Windows 10 has a new preview build for the update due in the first 1 / 2 of next year (20H1) which introduces some smart features for the Your Phone app, as well as bringing in a Windows Hello PIN login for Safe Mode.

Using the new build 18995, Your Phone has been considerably bolstered (again) with a new battery indicator being presented within the app that teaches you the current level of charge inside your phone. So if your mobile is actually elsewhere, you don't want to get up and look at the device to understand when it's finished charging.

Microsoft has additionally extended the Link to Windows feature which hooks up your phone to your PC, and it is now available on more Samsung devices, namely the Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, S10 5G, and Fold devices (in a few regions).

If you've not come across it before, Link to Windows enables you to send messages and manage phone notifications direct on your computer, as well as syncing photos, and mirroring your handset towards the Windows 10 computer.

Furthermore, Your Phone is broadening support for Phone Screen, which helps you to make use of your handset's Android apps immediately on your computer using the keyboard and mouse (or touchscreen). This really is coming to exactly the same aforementioned Samsung devices (again in a few regions globally).

Finally, there's an additional touch of personalization in that the icon for your smartphone within the app will in fact show the home screen wallpaper you're using on the handset.

Observe that all these fresh bits of functionality for the Phone are rolling out gradually, to not see them just yet.

Safer Mode

The other major change for Windows 10 in this preview build is that you can now enable passwordless login for when you boot laptop computer into Safe Mode (when troubleshooting an issue with the machine).

So now, whenever you elect to boot into Safe Mode, rather than needing to enter a password, you should use Windows Hello PIN sign-in (company, a PIN is much more secure than a password for various reasons).

Microsoft covers the instructions for setting up your PIN login in its article detailing the changes for build 18995. Not to mention, this really is a part of the company's broader drive for a passwordless future.

In this fresh preview, Microsoft also did some further work improving Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) with various bug fixes and crash prevention measures.