bring to Windows 11 may show greater opportunities to both Microsoft and Google in the future if users embrace Android on their Windows 11 devices.
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How did this happen?
A developer by the name of ADeltaX on Twitter has been documenting their efforts in getting the Play Store to work, and over the weekend they achieved it.
The YouTube tutorial they give is easy to follow, and you’ll be able to run your Android apps alongside Paint, Snipping Tool and other Windows 11 apps in no time.
But we should state that this may not be available for long, as Microsoft will most likely revoke access to the store. Currently, the only way to use Android apps will be through the Microsoft Store and the library of Amazon’s App Store.
However, this does open up the avenue for games and productivity apps to be used on tablets and laptops alike running Windows 11 that aren’t available through Amazon.
Analysis: A Tale of Two App Cities
It’s no secret that the Google Play Store is less regulated than Apple’s App Store when it comes to the types of apps available to install. From emulators that can run consoles from years ago, to ports of games that are unauthorized by the teams behind the originals.
Being able to run these on your Windows 11 device is going to be a tempting prospect to many. There’s around 60,000 apps available on Amazon’s Store, compared to over three million apps on the Google Play Store. With games, media apps and other categories available to download compared to what’s on Amazon’s store, it may tip the scales as to what users want to install on their machine.
pic.twitter.com/c8ZxkmdJ4ROctober 22, 2021
But it could also bring an added benefit where Microsoft and Google partner up and make this method official in the future. Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella has been a big proponent of making Windows and the company’s other apps as a service on other devices, so this only makes sense.
Especially when the Surface Duo 2 is running Android, there’s no obvious disadvantage here for both companies.
However, it may be a question of waiting to see how users around the world will react to Android apps in the Microsoft Store, and if there will be enough of a positive reception for a partnership to occur.
But regardless, it’s an interesting time to see the worlds of Microsoft and Google collide. It will ultimately be up to users if they want to see more of their favorite Android apps on Windows 11 devices soon.
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Via Windows Latest
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One of the best Google Chrome features is getting an upgrade
Read MoreJuggling multiple tasks, windows and displays at work could soon be a lot easier thanks to a new update coming to Google Chrome.
The browser is set to upgrade its picture-in-picture mode to include non-video content for the first time, giving a boost to those who love having multiple windows open at once.
Google Chrome is reportedly working on the upgrade, codenamed PIP 2.0, now, with a plan to support embedded content such as audio feeds or image galleries while the users continues browsing.
PIP 2.0 on Chrome
Although more commonly used for entertainment and sports viewing, Google Chrome clearly thinks picture-in-picture can also be an incredibly handy workplace tool, allowing users more options for viewing different kinds of content.
In a Chromium blog post, Google explained that PIP 2.0 is part of a series for "the new picture-in-picture v2 feature that allows always-on-top windows with arbitrary content".
A separate Google developer document addressing the feature adds that, "Picture-in-Picture V2 will include a new web api that is still under discussion." This new Chrome code will “hide the window frame and location bar (after a timeout) when the [PiP] window loses focus” but also be able to add it again when the focus is regained.
“The promise will allow a clearer async API and would offer a way to expose that interactive isn’t supported by the platform,” the Google Chrome engineers noted.
“When Picture-in-Picture is requested and the window is displayed we will copy the requested element to the body of the new window."
There are also concerns around security, with the engineers adding that the tool could possibly be used to impersonate system UI. "Therefore, we will ensure the UX of the Picture-in-Picture window is distinct enough by adding a border (and maybe an indicator of the origin)," they note, adding that trusted UI such as permission prompts and autofill will also be disabled, with regular keyboard events also removed to reduce the attack surface.
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Via WindowsLatest
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