Microsoft has released a new build for Windows Insiders that introduces significant features for Phone Link and Windows Search. Build 26300.9032, available in the Experimental Preview Channel, brings a deeper integration between PC and smartphone, along with customizable search options. These updates come at a time when device connectivity has become essential for daily productivity.
Windows Search can now automatically expand its indexing scope based on your activity, using signals like recent files and frequently accessed locations. This feature, managed via Settings > Privacy & security > Search, helps ensure that relevant files across your device are discoverable without manual indexing configuration. Additionally, users can enable or disable integration with personal Microsoft accounts or work or school accounts, and decide whether to include OneDrive in search results.
Contextual previews for Phone Link in the Start menu
The most notable change concerns Phone Link, the app that connects Android and iPhone to the PC. With the latest build, hovering over a recent message or notification in the Recent section of the Start menu shows a preview of the content directly in the menu. This experience, rolling out gradually to Insiders on the Experimental channel with Phone Link minimum build 1.26021.3.0, allows you to see what's new without picking up your phone or opening the app. Microsoft has also improved personalization via Phone Link > Settings > Start menu personalization.
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Despite doubts from many users about the actual usage of Phone Link, Microsoft continues to invest in this feature. The company plans a dedicated Messages app that will support SMS conversations, as reported by Senior Editor Zac Bowden. In the future, Phone Link could be integrated directly into the Windows shell, rather than remaining a standalone app. This evolution could make the connection between PC and smartphone more seamless and natural.
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Improvements to Settings and other fixes
The build also includes improvements to search in the Settings app, with results now surfacing from more areas and improved ranking to help relevant settings appear higher. The adaptive hibernate policy has been updated to reduce hibernation when the battery is above 80% and hibernate sooner when it drops below 10%, improving battery life and resume times from Modern Standby.
Several bug fixes address the Start menu, taskbar, File Explorer, and Windows Spotlight. Notably, a crash when dragging apps in the Start menu has been fixed, as well as an issue where hovering over preview thumbnails in the overflow area of the taskbar would dismiss them. File Explorer Home now preserves the expanded or collapsed state of sections, and issues with DFS mapped drives and File History backups over SMB shares have been resolved.
These innovations mark a step forward in device integration, a theme increasingly central to the Microsoft ecosystem. For those already using Phone Link, the new previews offer quicker access to information. The path toward deeper integration is set, and who knows if in the future we will see a complete fusion between Windows and smartphones, as internal prototypes suggest. In the meantime, Insiders can test these features and provide valuable feedback for improving the operating system.
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For more Windows news, you can read the article about Microsoft bringing Xbox 360 games to PC with native emulation, another initiative that expands system capabilities. If you are interested in high-performance database management, we recommend the article on PgBouncer and connection limits to prevent PostgreSQL crashes under load.
