Microsoft just released a major Windows 10 update, but the company is still hard at work on even more upgrades. One of the new features that’s currently in the works concerns improving battery life, and Windows Insiders who have installed the latest Windows 10 preview build (16176) can already toy with it.
Microsoft plans to improve your laptop’s battery life by throttling background apps. Windows 10 will determine which apps you’re currently using and block other apps from drawing too much juice when they’re not in use. The feature could save as much as 11% of your battery life, The Verge reports.
Windows 10 testers can already try out the feature as long as they have access to a notebook with an Intel Skylake or Kaby Lake processor inside. If that’s the case, you’ll notice a power slider that will let you optimize energy use to save battery life or improve performance. When the laptop is plugged in, you won’t be able to use the energy throttle, which makes sense because power management isn’t as important.
You can also choose individual apps to never throttle if you need certain apps to always run in the background.
The Verge notes that the feature was in testing before the Creators Update was released, but Microsoft wasn’t able to ship it in time. That means it’ll probably be included in the next major Windows 10 update. In the meantime, the only way to test it right now is to join Microsoft’s beta program for Windows 10 and install the latest update.
