KB5079481

Microsoft released cumulative update KB5079481 (Build 28020.1743) for Windows 11 version 26H1, available to insiders on the Canary channel. This build belongs to the br_release development branch and is activated using the feature enablement package KB5073122. The Canary channel is intended for early preview of the latest changes: builds are released immediately after creation, with limited documentation and without thorough testing, so they may be unstable. Some tested changes will never be released, while others may appear in future versions of Windows.

• Joint audio listening (preview) — new control features. This feature allows two users to listen to audio simultaneously through compatible devices supporting Bluetooth LE Audio. This update adds separate volume sliders for each listener, allowing independent volume adjustment without affecting the other user. The overall volume can still be changed through quick settings, the device, or the keyboard. A new indicator also appears on the taskbar during joint listening: clicking it opens options to change volume or stop playback. The device ecosystem has expanded: Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro, Sony WF-1000XM6, and Xbox Wireless Headset are now supported.
• Context menu. When right-clicking .exe, .bat, or .cmd files, the Open item in the context menu now uses the same icon as the default application for that file type.
• File Explorer. Improved reliability of unlocking files downloaded from the internet so they can be viewed in File Explorer.
• Updated Feedback Hub. A modern interface and redesigned user experience are introduced. Simplified feedback submission: a single template with category search. Simplified navigation: My Feedback section in the navigation pane, and Community Feedback instead of All Feedback. The Announcements page has been removed — news is now in the Windows Insider Blog. A new feedback type Appreciation has been added to note what works well. The ability to choose public or private feedback is now available. A compact feedback submission mode is also available for quick on-the-fly submission with the option to switch to the full version.

Installation via Windows Update: go to Settings > Windows Update and click Check for updates. A computer restart is required to complete the installation.

To exit the Canary channel, a clean installation of Windows 11 is required, as insiders cannot switch to a channel with lower build numbers without it for technical reasons. The watermark in the lower-right corner of the desktop is normal for these preview builds.

How the new features work:

Joint audio listening (preview): This feature uses Bluetooth LE Audio with multi-stream transport. The source device creates independent isochronous channels (CIS) for each headset. The system mixes audio into two separate buffers, each with its own gain coefficient (volume slider). Hardware volume adjustments are done via HCI commands Set Volume in the LC3 protocol without affecting the main OS mixer.

Context menu: When invoking the context menu for .exe, .bat, or .cmd, Explorer reads the file type association from the registry (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT*\OpenWithList or HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.exe). The Open item dynamically loads the icon by extracting resources from the default handler (usually shell32.dll or the associated executable) and renders it instead of the standard arrow.

File Explorer: When downloading from the internet, Windows adds an alternate data stream (ADS) :Zone.Identifier:$DATA with marker ZoneId=3. The improved unlocking mechanism works faster: on access, the Cache Manager does not wait for a full lock release from the MOTW filter but uses asynchronous stream signature verification, allowing the file to appear in Explorer immediately after attribute reset.

Updated Feedback Hub: The app is rewritten in WinUI 3 with a separate rendering thread. Feedback submission uses REST API with a FeedbackSubmission model — single field categoryId and description. Compact mode saves data to a temporary JSON in %LocalAppData%\FeedbackHub\Drafts with flag isQuickMode=true. Privacy choice sets privacyLevel=public or private in the request body. Appreciation type sends feedbackType=compliment instead of problem.

The last 10 Windows updates: