Windows 11 on Surface Duo now supports charging, pedometer, light sensor, and more

Windows 11 on the Surface Duo 2
(Image credit: Gustave Monce)

What you need to know

  • The Windows 11 on Surface Duo project recently released a major update.
  • The original Surface Duo now supports charging while running Windows 11.
  • The update also adds support for the Duo's pedometer and light fusion sensor.
  • The Surface Duo 2 received a much more modest update.

Microsoft's Surface Duo ships with Android, but that hasn't stopped people from forcing the device to run Windows 11. Independent developer Gustave Monce heads up the Windows 11 on Surface Duo project, which recently released a major update.

The original Surface Duo now supports charging while running Windows 11. The handheld's pedometer and light fusion sensor are also supported following the project's most recent update.

In comparison to its older sibling, the Surface Duo 2 received a minor update for those running Windows 11 on the device. The newer Surface Duo 2 received some bug fixes and a firmware update.

YouTuber Shane Craig shared a video in which he discusses the most recent update and shows the Surface Duo charging while running Windows 11.

The full release notes are on the GitHub page for the project:

Surface Duo (original) changelog

  • Charging finally works under Windows! This is a first version of the charging stack, as a result a few things are currently limited. The charging input is limited to low current for safety measures while work is ongoing. Big thanks to @MollySophia for helping in this area!
  • Adds a driver for the Qualcomm SMB1380 Secondary Charger
  • Adds a driver for the Qualcomm PM8150B Fuel Gauge and Primary Charger
  • Enables Content Adaptive Brightness Level. For more information about CABL please see the following article: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/content-adaptive-brightness-control-in-windows-292d1f7f-9e02-4b37-a9c8-dab3e1727e78
  • Adds support for Duo's Pedometer Sensor.
  • Adds support for Duo's Light Fusion Sensor.
  • The new Tablet Posture experience is now enabled for Surface Duo by default. Expect a more tablet optimized taskbar, bigger hit targets in Microsoft Edge/File Explorer, and more. For more information about tablet posture experiences, please visit the following link: https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2022/02/24/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-22563/
  • Addresses a few issues with duplicated sensors.
  • Enables smooth brightness control for both panels.
  • Addresses an issue preventing USB Function Mode from working. This issue mainly affected USB File Transfers using a computer.
  • Updates Surface Duo firmware to the latest Android OTA release of November
  • Long forgotten bug fixes & enhancements
  • Call provisioning is work in progress, if calls do not work for you at the moment, you may need to provision the call functionality manually. (Same as on Lumia 950s: https://woa-project.github.io/LumiaWOA/guides/ican0/, value is not different between 950s and Duo either, so if you already have such value, you're good to go, this is temporary!)

Surface Duo 2 changelog

  • Addresses an issue preventing USB Function Mode from working. This issue mainly affected USB File Transfers using a computer.
  • Updates Surface Duo 2 firmware to the latest Android OTA release of November
  • Call provisioning is work in progress, if calls do not work for you at the moment, you may need to provision the call functionality manually. (Same as on Lumia 950s: https://woa-project.github.io/LumiaWOA/guides/ican0/, value is not different between 950s and Duo either, so if you already have such value, you're good to go, this is temporary!)
Image

Microsoft Surface Duo | $319 at Amazon

The Surface Duo is a foldable phone featuring two displays you can use side-by-side. It's designed for multitasking and has gotten better over time with the release of Android 12L. While the device is meant to run Android, you can force Windows 11 onto it.

Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott brings nearly a decade of experience covering Microsoft and Windows news to Windows Central. He joined our team in 2017 as an app reviewer and now heads up our day-to-day news coverage. If you have a news tip or an app to review, hit him up at sean.endicott@futurenet.com.