No, it’s not a typo: Windows 10 20H1 development work begins

Feb 15, 2019 05:25 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft has released the very first preview build not of Windows 10 19H2, as you’d normally expect, but of the next-next feature update for its operating system due in the spring of 2020.

While this is a little surprising given that Microsoft hasn’t even finished the April 2019 update, currently codenamed 19H1 and expected to launch as version 1903, the company explains that some of the features it’s planning for its first 2020 release require long-time testing.

By making the first previews available early, Microsoft can thus collect more feedback from insiders. The company, however, hasn’t provided any specifics on these features that it wants to test so early in the development process.

Only available for Skip Ahead users

“Some things we are working on in 20H1 require a longer lead time. We will begin releasing 19H2 bits to Insiders later this spring after we get 19H1 nearly finished and ready; once 19H1 is “nearly finished and ready” we’ll also use the Release Preview ring for previews of drivers and quality updates on 19H1,” Dona Sarkar, head of the Windows Insider program, explains.

As a result, Windows 10 build 18836 is now available for download but only for Windows insiders enrolled in the Skip Ahead ring. Fast ring users will continue to receive 19H1 preview builds, while both the Slow and the Release Preview rings are currently on the October 2018 Update (version 1809) update.

There are no new features in this first build, and this makes total sense, as Microsoft is now paving the way for more major improvements. You can check out the full changelog in the box below.

Skip Ahead registrations have already closed, as Microsoft is only offering limited seats in this channel, especially because builds released to users here may contain major bugs or performance issues.

Windows 10 Build 18836