Microsoft made available Windows 10 build 21277 in the Dev Channel, and while the company did not reveal any new significant changes, the flight hides several features that the company plans to make available in the next feature update of Windows 10.
According to various Tweets from @thebookisclosed (Albacore), build 21277 ships with at least six noteworthy features and changes for the Settings app, including archive apps, Timeline with location awareness for activities, new battery usage statistics, more taskbar settings, new camera settings page, and new storage settings to free up space.
Battery usage statistics
Microsoft is planning to update the Battery settings page with a new statics page that includes battery usage in the last 24 hours and 7 days. The graph shows the battery level at different hours of the day, and it shows other details, such as the time the screen was on, off, and sleep.
Camera settings
The “Camera” page is new in the Devices section, and it will include the settings to configure cameras as well as the ability to add network cameras. According to the screenshots, you will be able to disable the device and configure basic settings, such as rotation, brightness, and contrast.
This is another screenshot of the settings you can configure for a webcam:
Taskbar settings
Currently, to show or hide Task View, Windows Ink Workspace, and touch keyboard buttons or configure the search box behavior, you need to open the taskbar context menu. In the next feature update, Microsoft seems to be planning to bring these options to the “Taskbar” settings page.
Timeline with activity location awareness
On Windows 10, Timeline is a feature that allows you resume activities you were working in the past across devices. In the feature update that is expected to rollout in 2021 may also include the ability to show you the location you were working on certain activities. Also, using Cortana location services on your phone, Windows 10 will also be able to display the location for activities as well.
Archive apps option
Archive apps is a feature meant to archive apps you do not use to save space and internet data, and the next time you open the app, it will download it again from the Microsoft Store. The feature is not entirely new, it was spotted on build 20201, but then it was removed from the operating system.
User cleanup recommendations feature
The Storage settings page is also expected to receive a new “User cleanup recommendations,” which is a feature that allows the operating system to surface files and apps you may want to consider removing to clean up space on the hard drive. This feature has been available before, but it was removed from the Insider builds.
Although these new features are not officially available, they give us a glimpse of some of the enhancements that Microsoft is planning for the next major feature release of Windows 10, which is expected to release in the fall of 2021, after a minor service pack update in the spring.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].