Microsoft has rebuilt Windows 11 Search in a new Insider build, adding inline controls, richer results and the ability to act on a linked Android phone from the taskbar. The changes arrived in Experimental build 26340.9843 on October 30, 2026, according to the Windows Insider blog and Microsoft's release notes.
What changed in Search
The rebuilt Search can now carry out small tasks without opening Settings. Microsoft lists inline sliders for volume, brightness and cursor size, so a user can type a setting name and adjust it in the results panel.
Results are also richer. Search now shows file previews, web answers for weather, stocks and simple facts, and Microsoft Store app results. There are filters for narrowing results, plus feedback controls and the option to remove items from the initial view.
Phone Link comes to Search
The headline addition is phone control. Through Phone Link, Search can toggle Do Not Disturb on a connected phone and start calls or texts. Microsoft says: "Android support is available now with iPhone support coming early next year."
Android apps return, by streaming
Windows Latest tested the build on a Surface Laptop 7th Edition paired with a Galaxy A26 and found a bigger change that Microsoft's release notes do not mention. Search lists apps from a linked Android phone as "Mobile App" results, and selecting one opens the app on the phone and mirrors it to the PC.
This is not the old Windows Subsystem for Android, which Microsoft ended in March 2025, according to Windows Latest. The apps run on the phone, so the PC is only a display and input device. Windows Latest lists the requirements as a supported phone from Samsung, Honor, Oppo, Asus, vivo or Xiaomi with Link to Windows preinstalled, Android 10 or newer, and the same Wi-Fi network as the PC. Because the release notes are silent on this behaviour, treat it as an observed feature of the current build that could change.
Other items in the build
Microsoft shipped several builds that day: Beta 26220.9836, Experimental 26340.9843, Beta (26H1) 28020.3382, Experimental (26H1) 28120.3393 and Experimental (Future Platforms) 29698.1000. The Search changes are in the Experimental channels.
The same release adds a Gaming Task View Quick Settings option in Xbox mode and a Settings page for Microsoft 365 Family shared cloud storage. Microsoft temporarily rolled back the solid donut spinners, and a new Intune policy lets commercial customers keep their Feedback Hub submissions private.
There is one known issue: Task Manager may stop updating CPU speed.
Who can try it, and when it ships
These features are Insider-only for now. Microsoft has not given a date for a stable release, and Experimental builds often change or disappear before a public rollout. Anyone on a production PC should wait.
Why this matters in India
The supported phone list reads like the Indian market. Samsung, Oppo, vivo and Xiaomi account for a large share of Android phones sold here, and many of them ship with Link to Windows preinstalled. If the streaming feature reaches stable Windows, a large number of Indian users could use it without installing anything extra. Microsoft has not announced any region-specific timing, so that remains an inference from the supported brands.
The bigger picture
Search has been one of Windows 11's most criticised areas for slow results and clutter. Folding settings controls, web answers and phone actions into one box is Microsoft's attempt to make it the main way of doing things. Putting Android app access in the same place also answers a long-standing request from users who lost Android apps on Windows when the subsystem was retired.
The risk is the usual one for AI-adjacent Windows features: more surfaces, more settings and more privacy questions about what leaves the PC. Microsoft has not detailed how phone app listings are synced.
What to watch next
Watch for whether Microsoft officially documents phone-app streaming, whether it moves from Experimental to Beta, and when iPhone support arrives. The Windows Insider blog is the place to look for the next flight.
Published October 31, 2026. Gadgets365 will update this article as more information becomes available.
