Build 25357: Brace yourself for the notification overload

It’s that time again. Microsoft rolled out another build for Windows 11 insiders. This time, those who opted for the Canary channel can install Build 25357 in their system. 

As noted from Redmond officials’ release note of the build, insiders in the build can get a taste of Facebook’s new widget. Now in the preview version, you can see top notifications from your profile through the widget board without having to check on your browser.

Facebook is rolling out a preview version of their widget. To give it a try, download the Facebook app from the Microsoft Store or update to the latest version of the app. Then open the widgets board and navigate to the widgets picker by clicking the “+” button at the top-right of the board to pin your widget.

Earlier this year, you may remember that Meta launched a widget for Messenger chats, so this move makes total sense. 

While the Canary channel oftentimes brings hot-off-the-presses updates, builds in this channel are the earliest and potentially the most unstable. It is recommended that only advanced users or developers use the Canary channel and that they use it on a secondary device or in a virtual machine to avoid any potential issues on their primary device.

But what other improvements does Build 25357 bring, you may ask? Facebook widget aside, there are a few important fixes that you may want to check out.

What other fixes and improvements are coming in Windows 11 Build 25357?

[General]

• The new volume mixer experience in Quick Settings mentioned here is now available for all Insiders in the Canary Channel.

[For developers]

You can download the latest Windows Insider SDK at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk.

SDK NuGet packages are now also flighting at NuGet Gallery | WindowsSDK which include:

• .NET TFM packages for use in .NET apps as described at aka.ms/windowsinsidersdk
• C++ packages for Win32 headers and libs per architecture
• BuildTools package when you just need tools like MakeAppx.exe, MakePri.exe, and SignTool.exe

These NuGet packages provide more granular access to the SDK and better integration in CI/CD pipelines.

While the widget is not mandatory, it is evident that choosing to enable it could lead to an excess of notifications on your computer. However, the decision to do so ultimately lies with you.

In the previous Canary build, Microsoft reportedly worked on a feature that let you offload optional functions on Edge, like the crypto wallet for example, to ensure a faster browsing experience, especially for those running a low-end PC. 

Have you joined the Canary channel and installed Build 25357? Let us know in the comments.