Windows 11 to get AI Bing search box, ‘phone link for iOS’: Microsoft

Tech giant Microsoft has announced new updates coming to Windows 11, including new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered Bing, to the taskbar and phone link for iOS.

With the typable Windows search box and the new AI-powered Bing, users will be empowered to find the answers they are looking for, “faster than ever before”, the tech giant said in a blogpost on Tuesday.

According to the company, the search box is one of the most widely used features on Windows, with over half a billion users every month.

Users in the Bing preview can access this feature by installing the latest Windows 11 update, and other users can join the new Bing preview waitlist.

The tech giant also introduced a new Phone Link for iOS so that “you’ll never have to worry about missing that important call or text while you are concentrating on your Windows 11 PC.”

This feature is launched first as a preview to Windows Insiders.

“For those of you with a Samsung phone, we’ve made it easier to activate your phone’s personal hotspot with a single click from within the Wi-Fi network list on your PC,” the company said.

Microsoft also mentioned that users can now instantly adjust background blur, eye contact and automatic framing, and can apply them to their favourite communications applications, with seamless integration into Teams.

“We are excited to introduce the expansion of Widgets to include Phone Link, Xbox Game Pass, and partners like Meta and Spotify, so it has never been easier to stay up to date on the things that matter,” it added.

The tech giant has also added a new built-in screen recorder in Snipping Tool.