Windows 8.1 August update is now live for download

Microsoft is currently letting Windows 8.1 device users manually download the new August update, which adds a couple of new features to the OS.

As Microsoft previously announced, the Windows 8.1 August update incorporates these new additional features:

• Settings changes for Update and Recovery – This feature introduces new information in the Windows Update Settings, and gives you more information on how up to date your systems are by displaying the most recent check for updates and the last date updates were installed.
• Precision touchpad improvements – This feature adds the following three end-user settings to control the behavior of precision touchpad devices, Leave touchpad on when a mouse is connected, Allow right-clicks on the touchpad and Double-tap and drag. You can find these settings under the Mouse and touchpad menu in PC Settings.
• Out-of-date ActiveX control blocking – With the out-of-date ActiveX control blocking, Internet Explorer tells you when it finds and blocks parts of webpages that are loading common controls, but that are also loading out-of-date ActiveX controls. This enables you to browse safely as you interact with all aspects of the webpage aside from the out-of-date control. Furthermore, you are directed to update the control so you can safely interact with its most recent version.
• Miracast Discoverability – Wi-Fi Direct APIs for Discoverability are a new set of APIs for Independent Hardware Vendors (IHV) or computer OEMs to develop Windows-based applications on all supported x86-based and x64-based versions of Windows 8.1. This enables IHVs and OEMs to build a Miracast receiver on Windows. These Windows 32-bit APIs make the computer discoverable and accept incoming Miracast connections.
• Video capture metadata for MP4 – This feature adds capability for developers to read and write the "Date taken" and GPS data on MP4 files by using Windows Runtime and Win32 APIs.
• Minimizing Logon Prompts for Microsoft SharePoint Online – This feature reduces the number of prompts with federated use in accessing SharePoint Online sites. If you select the "Keep me signed in" check box when you log on for the first time, you will not see prompts for successive access attempts to that SharePoint Online site.

The update will likewise start taking off today for Windows 8.1 owners who have their de vices set to get automatic programmed updates. Not like the feature update that was released a couple of months back, this won't be a important update yet it is likely recommended.

Download the August update for Windows 8.1 x86 and x64.