Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Microsoft tests new privacy settings interface in latest Windows Insider build

Add as a preferred source on Google
Windows Insider
Image used with permission by copyright holder

A new build for Windows Insiders is available for participants in the Fast ring, bringing Windows 10 to version 17115. As the Redstone 4 update nears a public release, Insiders are now mostly seeing general changes, improvements, and fixes to Windows 10. But for this build, Microsoft made changes to the privacy settings screen along with adding two new privacy settings: “Inking & Typing” and “Find My Device.” 

But here is the kicker: Not all Windows Insiders will see the same revision to the privacy settings interface. As shown above, one batch can customize all settings through a single window, with Inking and Typing, Find My Device and more listed as independent selections. A second batch of Insiders will still see a new privacy settings window, but the actual settings will be divided up into seven individual screens. 

Recommended Videos

“In this example, Find My Device is shown on its own screen during setup,” the company says. “Microsoft recommends selecting ‘Yes,’ depicted by the dotted line box, to allow us to use the device’s location data to help the customer find the device if it’s lost.” 

This group will also see Inking and Typing as a separate screen. This setting only deals with data related to the recognition aspect that’s sent to Microsoft for improving language recognition along with “suggestion capabilities of apps and services running on Windows.” Either choose “Yes” to send that data to Microsoft or choose “No.” 

The point of offering two new privacy window interfaces is to receive feedback on both and use the more popular design in the final Redstone 4 build (Spring Creators Update). But whether Insiders favor the all-in-one-window setup or love trolling through seven different screens, the location of the final product will not change, residing at “Start > Settings > Privacy.”

Microsoft’s Redstone 4 update arrives this spring, but so far Microsoft hasn’t provided a solid release date, nor has it officially given this update a name. Redstone 4 is simply a code name used by Microsoft, and the company has already moved on to its Redstone 5 update slated to hit Windows 10 later this year. The Redstone naming began with Anniversary Update in August 2016 followed by Creators Update (Redstone 2) and Fall Creators Update (Redstone 3). The company is expected to simply go with Spring Creators Update for Redstone 4. 

As for the remainder of Build 17115, the notes only list 13 fixes to the platform as Microsoft works out the final kinks prior to the official spring launch. Two pertain to Windows Mixed Reality: One bug that caused a sub-10FPS framerate and one that caused the platform from working after a startup crash. Another fix addresses a problem preventing users from interacting with the Timeline scrollbar using touch. 

“This week we have 50 Windows Insider MVPs on campus as a part of the global MVP Summit,” Insider lead Dona Sarkar said. “It’s been a pleasure to get face-to-face time with some of our biggest advocates as well as the people who help the overall Windows community the most.” 

Kevin Parrish
Kevin started taking PCs apart in the 90s when Quake was on the way and his PC lacked the required components. Since then…
I hope Apple keeps the MacBook Neo away from the AI hype and preserves its true identity
The cheapest MacBook beats the cheapest AI MacBook.
Computer, Electronics, Laptop

If there's one thing that has disrupted consumer tech economics over the last year while changing how we understand and recommend products, it's the ever-rising cost of memory and chips. 

The desperate need to scale up AI infrastructure has pushed major manufacturers to prioritize enterprise demand, leaving everyday consumers with far fewer choices. Those available cost significantly more than they did a year ago.

Read more
I let Radial menu take over my Mac, and I’m never going back
One mouse jiggle, endless shortcuts. My Mac has never felt this fast.
Radial app running on Mac

I have been testing Radial for the past week, and it's quickly become one of those apps I didn’t know how I could live without. It's a radial menu for macOS that puts your shortcuts, scripts, and automations right where your cursor is, so you never have to go hunting through menus to find what you need.

The app just received its 5.0 update, adding AI actions powered by Claude, window layouts, variables, a redesigned settings interface, a new Atmosphere background effect, and a squircle menu shape. I got to try most of these, and here's what I found.

Read more
Android desktop mode made me miss my laptop in record time
I tried writing and publishing from Google’s phone-to-monitor setup, and the future of mobile computing immediately started sweating.
Computer, Electronics, Laptop

Android 17 desktop mode has a very simple pitch. Plug your phone into a monitor, add a keyboard and mouse, and watch the slab in your pocket pretend to be a computer. I wanted to give that pitch a fair shot, so I tried using it for an actual workday instead of a cute demo.

The goal was boring on purpose: write an article, edit it, build the page in WordPress, upload whatever needed uploading, and publish the thing without running back to my laptop like a coward.

Read more