Windows and Windows Phone users struggled with the app gap for years, often leading to frustration when their favorite app was unavailable. But recent advances in AI have led to a different kind of problem: an explosion of development. Microsoft recently shared the challenges caused by AI accelerating the development of extensions for the Edge browser.

"How do we keep up with the pace at which the ecosystem is growing, while maintaining a high bar for quality?" asked Microsoft's Edge team.

Microsoft approves extensions that appear in the Edge Add-ons site. Since AI can speed up the process of developing or updating apps, Microsoft has more submissions to take care of. To better handle the workload, Microsoft has automated some validation checks for extensions.

The company emphasizes that it still has the same standards for an extension to pass. The automation centers around common problems so humans can focus on more complex cases.

If an extension passes enough quality checks, it will earn a "Featured" badge in the Edge Add-ons site. Microsoft now refreshes Featured badges every 15 days.

"With this more frequent cadence, high-quality extensions can earn recognition sooner, and developers receive faster feedback on their investments in quality," said Microsoft. "At the same time, users benefit from a more up-to-date view of the extensions that meet our quality standards."

Edge extensions have come a long way. The browser first required developers to put in a lot of work that was exclusive to Edge. That changed when Edge was relaunched as a Chromium browser. That switch greatly improved compatibility and resulted in more extensions being in the Edge Add-ons site.

Being based on Chromium also comes with some downsides, however. Microsoft is following in the footsteps of Google by moving from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3. There are a variety of effects of that change, but the one many care about the most is it means uBlock Origin will no longer work on Edge (it already does not work on Chrome).

Microsoft revamped the Edge Add-ons site with a better browsing experience and new categories last year. The new site shows better suggestions as you type and lets you install extensions without having to jump to a different page.

With that refresh and the recent uptick in extension submissions, it should be easier than ever to find a quality extension.

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Windows 11 will soon feature a Battery Status widget that you can pin to the Widget Board or your PC's lock screen. The feature is still in the works at the moment, but you don't have to wait for it to be finished. Third-party app "Battery Flyout" already supports a Battery Status widget and is available right now.

Just like Microsoft's widget that's in progress, Battery Flyout's widget shows the battery status of your PC and connected devices. It's a quick way to check if your keyboard, mouse, or other accessories are charged.

The Widget Board has been underutilized since it launched in 2021. There are fewer than 100 widgets available, many of which are tremendously niche. I hope the existence of the Battery Status widget indicates that Microsoft is going to invest the time needed to grow the library of Windows 11 widgets.

Microsoft has made some other improvements to the Widget Board lately, such as turning off the MSN feed by default. I hope this is a turning point for the feature. If not, at least we can rely on third-party developers to use the space.

If you had a previous version of Battery Flyout installed, you may need to update the app before being able to use the widget.

As a built-in feature of Windows 11, the Battery Status widget will be available for free. Battery Flyout costs $3.19 (on sale from $3.99). But some lucky Windows Central readers will be able to get Battery Flyout for free. The app's developer shared a code for a giveaway and I'll run that on the r/windowscentral subreddit. Make sure to subscribe there and keep an eye out.

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A new Windows app that aims to replicate the Dynamic Island of macOS just got a major update. Notchify now performs better and has new features like a built-in Clipboard history. It's a promising continuation of the app's development.

It's always interesting to pit Windows 11 against macOS. The two operating systems overlap but approach so many challenges in different ways.

While many are passionate defenders of a specific operating system, I think if we're all honest there are features and elements across the aisle worth envying. But it was a bit surprising to see that some Windows 11 users want a macOS-esque notch on the top of their screen.

The notch along the top of certain Macs came out of hardware limitations, not Apple deciding a black cutout of a screen was a brilliant design. But as Apple often does, the company found a way to turn a limitation into a feature that could be marketed. The Dynamic Island is a genuinely useful feature that provides quick access to information, notifications, and quick actions.

Notchify brings that part of the Dynamic Island to Windows 11. You don't need to permanently carve out part of your screen to use it though, which is nice.

