Windows 10 Insiders can now see what apps are listening in

[The AchieVer]

MICROSOFT BUG ENGINE wrapped in an operating system Windows 10 could soon warn you if an app has access to use your microphone.

The newest build of the troubled OS, rolling out to the Fast Ring participants of the Windows Insider Program, contains an enhancement to the system tray to help track down any potential snoopers.

Already added was a notification to show if the microphone was being accessed by an app. Now, the logical extension to this has arrived - when you roll your mouse cursor over the icon, it will tell you which is the offending app.

In these days of oft-justified paranoia, knowing exactly who can do what with your stuff is increasingly important, and by being able to tell easily what's going on, you can take action before anyone gets hold of anything blackmail-worthy.

A second icon has been introduced that warns you that Windows is waiting to update itself, so you can make an informed decision about when to do the inevitable reboot.

Amongst the tweaks and bug fixes, there's also a new look for the start menu that Microsoft wanted rid of not that long ago. It now follows the Fluent design language that we first saw shown off last year, but not rolled out yet. There's also some refinement to the search and Cortana menus to give content "more room to breathe".

Build 18290 (19H1), for that it is, is based on the forthcoming update for Windows, due in April-ish, so it's very much a work in progress. Besides which, the current update is still in flux as the engineers plug its many holes.

As ever, being on the Fast Ring means bleeding edge, and bleeding edge often means serious borkage. After all, it seems at the moment, Microsoft is incapable of getting a stable build right. But don't get us started on that. Again. μ

 

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