20H1 preview builds to be shipped to Fast ring insiders

Apr 7, 2019 06:08 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft will roll out a new feature update, called Windows 10 May 2019 Update, next month, so the company is getting ready to adjust its Windows Insider rings to align with development plans.

As a result, the software giant will accelerate the work on Windows 10 20H1, also referred to as April 2020 Update, so insiders in the Fast ring will get preview builds of this update too.

At this point, Windows 10 20H1 builds are only available for insiders enrolled in the Skip Ahead ring.

“With the Windows 10 May 2019 Update being shared to the Release Preview ring soon, we’re planning to move Windows Insiders in the Fast ring forward to 20H1. We will also be merging the small group of Insiders who opted-in to Skip Ahead back into the Fast ring. We are looking to make this change in the coming weeks,” Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc explained in a post this week.

Windows 10 19H2

More interesting is how Microsoft wants to use the Windows Insider program for the development of the next Windows 10 feature update.

While the 20H1 update is projected to launch in the spring of 2020, the next update is actually due in the fall of this year. Since both the Skip Ahead and the Fast rings will be used for the 20H1 update, the only option for Microsoft would be to ship 19H2 to insiders in the Slow ring, which means that the development could be slowed down a little bit.

Users in the Slow ring receive updates at a slower pace than the Fast ring.

“We will begin releasing 19H2 bits to Insiders later this spring and will talk more about what that will look like in the near future,” LeBlanc notes.

Insiders are recommended to check out the ring they are enrolled in by heading over to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program.