Here is the change log for the latest update to Notchify, as shared by the app's developer on Reddit:

Performance and rendering

• Optional GPU (hardware) rendering for much smoother animations
• Large drop in idle CPU and memory use
• Fixed a system-wide keyboard lag some people were hitting
• Better fullscreen detection so it stays out of the way in games
• Selectable frame rate from 60 to 240 Hz, so it can match a high refresh rate monitor

Clipboard and Tray

• Clipboard history built into the island: pin, delete, clear
• Drag items straight out into Discord, WhatsApp, Paint, or Explorer, or click one to copy it
• The file tray now supports drag and drop: drop files in to stash them, drag them out into any app

Notifications

• An in-app notifications panel with swipe to dismiss
• Click a notification to jump straight to the app
• Stacking, like the real thing

New widgets

• To-do and Notes, now with a proper calendar date picker
• Quick System Actions: lock, sleep, mute, dark/light toggle, screenshot, settings
• App Shortcuts: pin apps, folders, or links
• Calendar with your next event

Bluetooth and media

• Connected device card with a battery ring, now including BLE devices
• Media player with scrubbing, shuffle, repeat, and an album-colored visualizer

Quality of life

• Optional hover to reveal: the island appears when your cursor reaches the top edge, even in fullscreen
• Redesigned settings
• 10 languages
• Multi-monitor and high-DPI fixes

Our Editor-in-Chief Daniel Rubino took a closer look at Notchify recently. He used a massive 52-inch Dell Ultrasharp monitor, so he can afford to give up a bit of space for convenience.

"I still don’t love the idea of a notch (it’s not my aesthetic), but I can’t deny how practical it is," said Rubino. "Having a small, centralized hub for quick info saves me from scanning the corners of my display. It’s one of those things that quietly improves workflow without demanding attention."

One of the biggest limitations of Notchify is that it's a third-party app, meaning Windows 11 does not cater to it the way macOS does to the Dynamic Island. Apps do not wrap around Notchify, which can result in content being covered.

Notchify costs $1.99. There is a free trial available, so there's no harm in giving it a try.

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I love tiny utilities. If I find a useful flyout, widget, or Taskbar tweak, I'm likely to install it right away. A recent update to Battery Flyout brings power management and tracking to the Taskbar, and it even supports a new widget!

Battery Flyout is a third-party app made by Michał Łeptuch. It lets you switch power modes easily and provides charts about your PC's battery usage.

Some of the features in Battery Flyout are already in Windows 11, but they are spread out across the Settings app and other areas. Battery Flyout brings those options together and makes information and shortcuts easily accessible.

Łeptuch develops several apps that improve the overall Windows 11 experience, including Calendar Flyout. I spoke with him about the major update to Battery Flyout ahead of its release. Here's the full change log:

• Migrated the app from UWP to Windows App SDK (WinUI 3) on .NET 10 with Native AOT
• Added a full native ARM64 build
• Switched the app to run in Efficiency mode by default
• Removed third-party dependencies in favor of a custom-built system for handling power and battery events
• Added support for multiple batteries
• Added a more detailed chart style for battery levels
• Added the ability to switch chart colors between the default theme and your system accent color
• Added detailed technical information for each installed battery to the flyout
• Added a view of the apps consuming the most power to the flyout
• Replaced the old battery report with the new Power report, covering battery and system summary, per-battery details, app trends, recommendations, and resource usage
• Added the option to choose the units used in reports, including energy and temperature
• Added a new Actions module to automate tasks triggered by specific battery or power events
• Added a widget for the Windows Widgets board showing battery level and charging status
• Expanded support for Apple and Samsung devices, with more of them now reporting battery status
• Added the option to hide the device list when it's empty
• Updated the Bluetooth device icons shown in the flyout's device list
• Added the option to completely disable Bluetooth device scanning
• Added a keyboard shortcut to open the flyout
• Added the ability to change where the flyout appears on your desktop
• Added automatic flyout and context menu positioning for the taskbar layout options introduced in the Windows 11 August 2026 update
• Added the ability to set notifications for any battery level, for both the device and connected Bluetooth devices
• Added the option to set how long notifications stay on screen
• Added support for the Polish language
• Made various minor visual refinements
• Updated the tray icon font and improved its rendering
• Made general stability and performance improvements

A significant change that will affect all Battery Flyout users is that the app has been migrated from UWP to WinUI 3. That change brings better performance and taps into improvements Microsoft is making to WinUI 3 on Windows 11.

Battery Flyout should also use less battery than before since it now runs in Efficiency mode by default.

Similar to iOS and Android, Battery Flyout now has a dedicated page for viewing which apps are consuming the most power.

Some of the improvements will only affect a subset of users but are welcome additions. Battery Flyout now supports multiple batteries, which is useful for the small group of devices with multiple batteries.

The update also brings some under-the-hood improvements, such as switching away from third-party dependencies.

Perhaps the change aimed at the smallest niche is the addition of a Battery Flyout widget for the Windows 11 Widgets panel. That panel, which is built into every single Windows 11 PC, infamously features far fewer than 100 widgets. Battery Flyout will fit nicely between the barely functional Spotify widget and the Tic-Tac-Toe widget.

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