Windows 11 tests phone controls and privacy updates in separate builds

Microsoft began rolling out phone controls and internet speed tests inside Windows 11’s Quick Settings on October 23, as part of five new Insider builds. The company’s announcement assigns those features to Experimental build 26340.9767. Its broader batch of previews divides other interface changes and fixes among different Windows development branches.

The distinction matters after updating a PC. Individual privacy controls for desktop applications are documented for the separate Experimental 26H1 build. The five announcements explain which testers should look for each change, and which problems Microsoft says it has addressed.

What the new phone controls actually do

Microsoft names three everyday Android controls: switch on Do Not Disturb, change the ringer mode, or make the phone play a sound to locate it nearby. Initial iPhone support focuses on status, with fewer controls. Available capabilities depend on the phone platform and device configuration.

The Experimental release notes tell testers to open Mobile devices from Quick Settings. A connected phone can show its battery status and available controls there; Windows offers setup assistance if the phone is not connected.

Internet speed tests can start through the new Speed test control, the Wi-Fi or Cellular panel, or the network icon’s context menu. Progress and results appear inside Quick Settings, including download speed, upload speed and ping. The change brings an existing Insider speed-test experience into the Windows panel, avoiding a browser redirect.

The build also lets Microsoft 365 subscribers who have disabled recurring billing turn it back on inside Windows, through Settings Home, Accounts or Start. Other changes include filtering feature flags by enablement state, a toggle for the Windows key + Plus shortcut that launches Magnifier, and clearer loading progress when File Explorer opens slow locations. Narrator gains math reading in eight additional languages. Microsoft also fixes two problems introduced by the previous update: the shell failing to start after sign-in, leaving the taskbar missing, and incorrect messages saying a password was wrong.

Five builds, five different sets of changes

Microsoft’s Flight Hub records all five releases on October 23. The matrix combines its branch labels and build numbers with the changes described in each release note. Match both identifiers when checking an announcement: the two Beta rows, for example, refer to different Windows versions even though they share a channel name.

The platform labels explain that split. Flight Hub describes 26H1 as a release supporting specific silicon, rather than a feature update for 25H2, and says customers need take no action. Future Platforms builds are not aligned to a retail Windows release. A higher build number therefore does not identify a universal upgrade path for every Windows 11 PC.

Desktop-app permissions change in the 26H1 experiment

In build 28120.3302, desktop apps gain individual camera, microphone and location permissions under Privacy & security. Existing decisions and enterprise policies remain intact. Apps requesting a previously unaccessed resource prompt on first use. Shared components can produce unexpected app names; unverifiable publisher details can leave an app marked Unsigned.

Start adds small and large sizes alongside Automatic, renames Recommended to Recent, and gains separate Pinned, Recent and All visibility switches. Profile details can be hidden. Magnifier gains independent zoom on extended displays and viewport locking. A new Cloud Rebuild entry appears under Settings > System > Recovery, giving the existing recovery feature another access point.

Beta focuses on the menu people right-click

The 25H2 Beta build, 26220.9757, centers on File Explorer’s context menu. Microsoft says its redesign reduces clutter at the top level while keeping common actions accessible. A new settings experience controls what appears in the menu, and a first-use teaching tip introduces the customization options. The practical choice is what to keep close when working with files: a menu with fewer competing actions, shaped around the ones a user regularly needs.

Microsoft is still refining that design through Insider feedback. Testers can open Feedback Hub with Windows plus F and use Files, Folders, and Online Storage > File Explorer to report their experience. The build also includes work on Settings Home loading times, with improvements expected in some scenarios; Microsoft supplies no benchmark figure. The release notes warn that unfinished features may not yet be fully localized, so language issues remain another useful area for testers to report.

Text support improves, with a Recall limitation

The smaller Beta 26H1 update, 28020.3292, adds text shaping for Unicode 17. Microsoft identifies 4,803 newly encoded characters and four scripts: Beria Erfe, Sidetic, Tai Yo and Tolong Siki. This is a change to how Windows displays and shapes text, with particular relevance to documents containing those writing systems. It is distinct from announcing a new keyboard layout or translating the full Windows interface into another language.

Its known-issues section deserves attention before a clean installation. Recall may be missing or fail to launch on some Copilot+ PCs after that process, and Microsoft says it is working on a resolution. The Experimental 26H1 and Future Platforms notes carry the same warning. The affected setup matters: the notice concerns some Copilot+ PCs undergoing a clean install, rather than every PC receiving an update. No fix date accompanies the notice.

Future Platforms addresses internet and virtual-machine faults

The Future Platforms build, 29695.1001, addresses problems that could matter more immediately to affected testers than another interface control. Microsoft says it fixes internet access stopping after the previous two flights. A separate correction restores access to Windows-host folders shared through Plan9 with HCS-managed Linux virtual machines, where folders could be missing or inaccessible inside the guest.

Another fix targets frequent VMware green-screen crashes with the PFN_SHARE_COUNT error. Microsoft also addresses unexpectedly high volumes of ESENT events. Those concrete symptoms help testers connect a reported failure with the relevant correction. Family Safety receives clearer messaging when age restrictions block an app, while Windows setup supplies better information about parental controls.

Magnifier adds a contrast-theme toggle that changes interface colors while preserving photographs, videos and charts. It applies a dark theme by default, with the choice adjustable in Accessibility settings. Existing color inversion remains available separately. That gives users a way to reduce glare without altering the colors in the material they are viewing.

What to watch

The October 23 announcement gives no date for the next branch releases or general availability of the phone controls. Watch for expanded eligibility and a resolution to the clean-install Recall issue.

Microsoft’s rollout guidance also explains why a build number alone cannot confirm that every feature is enabled: controlled rollouts can introduce changes to groups of devices in stages. A feature arriving for one tester is therefore a signal to check the relevant release notes, rather than proof of a completed rollout. For a wider release, Microsoft says it documents new features through build and KB numbers and its Windows release-health communications. Those official entries will provide a firmer availability checkpoint than assuming that the next monthly update includes these experiments.