Microsoft announced today that the company has started rolling out the long-awaited Windows 11 update that introduces some new AI features. Like many of the previous second-half releases, this includes some fundamental changes to how Windows operates.
For the past few months, Stardock has been diligently evaluating our applications like Start11 v2 and Fences 5 to make sure that they are fully functional with these changes. You may have noticed that we have been shipping more updates recently, while not always directly related to 24H2, it was part of our effort to make sure that when the new Windows release hits your device, your applications are ready.
And this includes Groupy 2 as well, which has one additional fix that addresses some text clarity when used in conjunction with File Explorer – you can find this new release in the beta channel.
Microsoft has an extensive post detailing what is new but many of the updates relate to new AI features detailed below:
- Click to Do – Microsoft’s answer to “Circle to Search”, this feature is part of snipping tool that allows you to select items in an image or text and turn it into a search query, blur backgrounds, erase objects and extract text.
- Recall – The controversial feature that makes it easier to find what was open on your desktop will start testing with ARM-based devices this month and Intel/AMD devices next month; Microsoft is also overhauling the security and storage of this feature.
- Photos – A new “Super resolution” feature lets you upscale any image with the power of AI.
And there is a lot more to this release than AI tools including an improved security baseline and additional improvements to the update process. While the consumer features will grab all the headlines, it's these under-the-hood updates that will continue to improve the OS to be more resilient and reliable.
Our ability to make sure our applications are ready for new builds of Windows is thanks to our community. With 24H2, we frequently run our applications through various testing flows with each Insider release, but nothing truly beats the feedback we receive from readers like you. Many of the new additions to our applications are based directly from the feedback we receive, if you haven’t joined yet, you can find us on Discord and in our forums.