Windows 11 preview builds add redesigned sound controls, tighter phone integration, and new family safety tools

Microsoft has released new Windows 11 preview builds to Insiders in the Experimental and Beta channels that combine user-facing refinements across audio, phone integration, and family controls. The update moves several legacy Control Panel audio features into the modern Settings app, changes how volume and activity are displayed, and puts a few new cross-device conveniences and family safety options in front of testers.

The Sound Settings design has been updated. Volume sliders now display a live audio activity indicator when music or video is playing, which helps you see which app or device is producing sound while you adjust levels.

Several Control Panel audio features have been ported to Settings so you can manage them without opening legacy dialogs. Notable additions to device properties include:

• A hardware acceleration toggle when a device supports it.
• An option to configure exclusive mode for an audio device in the Advanced section.
• Adaptive communication sound level controls to lower other audio when communications are detected.
• A persistent option to set a device as the default communication device that appears in Properties (it's hidden only if the device is already the default).

The All sound devices page has also been redesigned. From that page you can change default devices, filter between input and output devices, and toggle visibility for disabled, disconnected, or unplugged devices. Input and output property pages now show jack information for devices that require it. A new banner appears when mono audio is enabled to clarify that some properties won't take effect while mono audio is active.

Cross-device and Phone Link improvements

If you rely on custom audio setups or use external sound hardware, moving those controls into Settings simplifies device management and keeps configuration in one place. The live audio indicators and improved defaults handling should reduce guesswork when switching outputs or setting communication devices.

Phone Link tweaks shorten the setup path for people who pair a phone with a Windows PC. The Family Safety updates indicate Microsoft's next round of parental-control refinements, especially around approvals and age checks, but Insiders will be the ones to test the flows while Microsoft iterates.

Insider participants in the Experimental and Beta channels will see these features as they roll out. Watch for follow-up releases that refine wording, fix edge cases (for example with mono audio interactions), and widen the distribution of these changes to general Windows 11 releases.