The Microsoft Insider team seems to be getting back in the groove and their weekly preview build update schedule. Just a week after debuting build 14926, Microsoft has today released a new Windows 10 preview build for insiders in the fast ring. This build doesn’t bring with it any noticable new features, but there are some minor app updates accompanied with support for texting via Skype and USB Audio 2.0.
Today’s build #14931 comes in tow with an updated Feedback Hub, which is an integral app for Insiders testing the preview builds. This update adds some much requested features, including a dark mode, details of the original author alongside the feedback, and a settings page to the application. To enable the dark mode, just go to the newly introduced setting page.
In addition to this, the Maps app has now been updated and lets you check the traffic to your home or work locations at any time by tapping the Traffic icon in the app bar. This will help you stay on top of road traffic conditions along your route, by showing your most recently viewed traffic cameras. The Maps app also brings with it the preference to choose a light or dark mode based on your system settings. You now also have the option to choose the map theme as well(I like the dark maps, shown below!)
If you’ve been a Windows 10 Insider for long, then you’d remember that Microsoft had previously nixxed the ‘Messaging Everywhere’ feature saying that it will bring it back with a streamlined Skype Preview. Well, the wait is now over as the updated Skype is here and it brings with the functionality to send/receive SMS and MMS messages directly from a Windows 10 PC. You’ll just to set Skype as your default messaging app on your Windows 10 Mobile phone.
This build also adds native support for USB Audio 2.0 devices with an inbox class driver — an early version that doesn’t have all the features enabled. You can currently experiment with the driver and only playback(render) audio, while recording(capture) support is scheduled to arrive in later iterations.
Microsoft has also fixed blackscreen issues caused during signing out and switching to another user account. They’ve also fixed an issue causing built-in apps such as Calculator, Alarms & Clock, and Voice Recorder to not work after updating to a new build.
Known Issues
Alongside updates and improvement in each preview build iteration, we also have some known issues and bugs that make their way into the code. Here’s a complete list, as it appears in the official blogpost:
- While using Narrator and Groove Music, if you navigate to the progress bar while a song is playing then Narrator will continually speak the progress of the song e.g. update with the current time of the progress bar every second. The result is you will be unable to listen to the song or hear any other control you navigate to.
- Oracle VM VirtualBox will crash on launch after upgrading to this build.
- Optional components may not work after upgrading to this build. To get it working again, go to “Turn Windows features on or off”, scroll down and check the right optional component and click ok. After a reboot, the optional component will be enabled again.
- For keyboard users, using tab to navigate the Settings app will not work in this build. The arrow keys should work as a temporary workaround.
- Tencent apps and games will cause your PC to bugcheck (bluescreen).
