The Windows 11 update brings new AI capabilities to Copilot, widget improvements, and more

Windows 11 has received a new March 2024 update that will bring new features and major improvements to supported PCs, laptops, and workstations. Microsoft announced the long list of features on Thursday and said the update has started rolling out to users. However, not all features will be available immediately, with new Copilot features coming later this month. Some of the notable features include improvements to Widgets, new skills for the artificial intelligence (AI)-based chatbot Copilot, and new features for multiple apps.

Announcing new features through Windows blogYusuf Mehdi, executive vice president, chief marketing officer for consumers at Microsoft emphasized that Copilot’s features are based on Introduction on the Copilot key on keyboards powering Windows PCs since earlier this year. He also said that Snap, Widgets and Inking are getting big upgrades.

Copilot is getting new plugins that will let it perform tasks like making restaurant reservations through OpenTable and ordering groceries through Instacart. Support for Shopify, Klarna and Kayak will also be added in the coming months. Besides plugins, Copilot can do more. By simply typing a prompt, users can have it turn on battery saver mode, start Narrator, empty the trash, launch the screen magnifier, show available Wi-Fi networks, and more. These features will be delivered at the end of March.

Windows 11 will also bring new AI upgrades for creativity apps. Generative Erase is introduced in the Photos app, which can remove unwanted objects or imperfections from images. This works similarly to the way the AI ​​feature on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series and the Google Pixel 8 series. Another improvement comes to ClipChamp, which will now be able to remove awkward silences in audio recordings.

One really interesting feature added through this update will allow users to use their Android smartphone as a webcam for video calling. This will require a smartphone running Android 9 or higher, and it must be paired with a Windows app running version 1.24012 or higher. This feature is currently rolling out to Windows Insiders for testing. Improvements to Widgets and the Snap layout feature are also coming. Users will have more control over Widgets and will be able to create their own boards based on their preferences. Snap is also getting smarter and will remember user preferences for apps and quickly organize them accordingly.

Finally, an accessibility feature is also added. Users can now create custom tasks and add voice shortcuts for them, enabling more effective spoken commands. Some of these tasks include pasting text and media, pressing keyboard keys or mouse clicks, opening folders, files, applications or URLs, and more.