Oops! Guess it was a bug not a feature! Microsoft has ditched the slick new taskbar animations that it was testing in Windows 11 build 25179 that arrived last week.
Or was it?
The latest preview build, build 25182, has removed the updated zoom-in icon animations that folks were quick to note after deploying the test build. In its stead, the old fly-up variant has been restored.
You know, the one we all know and love.
This has been noticed by folks keeping a close eye on things:
Heads up; this new animation has been removed in build 25182. Even if 39072097 is enabled and a variant is specified, the old animation (the '39072097 ID disabled' part of the video) is used. https://t.co/AzvXy55LXH
— phantomofearth 🌳 (@phantomofearth) August 17, 2022
There was talk that those new animations were part of the A/B testing that Microsoft often conducts before announcing a specific feature or option. These are then shipped to Insiders, usually in a gradual manner, before making their way out the final release version for everyone.
But apparently, this was not a drill.
As Microsoft notes in the release notes, right in the fixes section:
“We fixed an issue that was causing the animation on the taskbar that plays when a user switches from using a device in tablet posture to desktop while in overflow to incorrectly show when logging in.”
So, there you have it, folks!
Interestingly, when this feature, if you will, made its way out to users, they quickly discovered that the animations could be forced enabled using ViveTool by punching in the 39072097 ID. Unfortunately, this configuration no longer works in the newest build.
Any attempts to enable it will result in Windows 11 returning to the default animation.
Oh well.
I guess this feature will go the way of another taskbar-related feature that Insiders have been discussing. Microsoft representatives quickly debunked the rounded corners theory, and the company quickly confirmed that it was nothing but a bug.
