• Microsoft has released an optional Windows 11 KB5008353 patch that fixes a handful of problems with the January updates.
• The updates included in KB5008353 include several fixes for issues affecting audio devices, multi-monitor setups, auto-brightness as well as app icons in the taskbar.
• The updates are optional given how the previous two have been problematic forcing them to be recalled.

Microsoft has released new optional updates for a variety of Windows versions, including Windows 11 and Windows 10 version 20H2 and newer.

As you may be aware, the previous patch Tuesday updates released have been problematic forcing Microsoft to recall and reinstate them

The problematic updates were first removed from the server and then later restored once the Redmond giant was able to work out the issues.

What’s new?

• The update addresses an issue that caused the audio service to stop responding on some devices that support hardware-accelerated Bluetooth audio.
• The update fixes an issue that might cause icons for apps when the apps are not running to display as active. The icons are displayed on the taskbar as if they’re running.
• A new Your Microsoft Account page has been added in the Accounts category under Windows Settings for both Home and Professional editions.
• The issue where the volume icon displayed on the taskbar as muted has now been fixed.
• The issue where a device stopped working after connecting to multiple devices has been addressed.
• The auto-hide feature was affected and would not be consistent when you hovered around the mouse. This issue has since been addressed.
• The issue where icons were not appearing on the taskbar of a secondary display has been addressed.
• Auto-brightness has been enhanced for better light quality under low light conditions.
• Daylight savings time has been updated to start in February 2022 instead of March.
• The issue where outdated battery percentages were displayed for connected Bluetooth devices in settings has been resolved.
• Some image editing programs had issues rendering the correct colors on HDR displays and significantly affected white colors. This issue has now been addressed.
• The HelpWith feature that uses Microsoft Bing technologies to suggest relevant topics has been added to the settings page.

Known issues

• Microsoft has confirmed that there is an issue with the Outlook desktop app that may prevent it from displaying recent emails. As a temporary workaround, users are advised to disable Windows Desktop Search.

It’s important to note that this is an optional update, meaning it is not mandatory at all and you can let it be if you don’t need it. But if you do need it, you’ll get notified with a pop-up dialogue box in the system tray. If you agree to install it, the system will download and install the update automatically.

However, these fixes will still be part of the February Patch Tuesday release.

Will you be updating the optional fixes or will you be waiting to see how they perform? Let us know in the comment section below.

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