Smartphone integration in the start menu is being postponed

Microsoft has surprisingly announced the postponement of the availability of some recently announced innovations for the most recently released pre-release versions of Windows 11. The insider testers now have to wait longer, although Microsoft has not yet announced any dates.

Two changes postponed indefinitely

Anyone who is part of the Insider program for Windows 11 as a tester can actually get a new one since the end of last week with build 22631.4387 for the release preview channel of Windows 11 23H2 and build 26100.2152 for the release preview channel of Windows 11 24h2 Download a preview version of the operating system, with which Microsoft has introduced some additional innovations.

However, there appear to be problems with one or two new features in the two most recent release preview builds, which is why Microsoft has now postponed the roll-out. In the case of the latest release preview of Windows 11 23H2 and 24H2, this applies, among other things, to the planned support for quick access to the content and functions of a smartphone connected via Phone Link via the start menu.

Quick access to (Android) smartphones

It was originally intended that users of the release previews who have linked their smartphone to the PC via Phone Link should have the opportunity to view the battery charge level and the connection status of their smartphone in the start menu. Quick access to voice messages, calls and photos should also be possible via the start menu.

In addition, you should actually be able to continue tasks that were started on your smartphone on your PC by selecting them in the start menu. This is initially only planned for Android smartphones, with corresponding support for iOS devices also planned later. The rollout of this innovation in the release previews has now been stopped, with Microsoft in its updated Blog entries to the builds only says that the introduction should take place “at a later date”. A specific date was not given.

The company is also silent on the reasons for the postponement. In the latest release preview of Windows 11 23H2, in addition to the mobile device integration in the start menu, there is another innovation that has been postponed. The changed menus for configuring advertising measures (“Personalized Offers”), which were affected during the setup process when installing Windows, are also affected here.