14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has only recently announced the fast ring for the Office Insider program, and today the company is rolling out the first update for users who have already enrolled in it.
The new Office version for fast ring insiders is 16.0.7329.1000 while those who are still part of the slow ring are currently on version 16.0.7341.2021.
“At this point, you should be on version 16.0.7329.1000. To check, click File > Account and look for the version information under the Office Updates heading. Don't worry if you see Version 1610 (Build 7329.1000) instead of 16.0.7329.1000. It's the same build. As an Office Insider on the Fast level, you're just getting a sneak peek at our new naming convention,” Microsoft explains.
Unfortunately, however, there’s not much to see in this first release for the fast ring of the Office Insider program, as Microsoft has focused mostly on bug fixes and performance improvements. There’s just one new feature called “Shared with me,” which allows you to quickly access documents that others have shared with you.
Office Insider already successful
Microsoft says that the Office Insider program is already proving particularly successful, with more than one million users installing preview builds since the debut in November 2015. The company has received more than 100,000 pieces of feedback, according to its own statistics.
Inspired by the Windows Insider program, which started in October 2014 to invite users to participate in the development of Windows 10, the Office Insider program provides us with early access to some Office 2016 features that would only be released to retail users at a later time.
Just like the Windows sibling, this program does not come risk-free, and installing early versions of new Office features can always cause problems due to bugs or performance issues. This is the purpose of the program, as users need to report the bugs they come across in order to have them fixed before everyone gets the update at a later time.