14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has released Windows 10 build 16353, which is the very first build that’s included in the Redstone 4 project as part of the rs_prerelease branch.
What’s important to know is that this particular build is only available for users who are part of Skip Ahead, and insiders who are enrolled in the Fast or Slow rings aren’t getting it. Instead, the two rings will continue to get Redstone 3 (Fall Creators Update) preview builds until this particular release is finalized, and only then be switched to Redstone 4.
Registering for Skip Ahead, however, is no longer possible, as Microsoft provided limited seats. For the time being, however, there’s not much to see in these early builds, and Microsoft is only now beginning the development of Redstone 4 and no new features are ready just yet.
What’s new in build 16353?
Windows 10 build 16353, for example, comes with a list of changes and improvements, and you can check out the full release notes in the box after the jump.
One welcome tweak, however, concerns the Action Center, which now supports a two-finger touch gesture that makes it possible to clearly dismiss all notifications at once.
“We’ve updated the Action Center to now support a two finger touch gesture to dismiss all notifications. Place two fingers vertically within the Action Center near the edge opposite to the side of your screen. Then slide these fingers towards the side of the screen. You will notice all notification groups following your fingers and then dismissing as you slide your fingers off the side of the screen,” Microsoft explains.
This option is obviously available only on devices with a touchscreen, such as a Microsoft Surface, and will go live for the production ring in the spring of 2018 when Redmond ships the final version of Redstone 4.
Keep in mind that as with every other build shipped as part of the Windows Insider program, bugs are still possible, and given that these are just the early days of Redstone 4, you could come across issues that would substantially affect system performance.