Windows 12: new features you want to get
Windows 12 will likely be a sequel to Microsoft’s Windows 11, and it may arrive sooner than you think.
Recent rumors suggest that an OS with such an original name could appear in 2024, and the possibility of Windows 12 arriving so soon after Windows 11 has pleased many of us.
When the next version of Windows arrives, we’d like to see more significant changes compared to Windows 11. So, what improvements and new features could be coming to Windows 12? Users constantly ask Microsoft to create new features. Some of these wishes were addressed with the big 23H2 update and the Moment 4 update (like the never merge feature for the taskbar, although the big new feature for 2023 was of course Copilot AI).
With that in mind, here’s everything we’ve learned about the next major Windows update, plus five features we’d like to see in Windows 12.
Windows 12: Get to the point
What it is? As of now, there hasn’t been an official announcement about Windows 12 being the successor to Windows 11.
When released? Possibly in 2024, based on a three-year timeline.
How much will it cost? Should be free, just like Windows 11.
Rumors about the release date of Windows 12
Based on past releases, we expect Windows 12 to arrive at the end of 2024, just before the end of support for Windows 10. Moreover, rumors about it have been circulating for some time. Additionally, at Build 2023 we got a glimpse of the next generation of Windows (called “Next Valley Prototype Design”), indicating the possibility of it arriving next year.
Finally, an Intel executive has confirmed that the next iteration of Windows will arrive in 2024 (though without mentioning the Windows 12 name).
Supported Windows 12 devices
When Microsoft announced the availability of Windows 11, the main requirement was that devices would have a hardware TPM feature, a security feature found on most motherboards.
While this requirement will likely be pushed again by Microsoft, there may come a time when virtually every PC will be equipped with a TPM.
There are rumors that Microsoft may be planning to increase the RAM requirements from 4 GB (for Windows 11) to 8 GB in the next generation OS. Otherwise, Windows 12 should support the same processors as Windows 11 and will likely have similar requirements:
64-bit processor
Clock frequency 1 GHz
4 GB RAM
64 GB storage
UEFI, Secure Boot Capability
TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module)
Over 9″ display with HD resolution (1366×768)
DirectX 12/WDDM 2.x compatible graphics
Internet connection
What do we want to see
We don’t know much about Windows 12 yet and whether the rumored update will become a reality, but we have an idea of what we want from it, and the following features top our list.
1. Merging Skype and Teams in MSN Messenger 12
It’s no secret that Microsoft’s efforts in video calling and collaboration through messaging apps haven’t been very successful in recent years. At a time when people needed more and more remote communication, it was Zoom that took the leading position, and Skype, oddly enough, remained on the sidelines.
Even though Teams and Skype have introduced several new features, it is still unclear which one you should use. For example, if you need to take part in an interview that’s taking place in Teams, you’ll likely need to quickly install the app and make sure it works.
Instead, let’s have them both retire and usher in a new version of Windows 12 with the return of MSN Messenger to do the work those two apps struggled to do.
We’d like to bring back not only the nudges, winks, and classic user-demanded sounds, but also powerful features that would put it on par with Zoom, Google Meets, and FaceTime. Perhaps integration with Slack, so that if you need to hold a video meeting, you can send a request to the channel and launch MSN Messenger with the necessary invitees with one button.
Microsoft needs to rethink its approach to messaging apps, and the return of MSN Messenger could be a great start to that.
2. Live wallpaper
Windows 12 will likely be a sequel to Microsoft’s Windows 11, and it may arrive sooner than you think. -3
iPhone and Android phones have had similar features for years that allow animations to move around those devices. But for PC and Mac, they’ve been ported to third-party apps like Wallpaper Engine to create animated wallpapers with the ability to display information from your computer.
To create something similar in Windows 12, Microsoft could further push its design efforts, which were improved in Windows 11 with dark themes.
The presence of a special section for wallpapers, where you can place static pieces of information on your desktop, working in tandem with animated live wallpapers, may appeal to many users.
Microsoft could also bring back the old wallpaper, such as the mountainside from Windows XP, but make it animated and include clouds to indicate battery status or weather.
This can dramatically update your desktop and make it more up-to-date without having to rely on widgets or the taskbar to show off the changes.
3. Dedicated podcast app
While the return of Microsoft’s Windows Media Player was very welcome, having extra features like podcasts seems out of place compared to what Media Player is designed to do.
macOS has had its own podcast app since the release of Big Sur in 2019, but if you want to use a similar app on Windows, it’s not entirely clear where to start since Microsoft doesn’t offer a dedicated podcast app.
That’s why Windows 12 should include a dedicated podcast app that can be used on other platforms like iOS and Android so that subscriptions are synced across all devices.
Podcasts are hugely popular, and managing them in a native app would be very convenient for Windows users. This could help the company in its quest to make content available on virtually all devices.
4. Dedicated streaming app
Windows 12 will likely be a sequel to Microsoft’s Windows 11, and it may arrive sooner than you think.-5
Windows doesn’t yet have a built-in option to stream currently playing content.
For years, there have been apps like OBS and Twitch that offer the ability to broadcast what you’re playing or watching to other users. However, these apps have always required extra effort to ensure good streaming quality and low latency.
Then there’s the added aspect of peripherals that streamers use to show themselves off in the best possible light, or Stream Decks to easily manage your settings with keyboard shortcuts.
Managing multiple apps to control it all can be overwhelming, so Windows 12 could improve the situation by having one app to manage your streams and peripherals.
Since announcing Windows 11 in June 2021, Microsoft has been pushing gaming on Windows 12 with an updated Xbox app and HDR support. But countless gamers also stream these games through Windows, so there’s a lot of opportunity here.
Having one app to control things like ring lights and viewer streams is attractive because it allows you to put all the hard work into one app. It can automate broadcasts depending on the schedule and games being played, as well as use different lighting scenarios at different times of the day.
This could push more gamers to embrace Windows as a service, something Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has been talking about since the release of Windows 10 in 2015, and also make Windows 12 a tempting prospect for streamers to gain more subscribers and income for their careers.
5. Companion app for Android
The Desire Athow app could be an extension of Your Phone, Microsoft’s program for syncing mobile devices with Windows. But when you open a new app in Windows 12, the design will resemble Windows Phone with its tiled layout and let you use your phone like a desktop computer.
It’s similar to Samsung’s DeX app, which lets you turn your Galaxy S22 or Galaxy S22 Ultra into a desktop computer when connected to a peripheral.
However, the new app goes beyond DeX and Microsoft’s Your Phone project. When connected to a monitor, it will turn into a full-fledged Windows 12 desktop, displaying everything you have on your main PC. And when you click on the icon, the monitor will content from the cloud and display it in its native resolution.
It’s an innovative cloud extension that lets you access your files wherever you are. In this case, you will carry your desktop with you and all you have to do is connect your smartphone to a monitor, either a touchscreen or a keyboard and mouse.
As with the streaming feature, this further confirms Nadella’s plans to turn Windows into a system of services. The ability to use a PC in an application is an interesting idea that can help in cases where you have a short period of time to work with a free monitor, keyboard and mouse at hand.