- Windows 11 build 25977 arrives for testers in the Canary Channel.
- This flight improves Bluetooth support for hearing aids.
- It makes it easier to share Wi-Fi passwords through barcodes.
- Also, this update enhances control for apps wanting to access your location and removes the Mail and Calendar apps.
As part of the Canary Channel, Microsoft is now rolling out Windows 11 build 25977 for participants of the Windows Insider Program with some new features and additional fixes and improvements.
According to the official changes, Windows 11 build 25977 brings support for hearing aids with the latest Bluetooth Low Energy Audio. The Settings app gets a new option to control which apps have access to information to determine your location, and the SMB over QUIC now supports additional access control options for clients.
Windows 11 build 25977 new changes
Starting on build 25977, Windows 11 supports hearing aids with Bluetooth Low Energy Audio (LE Audio) technology. Initially, users can pair, stream audio, and take calls, but in the future, the company plans to bring more capabilities, such as controlling audio presets directly within the Settings app.
New location changes
In the “Location” page from the “Privacy & security” section in the Settings app, the development team is building new controls to determine which apps can access wireless networks near you to detect your location.
Additionally, there’s a new dialog that will prompt that will appear the first time an app tries to access your location or wireless information so that you can allow or deny access without navigating into the Settings app.
If you want to prevent apps from accessing your location, you can now turn off the “Notify when apps request location” toggle switch from the Location page to hide the prompts.
When granting permission, apps that use location or wireless information will now appear in “Recent” activity on the “Location” page, and the location icon will show in the Taskbar while the app is in use.
SMB improvements
On build 25977 and higher releases, SMB over QUIC now supports additional access control options for clients. This new feature allows administrators to restrict which clients can access SMB over QUIC servers without changing the Windows authentication used to make the connection or the end-user experience.
Other changes
Furthermore, in this release, Windows 11 no longer includes the Mail and Calendar apps for new installations, and the Xbox Game Bar will appear as “Game Bar” in the Start menu and on the “System Components” page.
Finally, on the Wi-Fi properties page, the system will show a barcode that you can easily scan with your phone to share the wireless password with other people.
Bug fixes
This flight also introduces a few fixes for build 25977, including:
- Fixed an underlying issue believed to be the root cause of various games having issues launching (citing graphics issues) or changing resolution in build 25967.
- Improved performance when expanding the navigation pane in Task Manager.
- Fixed an issue where certain “.rar” files would open blank or with an unexpected message saying there was insufficient memory to open the file.
As part of the known issues, the company notes problems with Voice Access, print queue, and some popular games that may not work correctly.
Installing builds
To download and install the Windows 11 build 25977, you must enroll your device in the Canary Channel through the “Windows Insider Program” settings from the “Update & Security” section. Once you enroll the computer in the program, you can download the build from the “Windows Update” settings by clicking the “Check for Updates” button.
Alternatively, you can download the ISO file for this particular flight with these instructions.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.