July 13 Tech news roundup: Windows Notepad gets a spell checker, Firefox adds simpler data clearing options, Xbox Game Pass is now available on Amazon Fire TV devices

Notepad gets a spell checker on Windows 11

Microsoft has added a very important feature to Notepad on Windows 11. The text editor, which has been part of the operating system for 41 years, now supports spell check. The latest version of Windows Notepad now checks the spelling of words as you type. When it detects an error, the app underlines the word, and you can click on it to view suggestions for the correct spelling. Click on an option to fix your mistake. Notepad also auto-corrects some typos, which is quite handy.

The feature works offline, and supports multiple languages, even if the language packs are not installed on your computer. Notepad has gained several features over the past year, Microsoft added tab support, auto-saving, and AI features to the app. If you want to disable spell check in Windows Notepad, right-click anywhere in the app and click on Spelling > Turn off spell check.

Microsoft Store is displaying pop-up ads

You may have seen ads in Windows 11’s Start Menu, the Lock screen, the Settings app, and even in File Explorer. But Microsoft has no plans to stop displaying ads to users. Users who have the latest Windows Insider Build have spotted ads in the Microsoft Store app. The advertisements are displayed as recommendations that appear as a pop-up when you open the Store app. On the bright side, these are not video ads, instead, they are banners which promote games that are available on the Microsoft Store. Not all of these games are premium, some of them are free-to-play, but they have several in-app purchases. This could also result in more revenue for the company, as it will gain commissions from fees processed through the Store.

It is clear that Microsoft wants to help users discover games more easily, but it could have opted for a non-intrusive way. That said, the Store already displays recommendations on the home page.

Firefox 128 brings a simpler way to clear browsing data

Mozilla has released Firefox 128 with some improvements to the built-in translation tool, and a redesigned dialog to clear the browsing data. The browser’s right-click menu has an option called “Translate Selection to, which you can use to translate text that you select. The feature uses Firefox Translate to translate the text, it also works with hyperlinks. The translated version of the text appears in a small pop-up.

Firefox 128 also changes the clear browsing data and cookies dialog. It has simpler options that allow you to delete your browsing history, cookies and site data, site settings, temporary cached files and pages. Users can select a time range for deleting the data, e.g. last hour, today, or everything. Firefox’s Private Browsing mode now supports playback of protected content, aka DRM, which is used by streaming services like Netflix. Version 128 introduces a change to the address bar, it will now display recent searches and currently trending searches when a user clicks on the address bar. This feature is currently available for users in Canada and the U.S.

Here is why you cannot install the KB503440 and KB5034441 Windows Updates

Microsoft has provided an explanation to clarify why users may not get the KB503440 and KB5034441 updates on Windows 10 and Windows 11. The updates in question have failed to install on computers that do not have sufficient free space in the WinRE recovery partition. Users who did not have 250 MB of space in the WinRE partition experienced the 0x80070643 error, and hence could not install the security patch that was required to fix an exploit related to the BitLocker encryption. Microsoft had confirmed that it would not be able to fix the issue via a Windows Update. The company provided instructions for users to increase the size of the recovery partition manually.

Now, Microsoft has outlined the scenarios where users may not get the KB503440 and KB5034441 Windows Updates. Users who do not have the WinRE partition on their computer will not get the update. PCs which have a new version of WinRE installed are also ineligible for the updates. That’s because the security patch is already included in the newer versions. Users who do not meet these conditions can extend the size of the WinRE partition, can get the updates via the Settings app. Microsoft is phasing out old versions of Windows 11. The Redmond company has announced that it will stop supporting Windows 11 Versions 21H2 and 22H2 from October 2024.

You can now play Xbox Games Pass games on Amazon Fire Stick

Amazon Fire Stick owners can rejoice! Microsoft and Amazon have partnered to bring Game Pass to Fire TV streaming devices and TVs. The games are available as part of the Game Pass Ultimate subscription.

This will allow users to stream the games via their internet connection, even if you do not have an Xbox console. Users will need a Fire TV Stick 4K or 4K Max (2023 models), and a wireless controller such as the Xbox Controller or PlayStation DualShock or DualSense game pad to play the games on their TV. On a side note, Microsoft has increased the price of Xbox Game Pass subscriptions for its console.

Switching from Google Photos to iCloud Photos is now easier

Apple and Google have made it easier to move your photos from Google Photos to iCloud. The companies had collaborated on a tool for transferring photos from iCloud to Google Photos in 2021. It was done as part of an open-source initiative called the Data Transfer Project. Now, the two tech giants have announced the availability of a new tool that has been designed to help users migrate their videos and photos from Google Photos to iCloud Photos.

Users do not need to download the photos and videos manually and upload them to iCloud. The data transfer tool directly transfers the content from Google Photos to iCloud Photos. To use it, go to Google Takeout, and choose to export your Google Photos. Set Apple iCloud Photos as the destination, and authorize the process by signing in to your Apple ID. It is worth noting that the photos and videos will not be deleted automatically from Google Photos, you will need to do that manually.