Windows 11 Build 22449 beta update brings new loading animation and other improvements

According to the development plan, while working hard to improve the first official release version of Windows 11, Microsoft is also preparing for another development branch scheduled to arrive in the second half of 2022.

But now, Insider testers have ushered in the Windows 11 Build 22449 compiled version of the development channel. Windows Latest points out that this is also the first test version of an active development branch called Nickel internally by the company.

If your device meets the minimum requirements of Dev Channel, you can see a new patch named Windows 11 Insider Preview 22449.1000 (rs_prerelease), the compiled version number is higher than the preview version received by the existing Dev/Beta. If all goes well, some of the features and improvements contained in this new version will be officially delivered to users in the Windows 11 22H2 (codename Copper) version released in the second half of 2022.

According to a periodic table of elements randomly pulled from Wikipedia, the Windows 11 development team chose to use different elements to refer to different development branches.

  • Windows 11 Version 21H2 (released on October 5th) = Cobalt (Co).
  • Windows 11 Nickel (Ni) development branch-no specific version has been referred to.
  • Windows 11 Version 22H2 (released in October next year) = Copper (Cu).

As for the features and improvements in Windows 11 Build 22449, the first update of the Nickel branch will directly affect SMB compression behavior. SMB compression is a feature that allows companies/applications to request compressed files when transferring files over the network.

At present, this function can compress the first 500 MiB of the file during transmission, but if the compressible amount is less than 100 MiB, it will stop working. The good news is that with the update launched today, Microsoft will always try to compress the rest of the file.

Interestingly, Microsoft is also experimenting with a progressive loop animation that caters to the new WinUI design style to replace the current circle animation on the loading screen. Similar improvements will soon be extended to other areas of the operating system.

In terms of audio, Windows 11 Build 22449 also added some adjustments to the startup sound. After applying the subscription update, Windows will no longer play the startup audio, and the device will restart when it is not actively used.

The notification center has also ushered in some small improvements, notification entries will have a blurred background. If you right-click on the Bluetooth icon in the quick settings panel, you will now also jump to the main settings window. In terms of visual design, the application now looks a bit floating and separated.

The following are several other improvements brought by Windows 11 Build 22449:

  • The rounded corner UI design has been extended to the Windows sandbox dialog.
  • The focus assistant in the notification center has been updated to improve accessibility.
  • When you modify the time format or add other clocks, the calendar pop-up window will automatically update.
  • When the taskbar is fixed across multiple monitors, Explorer.exe has become more reliable.
  • When searching for angry and sad Emoji in the emoji panel, angry Emoji will no longer pop up in the suggestion box.
  • Fixed multiple crashes or deadlocks when accessing the Start, Search and Emoji panels.
  • Update the Input> Touch Keyboard page in the Settings app to include a link to a personalized page.

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