Windows is finally getting a speed test that does not involve a browser tab

Checking your broadband speed has always meant opening a browser, finding a site, waiting through an advert and then wondering whether the result meant anything. Microsoft is moving the whole thing into the taskbar.

It showed up on 23 October in Experimental channel build 26340.9767. There is a new Speed test tile in Quick Settings, and you can also start a run from the Wi-Fi or cellular flyout, or by right-clicking the network icon in the system tray and picking Test internet speed. Progress and results stay in the panel: download, upload, ping. Nothing opens, nothing tries to sell you a VPN afterwards.

The same build adds a Mobile devices section to Quick Settings. With an Android phone linked you can turn Do Not Disturb on before a meeting, switch the ringer to vibrate, or make the handset play a sound so you can find it down the side of the sofa, all without picking anything up. iPhone support starts much smaller and mostly reports status rather than changing it. Microsoft's own wording is that the controls "vary by platform and configuration", which is the polite way of saying it depends on your phone.

Experimental channel means what it says. These are features Microsoft is trying out on volunteers, and plenty of them never reach a shipping build, so treat it as a preview of intent rather than something arriving next month. A speed number on its own rarely explains a slow evening online anyway. Tendvane's Network scan lists what else is connected to your Wi-Fi, which is often the more useful half of that question.