Windows Phone features make their way into Windows 10

Windows Phone features make their way into Windows 10

Tom Warren

The Verge 

Microsoft is starting to bring some of its useful Windows Phone features directly into Windows 10. The software maker released an update to its Windows 10 Technical Preview earlier today, and the latest build now includes the same Action Center (Notification Center) from the phone side of Windows. alongside DataSense and Battery Saver. All three features come directly from the latest versions of Windows Phone and underline Microsoft’s plans to offer Windows 10 across PC, tablet, phone, and Xbox. It’s a single version of Windows so expect to see more of these shared features in the coming months.

DataSense isn’t fully implemented in Windows 10, but the feature is designed to track Wi-Fi and cellular data usage as well as the ability to limit background data when you’re approaching a monthly bandwidth cap. Battery saver is also a Windows Phone feature, and on Windows 10 it’s designed to limit background activity and hardware settings to save as much battery power as possible when it’s enabled. That’s a useful addition for a tablet or laptop, but it obviously won’t get much use on an always-on desktop PC.

Elsewhere in the latest Windows 10 Technical Preview, Microsoft is making some small user interface changes. There’s a new pop animation when you open and close apps or File Explorer windows, and a new animation when switching between virtual desktops. These are very minor changes, but alongside the subtle drop shadow changes we noticed in the first Technical Preview it's clear Microsoft will continue to adjust and tweak the Windows 10 user interface significantly in the coming months. Microsoft even admits that the current Action Center only caters for basic notifications and that "quick actions and cleaner UI will come later." It's only been three weeks since the original Windows 10 Technical Preview, so expect to see a new update between two to four weeks time.