[Updated] New Windows 10 Insider build brings changes to Power Menu and Timeline

Laurent Giret

Windows 10 Timeline

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Microsoft has just released the Windows 10 build 21359 for Insiders in the Dev Channel, which brings minor changes to Timeline and the Power Button in the Start Menu. Starting with this build, users with personal Microsoft accounts (MSA) will no longer be able to upload new activity in Timeline, though nothing changes for Timeline users with AAD accounts.

Timeline is a feature that launched with the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, giving Windows 10 users a look at all their currently running apps and past activities. Microsoft later added Timeline support to the Microsoft Launcher on Android, but that was deprecated back in September. The Windows Insider team has now clarified that Timeline is actually not going away and that “all your local activity history still remain on Windows 10.” The team also recommends users to check for recent web activities and recently used files in Microsoft Edge, OneDrive, and Office.

The other notable change in this build is a new option to restart apps after signing in under the Power menu in the Start Menu. The feature already exists in Windows 10 version 20H1 under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Restart apps, and using this new option under the Power menu will just toggle Restart apps in Settings.

The build 21359 also brings fixes for Auto HDR, Windows Update Settings, and Camera settings, and you can check the full list of changes and known issues below:

Changes and Improvements

  • We have added an option under the Power menu on the Start menu to restart apps after signing in when you reboot your device. When this setting is checked, it toggles the option under Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options > Restart apps we introduced in 20H1.
    • We have added an option under the Power menu on the Start menu to restart apps after signing in when you reboot your device.
  • If you have your activity history synced across your devices through your Microsoft account (MSA), you’ll no longer have the option to upload new activity in Timeline. AAD-connected accounts won’t be impacted. To view web history, Edge and other browsers have the option to look back at recent web activities. You can also view recently used files using OneDrive and Office. Note: Timeline and all your local activity history still remain on Windows 10.
  • We’re updating the Ease of Access category in Settings to now be called Accessibility.
  • We’re updating the Ebrima font to now support characters from Bamum (Unicode block U+A6A0 to U+A6FF).
  • We’re updating the Nirmala UI font family to improve how the Chakma characters are displayed when combined based on feedback.
  • Thank you to the Insiders who have taken the time to share feedback about the new version of our Korean IME. For the time being we will be reverting to the version included in previous releases.

Fixes

  • We fixed a bug that caused an issue when HDR was turned on, where the SDR content was being changed when the computer was locked or coming back from sleep.
  • We fixed the issue where in in some cases, Auto HDR might not correctly enable for all eligible titles. If you still run into trouble, please reach out to us via the Feedback Hub, on our Twitter (@DirectX12), or on the DirectX Discord.
  • We fixed the issue in the previous flight where in some cases user accounts were migrated during the upgrade, but the user profile was not. This issue would occur if a device was abruptly restarted during the upgrade process.
  • We fixed an issue where some cameras did not support adjustment in the Camera Settings page when the camera was also in use by another app.
  • We fixed an issue where the Camera Settings page was crashing on ARM devices.
  • We fixed an issue where Windows Update Settings might unexpectedly display two separate strings saying that updates are managed by your organization.
  • We fixed an issue where some non-managed devices were displaying “Some of these settings are hidden or managed by your organization” on the Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update page.
  • We fixed an issue impacting WSUS users where the “Check online for updates from Microsoft Update” option in Windows Update Settings was greyed out.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders noticing frequent crashes in wuauclt.exe.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in the window frames losing their shadows after locking and unlocking your PC.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in some users seeing an ms-resource:AppListName entry in the Start menu apps list because of the People app change to no longer be displayed in the app list.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in a toast notification appearing on top of the Action Center.
  • We fixed an issue in recent flights where the UI would hang if you quickly used the touchpad gesture to switch back and forth between Virtual Desktops.
  • We fixed an issue impacting the ability to use Miracast with some devices in recent builds.
  • We fixed an issue that could result in the network connection on certain device and ethernet configurations getting stuck in an “Identifying…” state recently.
  • We fixed an issue where after upgrading to recent builds you couldn’t connect using remote desktop until you rebooted your PC.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in the brightness controls behaving erratically on some devices in recent builds.
  • We fixed an issue impacting some Insiders when playing certain full screen games in recent builds, resulting in the frame rate being unexpectedly lowered. If you continue experiencing issues in this space, please log feedback following the steps here.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in some games crashing on launch when Auto HDR was enabled.
  • We fixed an issue for certain devices that could result in the screen going black with only the mouse visible. If you continue experiencing black screen issues after upgrading, please press WIN + CTRL + Shift + B and then report it in the Feedback Hub under Display and Graphics > Black Screen, including as many details as possible.
  • We fixed an issue resulting in certain videos displaying distorted and pixelated in recent builds.
  • We fixed an issue where some devices received “The follow things need your attention…” error messages when attempting to install a new build.
  • We fixed an issue where getting and setting your international settings wasn’t working with PowerShell 7.1.
  • We fixed an issue where updates to your language list using the PowerShell commands wouldn’t be synced to your other devices if you had syncing enabled.
  • We fixed a race condition when using the Pinyin IME that could result in no longer being able to type in certain apps (until restarting the app) if you rapidly typed and selected IME candidates.
  • We fixed the issue impacting the migration of shortcuts into the new Windows Tools location where This PC shows up with the display name “computer.”
  • [ADDED] We fixed the issue where virtual GPU was broken for Windows and Linux guests.

Known issues

  • We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
  • [News and interests] Pressing ESC key to dismiss an opened context menu in the flyout dismisses the whole flyout instead.
  • [News and interests] Sometimes the news and interests flyout cannot be dismissed with pen.
  • [ARM64] Insiders who installed the preview version of the Qualcomm Adreno graphics driver on the Surface Pro X may experience reduced brightness of the display. This issue is fixed with an updated version of the preview graphics driver at https://aka.ms/x64previewdriverprox. If you are experiencing this issue, please see the feedback collection for more information.
  • We’re investigating an issue where elements of Search (including the search box in File Explorer) are no longer displaying correctly in dark theme.
  • Some non-administrative apps, such as 3D Viewer and Print 3D, that were previously in the Windows Accessories folder are now in Windows Tools. These app shortcuts will be moved back into Start with an upcoming bug fix. They are still searchable and accessible via Windows Tools in the meantime.
  • The Windows Camera App currently does not respect the default brightness setting set via the new Camera Settings page.
  • Accessing the virtual GPU is broken for Windows and Linux guests, adding a vGPU to a VM will have no effect and the VM will continue running with software rendering. FIXED.
  • Theme-aware splash screens are not visible in this build. A fix is coming to re-enable this in a future flight.
  • Split screen mode for Auto HDR does not work in this build; please look to the next build for a fix.
  • We’re working on a fix for an issue causing some USB attached printers to no longer work after upgrading to Build 21354 and higher.
  • We’re working on a fix resulting in WSL users finding that File Explorer launch performance regressed after upgrading to Build 21354 and higher.

The Windows Insider team didn’t explain why Timeline was losing some functionality for personal MSA accounts in this build. Timeline launched as a promising expansion of the existing Task View, but it never really evolved into a killer Windows 10 feature. If it’s pretty easy to ignore the Timeline button in the Windows 10 Taskbar, and Microsoft is currently testing a much more visible News and interests feature in the taskbar that could ship with Windows 10 version 21H1 later this year. Starting with the build 21359, news and interests on the taskbar is available for all Insiders in the Dev Channel.

Update 11:40PM PT: The Windows Insider team has updated its post to clarify that Timeline is not going away, and that News and interests in the taskbar is now available for all Dev Channel Insiders. We’ve updated our post to reflect that.