According to The Verge, Windows chief Panos Panay has outlined the changes to Windows 11 in a blog post today, and they seem to be part of Windows 11's first big update.
Improvements to the taskbar include a mute and unmute feature and the ability to show a clock on secondary monitors. Both of them were missing at the launch of Windows 11, but Microsoft is working on improving the taskbar to bring back missing functions like drag and drop.
Microsoft started testing last month with the weather widget returning to the taskbar in Windows 11 next month. The company would also redesign its Notepad and Media Player apps, and both of them include dark modes and design tweaks that match Windows 11.
The biggest new addition will be Android apps on Windows 11. Panay said the feature will still be in beta when it's widely available next month.
Microsoft first tested for Android apps on Windows 11 with testers in October, and the feature allows users to install a limited number of apps from Amazon's Appstore. There are a number of workarounds to get the Google Play Store running on Windows 11 but Microsoft isn't officially supporting this.
Panay shared a number of stats about how important Windows has become over the past couple of years. Windows 10 and Windows 11 now run on 1.4 billion devices each month, and the PC market has seen strong growth throughout the pandemic.
As we reflect on what's driving the shift in PC demand and usage, we see three enduring trends: the rise in hybrid work and learning, shifts in entertainment habits and distribution models, and changing consumer habits for everyday tasks, said Panay.
Microsoft says that it has seen a 6 x increase in people using apps like Cisco WebEx, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. Microsoft Teams and other video call apps will be easier to share next month's Windows 11 update.