Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

This Microsoft app could help you spice up your desktop

If you’re looking to spice up your Windows desktop in a new way, then you might want to keep an eye out for an item that may be coming from Microsoft soon. Reportedly in the works is an app that can help you create animated backgrounds with custom effects for Xbox consoles, as well as Windows PCs.

First teased as an “unknown project” by the well-known Microsoft leaker Aggiornamenti Lumia a few months ago, it looks as though the leaker has finally managed to reveal what Microsoft was working on. Aggiornamenti Lumia now believes that the project is the Xbox Dynamic Backgrounds Editor app, showcasing it partly in action.

Recommended Videos

Here is the upcoming unnamed project https://t.co/MSERWDVdAP pic.twitter.com/Jnwz1ChjeX

— Aggiornamenti Lumia (@ALumia_Italia) May 15, 2022

Based on the shared GIF of the app, it looks as though the Xbox Dynamic Backgrounds Editor might work a bit like Wallpaper Engine — an app that lets you create live wallpapers on Windows. It has a storyboard timeline, tracks,  new effects, adjustable attributes, and the ability to adjust an image’s properties. According to Windows Central, it also looks like there’s a way to add eight custom concurrent effects, as well as custom assets and other tools. Any created wallpapers might even be able to be applied to Windows PCs, too, per the publication.

Of course, Microsoft has yet to acknowledge that this app exists. That suggests that instead of being a public app that everyone can download, this could just be an app intended for developers to use to create official Xbox Dynamic backgrounds. Or, it could be an internal app that never will go public. Adding to that is the fact that the app would need to be tested first through the Xbox Insider Program, as many Xbox-related things have undergone in the past. This is done so that Microsoft could gather proper feedback before rolling it out to everyone else.

But don’t be vexed if this app never actually launches. In addition to Wallpaper Engine, you can use Bionix’s GIF Wallpaper, to animate your desktop and make it spicier. Microsoft also has the Bing daily wallpaper app that you can download, so you get a new image from Bing as your wallpaper each day.

Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…
Microsoft 365 apps help keep your files safe with OneDrive backup
Microsoft OneDrive files can sync between a PC and a phone.

Microsoft 365 apps will encourage users to back up their files to OneDrive, as announced in a new Message Center entry, to improve data security. Microsoft will display a prompt across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in the following months to prevent data loss and ensure users can access their important files seamlessly.

Microsoft will begin showing these prompts in mid-March 2025, encouraging users to sign up for the OneDrive Known Folder Move (KFM). The public preview will last until early April 2025 but will generally be available by May 2025. What is KFM? It's a feature in OneDrive that lets you sync and back up your important local folders, such as Desktop or Documents. Afterward, you can easily access your files across various devices.

Read more
Microsoft says you can run DeepSeek R1 right on your laptop
The Surface Laptop shown in front of a Copilot+ sign.

Microsoft has made an interesting move in being quick to support the DeepSeek R1 reasoning model on its Azure cloud computing platform and GitHub tool for developers, not long after setting its sights legally on the China-based company.

Microsoft has announced that it will make the new DeepSeek AI model available in “NPU-optimized” versions that will be more aligned with Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs and compatible with the components they run. It will first roll out a version for Qualcomm Snapdragon X devices, then one for Intel Lunar Lake PCs, and finally a variant for AMD Ryzen AI 9 processors. Additionally, Microsoft will add the DeepSeek-R1-Distill-Qwen-1.5B model to its Microsoft AI Toolkit for developers, and will also make available 7B and 14B versions.

Read more
Microsoft is making a major change to using your iPhone in Windows
The Dell XPS 13 on a table with the Start Menu open.

In a recent Windows Insider Blog post, Microsoft announced it's adding the option for iPhone users to access their phones from the Start menu. Thanks to a special widget next to the Start menu, when you connect your phone, you can see data such as notifications, battery indicators, recent contacts, connection status, and more.

To enjoy this feature, you must use the recent Windows 11 preview build from the Dev and Beta channels, and you must be a Windows Insider. You must also update the Phone Link app to version 1.24121.30.0 or higher, have a Microsoft account, and have a PC that supports Bluetooth LE. Microsoft said it does not support PCs running Pro Education or Education SKUs. Even if this doesn't affect you, the update is rolling out in phases, so reaching your PC might take some time if you don't already have it.

Read more