Windows 11 gets new ‘Companions’ feature in taskbar and Start menu

At Ignite 2024, Microsoft unveiled a new feature for the Windows 11 taskbar. It’s called Microsoft 365 Companions and it’ll give users quick access to important data, reports The Verge.

These so-called “companions” are additional bits of information that are integrated into the taskbar and Start menu, and you can spot these details — which include contacts, files, and calendar events — at a glance.

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Microsoft didn’t give a detailed explanation of how it will all work, but companions are very similar to the new Phone Link app features in the Windows 11 24H2 update. Phone Link’s companion experience adds a floating window next to the Start menu that shows recent messages, recent calls, and battery percentage for the connected phone.

It’s currently unclear whether third-party developers will also be able to create their own companions for Windows 11.

Further reading: Microsoft teases AI interpreter that can translate speech between languages in real time