Microsoft Weekly: Windows Phone is back, new Windows 11 bugs, and more

This week's news recap is here with the latest stories from the world of Microsoft, including new Windows 11 bugs, the return of Windows Phones, cancelled games, the latest Xbox Developer Direct, Windows 11 preview builds, and more.

Quick links:

1. Windows 10 and 11
2. Windows Insider Program
3. Updates are available
4. Reviews are in
5. Gaming news

Windows 11 and Windows 10

Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions.

No month goes by without new Windows bugs. This time, January 2026 Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11 versions 25H2 and 24H2 broke the Outlook app, making it "completely unusable" for Windows 11 users. After two days of frustration, Microsoft issued a workaround.

Also, there are reports about Windows 11 KB5074109 breaking payroll and graphics applications (not confirmed yet), certain apps freezing when in use (confirmed), and Notepad, Snipping Tool, and other apps not working (not confirmed). A lot of bugs.

Fortunately, some of those bugs were fixed in KB5078127, another emergency update for Windows 10 and 11. Additionally, Windows 11 received new setup and recovery updates under KB5074108, KB5074208, and KB5073454. Finally, Microsoft updated the changelog for the latest non-security update to clarify why certain Windows 11 features are missing.

Did you hear the news? Windows Phones are back. Sort of. A company called Nex Computing is building the NexPhone, a quirky device that runs three operating systems in a single package: Android, Linux, and Windows 11 with a custom Windows Phone-like launcher. It is also surprisingly affordable, and you can reserve one now with a refundable deposit of $199.

There is now a new app for Windows developers. Winapp is a new app development CLI that helps codemakers manage multiple SDKs, creating manifests, generating certificates, navigating packaging requirements, and more.

Rumors about NVIDIA joining the CPU industry are heating up, and the latest report suggests that the first Windows PCs with NVIDIA's upcoming N1 chips are about to land as soon as the first quarter of 2026, with some SKUs offering very powerful integrated graphics.

Let's finish this week's Windows section with some trivia. Have you ever wondered how many Copilots Microsoft actually has? It seems that the Copilot brand is everywhere these days, and Microsoft is adding it to every possible product. This article tries to figure out how many Copilots are out there, and the result might surprise you. Also, we have a story about why Microsoft releases its infamous Patch Tuesday updates on the second Tuesday of each month.

Additionally, here is an interesting story by a Microsoft veteran about a cool Windows trick that helped users restart their computers faster back in the day. And finally, if you happen to want to build an ultimate Windows 7 or Vista-based PC or VM, you can now download new images that include all the security updates that the two operating systems have ever received. You can then burn those images to a bootable media using the latest version of Rufus, which now has better Dev Drive detection, fixes for ISO, and more.

Windows Insider Program

Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week:

In addition to new builds, Microsoft released feature updates for Notepad and Paint. Notepad has received new formatting tools, while Paint got a fresh injection of AI, allowing you to generate coloring books. Speaking of Notepad, a controversial Twitch streamer was banned from platforms after Notepad's session save feature flashed CSAM links live on stream. Big yikes.

Updates are available

This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties.

PowerToys 0.97, the latest feature update for the user-favorite set of utilities, is out. It packs a big update for Command Palette (give it a try, it is a very powerful tool that can fully replace the Start menu for you), a new tool for users with multi-monitor setups or big displays, various bug fixes, and more.

On the browser side, we have some upcoming features for Microsoft Edge. IT admins will soon get watermarking protection over sensitive data and Protected Clipboard, which enforces DLP policies for data exfiltration and infiltration across managed and unmanaged cloud apps.

For Teams users, Microsoft is making the new calendar mandatory, with the legacy option going away. What was previously optional has now become the standard, with no ability to go back. In addition to that, Microsoft delayed a controversial location feature in Teams.

Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting:

• Windows Terminal gets a bunch of useful updates in the latest release.

• Microsoft begins blocking work email access for unprepared Intune users.

• Microsoft issues a security advisory for IT admins managing Windows Domain Controllers.

• Microsoft scraps free subscription grace period for new paid "EST" billing.

• Microsoft is killing off local PC monitoring as it pushes everyone to the Azure cloud.

• Nadella warns AI needs to prove itself useful, three weeks after telling critics to move on.

• Microsoft announced a new security baseline for Office apps.

• SSMS gets GitHub Copilot code completions, and it's better than "IntelliSense on steroids."

• New Azure Database for MySQL servers to receive automatic January 2026 updates.

   

Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week:

• AMD Radeon Software 26.1.1 WHQL with an optional AI bundle, new product support, and new game support.
• Intel 32.0.101.8425 with support for Arknights and Hytale.

Reviews are in

Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week

Steven Parker reviewed the OUKITEL RT10 5G, a rugged 11-inch tablet with a humongous battery and solid mid-range specs. Like similar devices, it is not the cheapest tablet out there, but it makes up for its price with a fantastic Powerbank-like battery life, plenty of storage, a night vision camera, a kickstand, and more.

On the gaming side

Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more.

Game Pass is getting plenty of new games for you to enjoy. This week, Microsoft announced a big wave of fresh titles, which include Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II, RoadCraft, The Talos Principle 2, Anno: Mutationem, Resident Evil Village, and more.

If you have a Copilot+ PC with an ARM processor and you would like to play some games from your Game Pass catalog, good news: the Xbox app finally lets you download apps for local play (previously, only cloud streaming was available). Microsoft even says that 85% of all games in the catalog are compatible with ARM-powered PCs.

Ubisoft has some bad news for its fans. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake is going six feet under. The company axed the ill-fated remake alongside six other games. There is no information on what the other six games are (they were all in development), but the picture overall does not look very good for the famous publisher.

NVIDIA has some important updates for its GeForce NOW cloud streaming service. It now supports flight sticks, allowing you to connect dedicated peripherals to the cloud and enjoy games like Microsoft Flight Simulator with much deeper immersion. In addition, there are four new supported games as well.

At the first Developer Direct of 2026, Microsoft revealed some of its upcoming games and their details. Forza Horizon 6 is now confirmed for May 19, with a four-day early access for those buying the most expensive edition. The game is also bringing some user-requested features from the previous series.

Next, Playground Games revealed details about Fable's combat, morality system, character creation, and plenty of other stuff. No release dates are available yet, but developers promise to ship the game in Autumn 2026 on PC and consoles.

As for deals and freebies, the Epic Games Store is giving away Rustler, a medieval GTA parody. More deals and specials are available, as usual, in our weekly Weekend PC Game Deals series.

Other gaming news includes the following:

• Sony's Marathon finally gets a release date.

• This Witcher 3 mod lets you play online with friends, but there are some caveats.

   

Source

Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.

Posted Monday 26 January 2026 at 4:49 am AEST (my time).

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