Microsoft Starts Testing Next Major Windows 10 Update With New Emoji and Mixed Reality Flashlight Feature

Microsoft is starting to test its next big update of Windows 10. With 19H1 access code, the update will be available in the first half of 2019. Microsoft has started to release public versions of 19H1 for Windows 10 testers today, with features that also they will be included in the code name of the Redstone 5 update that will be delivered in September or October. Microsoft is adding a new mixed-reality flashlight feature that opens a low-latency camera feed from a controller to allow users to see the real world around them during applications or virtual reality games.

Microsoft is also adding new emojis to both the Redstone 5 update and the 19H1 update, which are designed to complement the 157 new additions to Unicode 11. Like Apple's iOS 12 additions; Superheroes, redheads, a pirate flag, a flame and more will be available later this year. Microsoft is also retouching some of its existing emoji with both updates, and even adding intermediate seconds support within Windows to more accurately support the leap seconds that occur every 18 months.

While testing has only just begun for the 19H1 update, the new additions will be announced in the coming weeks as Microsoft completes its work on Redstone 5 and shifts its focus to the new features for 19H1. Windows experts can jump to these new compilations to access the new features as they become available.