Windows 10 Creators Update Preview Build 14986 Pushed to Windows 10 PCs

Windows 10 Creators Update Build 14986 released to Insiders

Microsoft has been dropping preview builds for the Windows 10 Creators Update for a while now. On December 7, they pushed Build 14986 for PCs, which possibly has the most new features of any previous preview build for the Windows 10 Update coming Spring 2017.

First of all is the enhancements that Microsoft has brought to Cortana, the artificial-intelligence-based digital assistant for Windows 10 devices.

You can now turn off your PC, wake it up from sleep mode, control media volume and better interact with iHeartRadio and TuneIn Radio, where you can ask Cortana to play specific songs, find artists, play your favorite genres and even mention a specific frequency to tune in to. They’ve also brought support for “What’s Playing” so you can ask Cortana to identify the track that is currently playing.

The best part is that Cortana will now be full-screen when your system is in idle mode, which gives you instant access when you need it. It could be a feature that will soon support HomeHub, a major feature on future Windows 10 updates that is expected to compete with the capabilities of Amazon Echo and Google Home.

Cortana also gets Simplified Chinese support for music.

MUST READ: Windows 10 HomeHub Feature: What Is It and When Can We Expect It?

Windows Insiders will also see Game Bar support for 19 new games in full-screen mode in Build 14986. You can see a full list of supported games in the blog post announcing the preview build.

Windows Ink users will also see some additional enhancements to what build 14951 brought in. These include recalling previous Screen Sketch sketches, updated flyout visuals, sub-degree increments for ruler rotation and a more polished overall look for the application.

They’ve also brought in some new extensions with this flight, like the password management tool Intel TrueKey and cash back app Ebates.

We recently reported some improvements for business users on Windows 10 Creators Update, some of which they’ve brought to this build, such as a new Windows Defender Dashboard. They’ve prefaced it with a disclaimer about this being a work in progress, but we should see some robust enterprise functionality on the update when it comes out next year.

Build 14986 is chockfull of new features and improvements, along with a long list of fixes for minor issues for PC that were seen on the previous build.

As it stands, Creators Update seems to be shaping up to be a versatile operating system that can cater to the needs of creative production teams and business users alike.

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