I updated my Dev Channel PCs to the latest build recently. And, as reported at WindowsLatest, the Settings app gets a few interesting new wrinkles. Chief among these changes, Build 22543 brings new Battery info into System → Power & battery → Battery. You can see for yourself what it looks like in the lead-in graphic.

The most obvious feature is a time series chart of battery levels. Mine’s a boring 100% across the board, because this test PC stays plugged in via a Thunderbolt/USB-C dock that delivers 85W of charging power. BTW, the dock also delivers multiple USB-C and USB 3.2 ports, GbE, dual HDMI, and an audio jack port as well.

If Build 22543 Brings New Battery Info, Check It Out!

While Battery & Power (shown above) is the most obvious change to settings, I see minor tweaks throughout. Fonts and layout show minor changes (check out the Display info on PCs with multiple displays). The contrasts with earlier Windows 11 versions are minor, but compared to Windows 10 you can readily see Settings is slowly but surely getting a major makeover.

FWIW, I like what I see. Overall, Windows 11 Settings screens seem cleaner, more streamlined and modern than their Win10 counterparts. Looks also like “Add device” capabilities in Settings (Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Add device) are ramping up. It’s not hard to see the old-fashioned “Devices and Printers” facility fading away in its wake.

The Increasing Pace of (Settings) Change

We’ve known for years that MS is working its way into Settings and away from the old-fashioned Control Panel. It will still be a while before that changeover is complete, but its evidence is everywhere. I hope I can learn where things are, and how they work well enough to remain productive before the old gives way completely to the new.

Whatever happens along the way there’s no doubt it will be an adventure. Stay tuned, and I’ll do my best to provide some hopefully useful info and guidance.

Last Thursday (Jan 27) I wrote about speculations that upcoming updates planned for February might come as an “Experience Pack.” Over the weekend,  Paul Thurrott opined on another missed Windows 11 Experience update. Preview Update for Windows 11 (KB5008353) includes settings changes for the logged-in Windows user’s account. It’s called “Your Microsoft Account.”

What Makes This Another Missed Windows 11 Experience Update?

In his story, Thurrott observes — and quotes from — an October 2021 announcement. Therein, MS promised changes for “Your Microsoft Account” in Settings.  They would arrive via upcoming Online Service Experience Packs. Ha! Not happening yet, apparently. The first such change appeared in KB5008353 on January 25 in a conventional CU.

But it’s just a small incremental change. Other changes should follow. Perhaps one of them might will arrive in an Experience Pack? In the MS October item, the newly reworked YMA looks like this (mine is the lead-in graphic for this story):

Here’s what MS promised in October; what I see on my test PC appears as the lead graphic above [Click to see full-sized].

Yet Again, I’m Not an Early Arriver

This may be another gradual feature rollout. And apparently, I’m not in the first group of recipients. My “Your Microsoft Account” still remains unchanged. Aside from being unsurprised, I’m curious to see how long it takes for the new feature to make its way into general distribution. Stay tuned: I’ll keep you posted.

And remember, there’s always something odd or interesting going on here in Windows World. This is the kind of thing that keeps me intrigued and engaged. Thus: never a dull moment here at Chez Tittel. Thanks also to Mr. Thurrott for bringing this missed opportunity to my attention. Good stuff!

The latest Dev Channel version of Windows 11 showed up on my test PCs yesterday. That means I was slow on the uptake: its announcement blog is dated January 12 (Tuesday). Be that as it may, that blog post claims that “new flyouts [for volume, brightness, and more] will appear when you press the volume or brightness keys on your laptop.” Alas, I see no 22533 Dev Channel flyouts here on either of my test machines. Instead, I see only the same old “flyout panel at right” shown below. The “new look” appears as the lead-in graphic for this story, courtesy of the afore-linked 22533 announcement.

Alas, I’m still stuck on the old response to clicking the volume icon in taskbar.

If No 22533 Dev Channel Flyouts Here, Then What?

Wait and hope for this to show up on my machines, I guess. MS doesn’t specifically SAY this is a gradual rollout. But the absence of this feature on both PCs certainly suggests that’s the case. I have to laugh: once again I’m on the slow end of the rollout as a nifty new feature shows up. I guess I should be grateful MS shared an image of what I would be able to see, were I lucky enough to have this capability on my own test PCs. All and I can say is, sigh, and sigh again.

That’s the way things go sometimes, here in Windows-World. This is neither the first time I’ve been left out of a gradual rollout — if indeed that’s what it is. And I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last time, either. I’m curious to see what kind of response my experience will engender when I post this info to the WIMVP Teams channel. Maybe I’m doing something wrong, and there’ll be an easy fix. If so, count on me to report back. In the meantime, stay tuned!

The Fix Is In: Push the Physical Button, Doofus!

I heard back pretty much immediately from Brandon LeBlanc on the Insider Team. Seems this flyout REQUIRES a physical corresponding button (volume, brightness, etc) on the PC in use. And presto (pun intended), as soon as I did that, it worked. So much for my “hurt feelings” at not being included. I just had to push the right button and it worked right away. Go figure — and while you’re doing that, indulge in a chuckle at my expense. It was all there in black and white: I just misunderstood.