Windows 11 Gets a New Volume Indicator

It's taken almost ten years, but Windows is finally getting a new modern volume indicator. Initially introduced in Windows 8 in 2012, the black bar that appears when you adjust the system volume using a keyboard or other device is finally gone. Instead, Microsoft is replacing it with a volume indicator that matches the general design of Windows 11.

Indicators for volume, brightness, camera privacy, the camera on/off, and airplane mode will be updated soon with a more modern design. "These new flyouts will appear when you press the volume or brightness keys on your laptop and will honor light/dark mode to give you a more coherent Windows experience," explains Microsoft's Windows Insider chief Amanda Langowski. "Brightness and volume indicators continue to be interactive with the update."

Along with this design tweak, Microsoft lets you test a new calling experience in the Your Phone app on Windows 11. "This update includes a new in-progress call window with updated icons, fonts, and other UI changes that align with the improved design of Windows 11," says Langowski.

This latest Windows 11 preview build, 22533, includes a touch keyboard themes extension in the emoji panel and elsewhere for all Dev Channel testers. If you have wanted to uninstall the Clock app in Windows 11, there is also an option to do it now.

Microsoft may deliver some of these changes monthly to Windows 11, as the company has moved on to provide a more extensive annual update for its latest operating system. The software maker hasn't revealed exactly when these new features will appear for all Windows 11 users but expect to see them sometime this year.