Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1619 – What the Canary Channel Is Adding
The latest Canary drop brings a handful of quality‑of‑life tweaks that go beyond the usual under‑the‑hood polish. This rundown shows which new bits actually matter for everyday use, where feedback is still welcome, and how to get the most out of the fresh features without digging through endless settings pages.
Cross‑Device Resume
Microsoft finally expands the resume handshake that first appeared in the May 2025 update (KB5058499). The feature now works with a broader set of Android brands—Honor, Oppo, Samsung, Vivo, and Xiaomi—and can pull files opened in the Copilot app straight into the matching Microsoft 365 desktop program. If the appropriate Office app isn’t installed, the file falls back to the default browser.
- You can start drafting a PowerPoint on a phone during a commute and finish polishing slides at the desk without manually emailing the file.
- Limitation: offline‑only files stay on the phone; there’s no automatic sync for those yet.
A handful of Insiders reported that the resume link occasionally drops when their phone switches from Wi‑Fi to 5G mid‑transfer. Filing a quick note in Feedback Hub (Win + F Devices and Drivers Linked Phone) helps Microsoft track those edge cases.
Narrator Customization
Narrator now lets users decide which UI elements get spoken and in what order. The new panel lives under Settings Accessibility Narrator, where you can toggle “announce control type,” “read shortcut keys,” or “skip decorative text.”
- Reducing redundant speech cuts down on cognitive load for screen‑reader users, especially when navigating dense menus.
- Tip: after changing the order, run a short test in any app to confirm the new flow matches your mental model.
Windows Hello – Peripheral Fingerprint Support
Enhanced Sign‑in Security (ESS) is no longer limited to built‑in sensors. Plugging in a supported external fingerprint reader now triggers the same high‑assurance login experience on desktops and Copilot+ machines. Enable it via Settings Accounts Sign‑in options “Set up” under Enhanced sign‑in security.
- Laptops that lost their built‑in sensor after a drop can be revived with an inexpensive USB reader without sacrificing the extra protection ESS provides.
Voice Typing – “Wait Time Before Acting”
Voice typing gains a delay slider ranging from 0.1 seconds (instant) to 3.0 seconds (very long). The option appears in Settings Time & language Speech Voice typing.
- Users who speak slowly or pause for thought can avoid premature command execution, which previously led to stray punctuation or unintended formatting.
Voice Access – Streamlined Setup
The onboarding wizard now automatically pulls the correct speech model for the selected language, prompts you to pick a default microphone, and shows a quick demo of common commands. The whole flow takes under a minute compared with the multi‑step process in earlier builds.
- Fewer clicks mean less friction for anyone trying out voice‑only navigation on a low‑spec PC.
Settings Agent Language Expansion
The multilingual Settings Agent now covers German, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Spanish (Spain and Mexico), Korean, Japanese, Hindi, Italian, and Simplified Chinese. The agent powers contextual help bubbles throughout the Settings app, so non‑English users get native‑language guidance without leaving the UI.
General – Refreshed SCOOBE Screen
Some Insiders will notice a revamped “Second Chance Out of Box Experience” (SCOOBE) that consolidates recommended tweaks into a single pane. The design reduces the number of clicks needed to enable things like Night Light, Storage Sense, or default browser selection.
- The old multi‑page wizard felt like a scavenger hunt; the new layout lets you apply preferred defaults in one sitting.
Paint App – Freeform Rotate
Paint version 11.2601.391.0 finally adds freeform rotation for shapes, text, and selections. Grab an object, hover over the circular handle that appears above it, and drag to any angle. For precise angles, choose Custom rotate from the Rotate menu and type a degree value.
- You no longer need a third‑party graphics editor for simple slanted captions or diagonal arrows in quick sketches.
Give the new bits a spin, and if anything feels off—especially the Cross‑Device Resume handoff—drop a note in Feedback Hub. The Canary channel moves fast, but community input keeps it from crashing into its own hype train.
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1619 (Canary Channel)
Hello Windows Insiders, today we are releasing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1619 to the Canary Channel (KB 5077230)
Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 28020.1619 (Canary Channel)
