Microsoft is not launching any new Windows 10 or 11 Insider builds today. However, the company is rolling out a new version of its Microsoft Photos app. The update is for all members of the Windows 11 Insider program and also for the people signed up to get the Windows 10 Beta and Release Preview builds.
In a blog post, Microsoft stated the Photos app is getting some Gallery navigation improvements:
- The Gallery option at the top lets you access all your photo content in one place, regardless of where they come from – your PC, iCloud, or OneDrive.
- To view photos synced from your cloud providers, click on the OneDrive – Personal, OneDrive – Business, or iCloud Photos options.
- In the This PC section at the bottom, you’ll find all the folders and content from your computer that have been added to the Photos app. To include more photos and videos in this view, click on the Add Folder icon next to ‘Gallery.’
The app is also adding a new feature called Visual Search with Bing:
In the Viewer, you can search your images online with our new Visual Search with Bing feature. Simply click on the Visual Search with Bing icon located at the bottom of the image (also available through the right-click dropdown menu). This will open the search results in Bing including similar images, related products, and other related content.
Windows 10 users will now see that the Microsoft App is based on Windows App SDK and WinUI3, following the same update for Windows 11 users. Also, Windows 10 users can now view iCloud-stored photos in Mcrosoft Photos.
To access your iCloud photos, go to the iCloud Photos pivot in the Photos app, install the latest iCloud for Windows app from Microsoft Store, sign in with your Apple ID, and choose to sync your iCloud photos. Within minutes, you will see all your iCloud photo content starting to appear automatically in the Photos app.
There are also some other smaller improvements to the Photos app:
- We added an option to run the Photos app in the background with minimal processes, to improve the app startup speed. If you do not want Photos running in the background, you can turn off the Performance option under Settings.
- You can now quickly edit an image in File Explorer or on the desktop, by right-clicking on the image and selecting the Edit in Photos This will open the Photo Editor where you can crop, rotate, or mark up the image, as well as applying adjustments and AI-powered edits.
People can update the app to 2024.11080.30001.0 or higher. Keep in mind that this has just started rolling out, so not everyone in the Insider program will see this new version immediately. There"s no word on when the new Microsoft Photos app will become generally available.