What you need to know
- Microsoft just shipped two Windows 11 Insider builds to the Beta Channel.
- The update improves Narrator by adding support for natural voices in Chinese and Spanish (Spain and Mexico).
- It also adds a toggle for choosing if a device uses cellular connectivity when a Wi-Fi signal is available but poor.
Microsoft just released a pair of Windows 11 Insider builds to the Beta Channel. Build 22631.1835 has new features on by default, while Build 22621.1835 has new features disabled. The updates are relatively small, including just a single new feature and one additional improvement.
The Narrator feature on Windows 11 can now use natural voices in Chinese and Spanish (Spain and Mexico).
The latest build also adds a toggle that can control whether cellular connectivity is used when Wi-Fi signal is available but weak.
If you’re interested in bigger changes to Windows 11, Microsoft released a build to the Dev Channel yesterday that includes the new updated File Explorer and native support for RGB lighting.
In regard to today’s Beta Channel build, Microsoft outlines the changes in its most recent blog post:
Build 22631.1835: What’s new
Narrator natural voices in Chinese & Spanish (Spain and Mexico)
We are introducing new natural voices in Chinese and Spanish (Spain and Mexico) that allow Narrator users to comfortably browse the web, read, and write mail, and do more. Natural Narrator voices use modern, on-device text to speech and once downloaded are supported without an internet connection.
To use one of the natural voices, add it to your PC by following these steps:
- Open Narrator Settings by pressing the WIN + Ctrl + N hotkey.
- Under Narrator’s voice, select the Add button next to Add natural voices.
- Choose the language for which you want to install Natural Voices. List of available voices will be displayed.
- Select the voice you want to install. You can install all voices, but you must install them separately.
- The new Chinese voices are Microsoft Xiaoxiao and Microsoft Yunxi.
- The new Spanish (Spain) voices are Microsoft Alvaro and Microsoft Elvira.
- The new Spanish (Mexico) voices are Microsoft Jorge and Microsoft Dalia.
- To start the download of the selected voice, select Install. The new voice will download and be ready for use in a few minutes, depending on your Internet download speed.
- When the new voice has downloaded, in Narrator settings select your preferred voice from the drop-down menu in Narrator’s voice > Choose a voice.
Build 22631.1835: Changes and improvements
Settings
It is easier to control whether to use cellular when Wi-Fi is available but poor, using a new toggle which has been added to Settings > Network & Internet > Cellular.
