Windows 10 Insider build 20206 is out with Voice Typing, improved Emoji picker and touch keyboard

Heads up Windows Insiders, the Windows 10 Insider build 20206 is now available in the Dev Channel with some exciting new features. The first interesting addition is Windows Voice Typing, which is an evolution of Windows dictation that’s now optimized for use with touch keyboards. 14 languages are currently supported including English, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese, and Voice typing will support auto-punctuation and intuitive voice commands.

Voice typing will roll out to just a subset of Dev Channel Insiders at first, so don’t worry if you don’t see it immediately. The Windows Insider team also noted that Insiders may experience random pauses while using the feature in some Office apps, but clicking the microphone icon or using the dedicated Win + H shortcut should restart the listening experience.

The build 20206 also brings some changes to the Emoji Picker, which gets an acrylic background, Emoji search, and animated GIF support powered by Tenor. Microsoft is also combining input and clipboard history, and the latter will now show up when switching to the “Clipboard” category after pressing the WIN + [.] or WIN + [;] shortcuts. Again, these improvements for the Emoji picker will only roll out to a subset of Insiders who install this new build today.

Some Insiders will also notice a new touch keyboard after installing the new bits. “The updated design includes a fresh aesthetic and many other small tweaks, including updated key sizes / layouts to optimize for typing comfort & accuracy. We have also done some work to help improve discoverability and usability of available features,” the Windows Insider team explained today.

Another important change to the touch keyboard is the ability to hold and drag on the spacebar to move the cursor. This has been a popular request from Insiders, but once again, only a subset of them will see this new feature after installing today’s build.

This build also brings other minor changes, bug fixes, and known issues, and you can find the full list below:

Changes and Improvements

• When annotated content and linked control Narrator commands are invoked on context which doesn’t have any linked controls available, Narrator will now say “No linked item”.
• When setting focus to Windows Explorer in the Processes tab of Task Manager, we’re updating the keyboard shortcut for the Restart option to now be Alt + R.

Fixes

• We fixed an issue where the new option to enable DNS encryption wasn’t persisting update.
• We fixed an issue leading to certain apps not launching due to nlsdl.dll being missing.
• We fixed a race condition in the last few builds that could result in some Insiders experiencing scaling issues after waking their PC from sleep when using multiple monitors.
• We fixed an issue that could result in the Narrator Home crashing when using the back button.
• We fixed an issue where after adding a VPN connection, Narrator focus would move to the Settings home button rather than read that the VPN connection had been successfully added.
• We fixed an issue from the last two flights resulting in Office documents opening blank when opened from File Explorer rather than from within the app.
• We’ve fixed an issue in the Mail app preventing syncing with certain mail services.
• We’ve fixed and issue causing some devices to receive bugchecks with error code KERNEL_MODE_HEAP_CORRUPTION.
• We fixed an issue that could result in Task Manager erroneously indicating that a non-UWP app had been suspended. We’ve mitigated an issue with the previous build causing some devices to download larger than normal amounts of data during the update process. This may have resulted in slower downloads and disk space warnings. If you continue to experience the issue with this build, please file a new feedback.
• We’ve made improvements to address issues where the new taskbar experience for pinned websites wasn’t working for some websites. If you continue encountering issues, please ensure you’re running the latest version of Microsoft Edge Dev or Canary, and report the issue using the Feedback button in Microsoft Edge if you are.

Known issues

• We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
• We’re working on a fix to enable live preview for pinned site tabs.
• We’re working on enabling the new taskbar experience for existing pinned sites. In the meantime, you can unpin the site from the taskbar, remove it from the edge://apps page, and then re-pin the site.
• We’re investigating reports of some Office applications crashing or missing after updating to a new build.
• We’re investigating reports of the Settings app crashing when opening Manage Disks and Volumes.
• We’re working on a fix for the Linux kernel not being installed when using the `wsl –install` command in the Windows Subsystem for Linux. For an immediate workaround run `wsl –update` to get the latest kernel version.

Microsoft has been consistently releasing new builds on Wednesdays this past couple of weeks, though today’s flight comes a bit later than usual. It will certainly be a bit frustrating for Insiders to not have access to all new features immediately, though the Windows Insider team promised that Voice Dictation, the new Emoji picker, and the redesigned touch keyboard would soon be generally available in the Dev Channel.