Why You Should Download the Second Windows 10 Update of 2018 Now

Windows 10 just received a second update for 2018. Some experts believe this many significant updates to the OS is too many, but when you begin to look at the features available thanks to this second update, you may be happy that Microsoft has decided to release it (and re-release it). Below, we'll take a look at the new update, as well as a few of the convenient features that it has rolled out to users.

Your Phone
Since Microsoft declared that it abandoned its smartphone division late in 2017, it has been working on making smartphones running Android and iOS work more efficiently with Windows 10. To help you integrate your phone with your Windows 10 experience, Microsoft has created an app called Your Phone.

Your Phone is meant to work with phones running Android OS, permitting you to sync your photos and text messages. Some features include the ability to paste photos taken from your mobile device right from the PC, and the ability to send SMS messages from your PC, via your phone number. Microsoft has been attempting to get these features to work with iOS-run phones, but Apple has restricted access to SMS data in iOS limiting iPhone’s integration with the Your Phone app.

Timeline
Outside of the development of mobile phone integration, Timeline is the significant new feature for the 2018 update. Timeline is a more detailed version of Task View, a feature Windows 10 has had since its creation that allows people to see what software they are currently running. Timeline shows you what apps and activities you’ve used on your Windows 10 PC in the past 30 days. Since this information syncs across all machines you are signed into with the same account, you can see when you worked or completed a task for up to 30 days on multiple machines. This feature also works with Microsoft Edge Apps on Android and iOS, which permits users to see their progress and keep their productivity up while on mobile.

Enhanced Dictation
Microsoft has had some type of integrated dictation for some time, but in this year’s Windows 10 upgrade, they’ve added an easy way to launch the dictation tool. To get it to work, you first have to turn on speech services. To do so, go to Settings > Privacy > Speech, inking, & typing. On this screen you will want to turn on speech services using the button. Once it is initialized, you only need to hit the windows key + h to launch the dictation service.

Windows 10 is achieving more and more functionality as major updates are rolled out. To learn more about what is capable with Windows 10, call our knowledgeable IT technicians today at 703-359-9211.