Windows Ai Foundry
The latest Windows Ai Foundry coverage — news, analysis, and updates from the WindowsNews.AI desk.
Windows 10 Office Users Face Feature Freeze by August 2026: Critical Dates and Actions
Microsoft 365 Apps will stop receiving new features on Windows 10 starting in August 2026 with Version 2608, though security updates will continue until October 2028. The exact freeze date varies by update channel, and a July 2026 channel consolidation complicates planning for enterprises. Users and IT admins should inventory devices, plan Windows 11 migrations, and treat the feature freeze as the primary driver for action.
Microsoft’s 45% Copilot Price Hike Heads to Court: What Your Subscription Renewal Won’t Tell You
Microsoft faces an ACCC court case in Australia over a hidden cheaper plan for Microsoft 365 after a 45% price hike for Copilot. The regulator says 2.7 million auto-renewing subscribers were not told about 'Classic' plans that preserved old features and pricing, only offered during cancellation. The article explains what happened, what it means for users, and how to check if you can switch to a cheaper option.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Now Offers a 30-Day Deferred Update Window — Here’s How to Use It Without Slowing Everything Down
Microsoft 365 Copilot now lets IT admins assign users to a 30-day deferred release channel for select major updates, alongside a Frontier pre-GA tier and the default Standard GA path. The model only affects Copilot features tagged as both 'major' and 'deferred-capable,' and misusing it — for example, putting everyone in Deferred — can create a false sense of control. A disciplined ring strategy with a small Frontier lab, a representative Standard validation cohort, and a narrowly targeted Deferred group focused on active preparation is the key to balancing innovation with readiness.
Microsoft Teams Forces External Meeting Bots to Seek Your Permission Before Joining
Microsoft Teams now requires manual approval for external AI bots before they can join meetings, closing a privacy gap that allowed unvetted note-takers and automation services to bypass lobby controls. The new admin policy offers three tiers—require approval, block entirely, or allow for approved workflows—and forces organizers to consciously decide whether a detected bot gains access to confidential discussions.
Before August 2026, Every Teams Admin Must Decide: Keep AI Meeting Archives for 5 Years or Turn Them Off
Microsoft Teams will soon generate AI meeting archives with a default five-year retention, independent of transcript expiration. Rolling out by August 2026, the feature forces admins to decide whether to accept the default or disable it entirely. The article explains the mechanics, compliance implications, and a pre-rollout checklist for IT and compliance teams.
Windows App SDK 2.3.1 Lands with AI Video Upscaling, Smarter App Storage – What You Need to Know
Microsoft's Windows App SDK 2.3.1 stabilizes two features from June's 2.2 release: real-time AI video upscaling and modern app storage for unpackaged desktop apps. This article explains what the update means for everyday users, developers, and IT admins, and provides a practical checklist for a safe, staged adoption.
Gemini 3.5 Pro Is a No-Show, and Windows Developers Are Running Out of Patience
Google's Gemini 3.5 Pro, promised for release in June after Google I/O, remains unreleased as of late July due to reportedly subpar coding performance. Internal fragmentation is slowing progress, forcing Windows developers and IT teams to reevaluate AI coding assistant strategies. Without a firm timeline, organizations should explore alternatives like GitHub Copilot and not delay decisions.
BGR's New Browser Security Checklist: Secure Your Passwords, Extensions, and AI Settings in 2025
BGR's new browser security guide reveals that modern password managers in Chrome and Edge are safer than ever when paired with Windows Hello, while AI features and forgotten extensions demand fresh scrutiny. This practical checklist walks Windows users through the five settings that matter most—from locking down autofill to taming on-device AI models—so you can secure your browser in under 10 minutes.
Claude Fable 5 Access Gets Slashed for Pro Users While Max Limits Are Halved
Anthropic is overhauling Claude Fable 5 access starting July 20. Max and Team Premium plans keep the model but at only half of their already-reduced weekly limits, while Pro and Team Standard users get a one-time $100 credit before moving to pay-per-use API billing. The shift reflects both capacity struggles and competitive pressure from OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol, and it forces Windows developers and teams to re-evaluate how they use the expensive reasoning model.
Alibaba's Qwen3.8-Max Preview: Why You Can't Run the 2.4T Model on Your PC Yet
Alibaba previewed Qwen3.8-Max, a 2.4-trillion-parameter AI model it says trails only Anthropic's Claude Fable 5. The model is currently a hosted service via Alibaba's Token Plan and Qoder platforms, with no local install option for Windows users. While smaller Qwen models remain popular for local AI, this cloud-only preview is aimed at enterprises; an open-weight release is promised but lacks a timeline and independent benchmarks.
Codex Lag Persists on Macs Despite SSD Fix—Here’s How to Diagnose and Mitigate the Slowdown
OpenAI's June fix for a Codex logging bug dramatically reduced excessive SSD writes, but Mac users now report system-wide lag caused by a macOS Gatekeeper process (syspolicyd) that remains stuck after the app closes. The article explains the two separate issues, how to diagnose them, and what steps users can take while waiting for an official fix.
Canva's Windows Desktop App Now Packs AI Design Smarts—Here's What First-Timers Need to Know
Canva's Windows desktop app has matured into a powerful, AI-equipped design tool that syncs with the web and offers native file handling. This guide cuts through the clutter for first-time users, explaining how to avoid watermarks, pick the right export format, use AI as a draft assistant, and share designs securely without accidentally giving edit access. It also covers common stumbling blocks like blurry prints and glitchy editor behavior.
Google's Gemini Agent Platform Takes Aim at AI Governance Gaps as OpenAI Starts Charging for Windows Agents
Google's Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform adds cryptographic agent identities, a unified policy gateway, and a model-agnostic registry as the successor to Vertex AI. Meanwhile, OpenAI starts charging for agent tasks in its Windows desktop app, forcing Windows admins to address security and budgeting for autonomous agents. This analysis explains the platform shift, compares the options for Microsoft-centric shops, and provides a practical checklist for inventorying, securing, and capping agent usage.