Windows 11 Insider Canary Build 26227 brings Suggested replies in Phone link & support for Emoji 15.1

Microsoft releases Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26227 to the Canary Channel. With this update, the Copilot app will now be pinned to the Taskbar on Windows. It also adds support for Emoji 15.1 and a new Linked devices page under the Settings app.

Here are the release notes of the build mentioned on the official website:

Changes and Improvements

[Copilot in Windows*]

• As part of this update, we’re also evolving the Copilot* experience on Windows as an app that will be pinned to the taskbar. This enables users to get the benefits of a traditional app experience, including the ability to resize, move, and snap the window – feedback we’ve heard from users throughout the preview of Copilot in Windows. This model also allows Microsoft to more agilely develop and optimize the experience based on user feedback.
• As part of the evolution of the Copilot experience on Windows to become an app that is pinned to the taskbar, we are retiring the WIN + C keyboard shortcut. For new devices that ship with a Copilot key, this key will open Copilot. For existing devices without that key, using the WIN + (number position for Copilot pinned to your taskbar) is a great way to open Copilot.

[Emoji]

• We’re adding support for Emoji 15.1 which introduces a small number of brand-new emoji such as head shaking horizontally and vertically, phoenix, lime, brown mushroom and broken chain. Other changes for Emoji 15.1 include Unicode’s decision to revert family combinations to symbol-like shapes. Windows has chosen to stay with our existing style that use people in family combinations. We are also supporting the new directionality updates for person/man/woman walking, kneeling, with cane, running, manual wheelchair and motorized wheelchair. You can now select right facing or the original left facing orientation for these emoji.

[Settings]

• We are beginning to roll out a new Linked devices page under Settings > Accounts that allows you to manage PCs and Xbox consoles that you are signed in to with your Microsoft account. This settings page will only show on the Home and Pro editions of Windows 11 and if you’re signed into Windows with your Microsoft account.

Along with these changes, the Redmond tech giant also announced the addition of a new feature, Suggested Replies to the Phone Link for Android users

It is powered by a cloud-based intelligent suggestion model, which can make your messaging experience better and more efficient.

Now, whenever you receive a message, you will get 3 contextually relevant reply bubbles to choose from, and you can click on any of them to send it as a reply.

The feature is enabled by default and will begin to roll out for Windows Insiders of all channels. However, to use it, you need Phone Link version 1.24051.98 and higher.

Microsoft also introduced fixes for the known issues, here is the list:

[General]

• Fixed an issue believed to be the underlying cause of some Insiders noticing stutters in some animations recently (dropping frames), particularly with Task View.
• Fixed an underlying issue which could lead to some apps not starting on startup even though they were enabled as startup apps in Settings. It would show as Suspended in Task Manager, but not appear in the taskbar.
• Fixed an underlying issue which could lead to the pop up asking for permission to use location not appearing, which could lead to app issues without location access.

[Windowing]

• Fixed an issue related to showing tabs in Alt + Tab, which could lead to frequent explorer.exe crashes if you had a very large number of tabs.

[Widgets]

• Fixed the issue causing the WIN + W keyboard shortcut to not work correctly and open the Widgets board.

[Other]

• Fixed explorer.exe crashes impacting live captions and voice access.

So far, there are no known issues with Windows 11 Insider Canary Build 26227. However, there are reports that many Windows Insiders are stuck with Build 26040 or Build 23620 in the Canary and Dev channels and Microsoft is working on them.

However, if you are affected by the issue, you can download the latest ISO, perform a clean installation, and set your device to flighting in the Canary or Dev channel.

Also, if you encounter any other issues related to the new build, you can send feedback via Feedback Hub (WIN + F).

Have you installed the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26227? If so, share your experience with our readers in the comments section below.