14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently confirmed that it’s working on Windows 10 version 20H2, and now the company is also kicking off the public testing as part of the Windows Insider program.
As announced earlier this week, the Windows Insider program is also going through a series of changes, with the Fast ring renamed to Dev channel, while the Slow ring is now called Beta channel.
The first Windows 10 version 20H2 preview build is only available for users in the Beta channel.
More specifically, only users who are part of the Slow ring/Beta channel can download this build simply because Microsoft isn’t planning to include any major new features in this feature update, and instead focus on refinements under the hood.
The Fast ring, or the Dev channel as it’s called now, will be used for testing new features that don’t have a release date – most likely, some of the features shipped to these users could be part of the Windows 10 feature update schedule to go live in the spring of 2021.
The first Windows 10 version 20H2 build is 19042.330, but instead of being pushed automatically to users enrolled in the Beta channel, Microsoft is only offering it to those who manually check for updates. These users are called seekers, and to download the build, they must go to:
Windows 10 > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates
Once the new build shows up on their devices, they can proceed with the actual download and installation.
Microsoft says that this step is required only the first time they get a Windows 10 version 20H2 preview build, as all the other updates will be then pushed automatically to devices.
“Once an Insider updates their PC to 20H2, they will continue to automatically receive new 20H2 updates through Windows Update using our using servicing technology (like the monthly update process). Over time, more new features and improvements will be delivered through this process,” Microsoft says.
Microsoft is also changing how it ships improvements to users in the Beta channel who install these builds. Previously, when Microsoft shipped an update with the focus on improvements (November 2019 Update), the company included some of the new features in these preview builds, only that it kept them disabled and only turned them on for specific sets of users gradually.
This won’t be the case of this new update, as Microsoft says that new features will be available for everyone when they are ready for testing.
“For 19H2, we released bits to some Insiders with features turned off and released bits to some Insiders with featured turned on. In response to Insider feedback, we are not doing that for 20H2. Insiders who choose to download and install 20H2 on their PC will get new 20H2 features as they are delivered. Insiders in the Beta Channel who don’t choose to download and install 20H2 won’t see new features,” the company explains.
Windows 10 version 20H2 is projected to be finalized in September and then released for users beginning with November. Most likely, Microsoft will use the same gradual rollout approach, which means that not everyone is getting the update on day one. Instead, only specific configurations are provided with the update, which means Microsoft can find bugs in their early days and prevent them from hitting more similar configurations.
New builds are projected to ship to Beta channel users in the coming weeks, with the release pace to accelerate as the work on this new feature update advances.