Microsoft allows removal of some system apps in Windows test build

Microsoft appears to make it possible to remove some system applications in the new Windows build that it has released for testers. In addition, the company has released a fix for issues introduced by a recent Windows 10 update.

Starting with Windows 10 build 14936, which Microsoft released to testers in the Fast Ring last week, Mail & Calendar, Calculator, Groove Music, Maps, and Weather can be removed. Not all installations of apps that Microsoft includes as standard with Windows 10 can be undone: with Alarm & Clock, Camera, Cortana, Messaging and many other apps, this is not possible, writes Ghacks. With these apps, ‘Uninstall’ is still gray and not clickable. Incidentally, it seems that the uninstall option was introduced on some apps with build 14931, which came to users in the Fast Ring on September 21 and has now been brought to the Slow Ring.

Microsoft announced build 14936 last week. The release includes new extensions for Edge and a host of bug fixes. Not announced, but present in the version is further functionality called ‘Wifi Calling’, according to InsideWindows. In addition, there are indications for a universal windows platform version of the explorer. The new features of Windows 10 will probably only be widely available with the arrival of the Redstone 2 update; which is expected next year.

Microsoft has acknowledged that a recently released update, KB3194496, for Windows 10 has caused issues. This would only apply to Insider users who ran a previous version of the OS, Microsoft reported in a statement to ZDNet. They ended up in a bootloop where the system kept trying to install the update after rebooting. Microsoft has released a script that should fix the problems.