14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 May 2020 Update, or version 2004, is just around the corner, as Microsoft has recently released the final build to users in the Release Preview ring of the Windows Insider program.
In other words, the rollout to production devices is projected to start in a few weeks, with the whole thing to happen in stages, which means not everyone is getting the update at the same time.
The May 2020 Update is a massive release, which makes total sense after the November 2019 Update was mostly focused on improvements under the hood. And one of the new features coming to users with this update concerns the Network Status page in the Settings app.
As you probably know if you’re a long-time Windows 10 user, Microsoft has been working on replacing the Control Panel with the new Settings app, technically migrating all features to the latter in an attempt to provide a full modern experience to everyone.
The upcoming May 2020 Update not only that continues this approach, but it also refines the experience in some key areas. And one of them is the Network Status page that’s being updated with new goodies.
First and foremost, there’s a new view of active connections, with all active network connections, wired and wireless, now displayed in the same screen. Additional data that is displayed here include connection time and data usage, with options to access properties and data usage information in the same screen.
“We now show all available connection interfaces on the Status page, so you can quickly see what is connected and view and change properties as needed. If you have multiple connections, only one will be used for internet connectivity at a time, and that one is still shown in the Status diagram at the top of the page,” Microsoft explains.
The data usage section comes in handy to those who try to better manage their Internet connection, especially if they’re using a limited plan.
“You can now see how much data is being used by a network right from the Status page! If it looks like you’re using a lot of data, you can drill into the Data Usage page to create a limit for that network, which will warn you if you get close or go over your limit. You can also see how much data each app is using on that network,” the company says.
Managing the network connections is critical for so many users, so it’s definitely a good thing that Microsoft improves the Settings page in this regard. The data limit screen, for example, now shows how much you used and how much is left from the configured plan, alongside information for each application to know exactly which one is the data hog.
Microsoft says all these improvements are based on user feedback, and this is why it’s adding new options to better manage the available networks. And truth be told, this has long been a popular feature, albeit previously, getting information like data usage per each network was a lot easier with third-party apps.
“We’re revamping the Network & Internet landing page in Settings to provide more information at a glance about your device’s connectivity, combining several pages to give you one clear view of how you are connected to the internet,” Microsoft says.
Users who want to try out the May 2020 Update right now can enroll in the Windows Insider program and download the build available in the Release Preview ring. Users here have already been provided with the final build.