Microsoft releases a Windows 11 update, adding the new AI-powered Bing search to the taskbar, Phone Link for iOS, screen recording, Notepad tabs, and more
Microsoft is releasing a big update to Windows 11 today that adds the company's new AI-powered Bing search to the taskbar.
The VergeTom Warren
Context & Ripple Effects
Windows 11 originally made the taskbar a strategic distribution point by integrating Teams alongside a simplified interface and new store. This update extends that approach to search and adds utility features including iOS phone linking, screen recording, and Notepad tabs.
Bing gains a prominent Windows 11 entry point, while Edge remains the required gateway for users seeking the chat experience described in Microsoft's announcement.
Windows 11 users receive new iOS connectivity and built-in productivity tools, reducing the need to seek separate utilities for screen capture and tabbed plain-text editing.
Second-order effects
The gap between taskbar placement and Edge-based chat access makes Microsoft’s AI-search distribution dependent on its browser, concentrating the user journey across Windows, Bing, and Edge rather than the taskbar alone.
Built-in additions to Phone Link, Snipping Tool-style recording, and Notepad raise the bar for third-party utility developers whose products overlap with Windows defaults.
Third-order effects
Windows is evolving from an operating-system shell into an AI-mediated work surface, with Microsoft using default apps and the taskbar to route everyday tasks through its services.
If subsequent Copilot-style integrations continue, control of the desktop entry points—not only standalone application features—will become a central competitive advantage for Microsoft.
The trend: Microsoft is consolidating search, assistance, and everyday utilities into Windows’ default interface to make the desktop itself a distribution layer for its AI services.
Pumped to introduce today's major update to #Windows11. This update brings incredible new features the team built just for you. From bringing the new AI powered Bing to the taskbar to improvements across touch, accessibility and more. https://blogs.windows.com/...
Microsoft's Phone Link app now lets you use iMessage from your PC 👏 You can send / receive messages, make calls, and see your notifications from your iPhone right on your Windows PC or laptop 🙏 Details here: https://www.theverge.com/...
We have Bing Chat, Bing Chat in the Edge sidebar, and now Bing Chat in the *Windows 11 Taskbar*. Microsoft is moving fast. I'm sure Google will implement Bard across Chromebooks & Android, but it's still in the works. Exciting times in Search Land. :) https://twitter.com/...
Microsoft is making a big deal out of adding “Bing AI” to Windows Search, but it hasn't actually done that. Clicking on any AI related thing just takes you to the Bing website in Edge. There's no “AI” in Windows Search, at least not yet.
Today, we take the next step in our AI journey, bringing the new Bing right to the Windows taskbar for millions of people with the new Windows 11 update. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Windows 11 22H2 ‘Moment 2’ is official, and is available starting today! It includes touch enhancements, updates to the Widgets Panel, taskbar updates, and even Bing Chat prompts in the Windows Search flyout: https://www.windowscentral.com/ ... https://twitter.com/...
Today, we take the next step in our AI journey, bringing the new Bing Search right to the Windows taskbar for millions of people with the new Windows 11 update. https://t.co/hiKu6xSFDG https://t.co/uZ7op6gYup
Microsoft is bringing its AI-powered Bing to the Windows 11 taskbar today. It's part of a big new Windows 11 update that also includes a screen recorder, better touch mode, and much more. Full details here: https://www.theverge.com/...
Amazing how quickly conversational A.I. interfaces are popping up all over the place. I wonder how many will still be around in a couple of years. They *can* be useful, but like voice assistants before them, not everything will need one. https://twitter.com/...