14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has officially started the work on the next feature update for Windows 10, approximately two months before this release should be finalized and shipped to users.
While Windows 10 19H2 is still described as a “feature update,” it’s more likely to land as a modern service pack that would be focused primarily on under-the-hood refinements and performance improvements and less on new features.
As a result, Microsoft needs less time to prepare its launch, mostly because the development of new features and the testing stage shouldn’t take as much as it did as in the case of the May 2019 Update, for instance.
Because Windows 10 19H2 doesn’t represent a full build update, Microsoft is also making some changes in the way it will be shipped to users, and below you can find the main tidbits about this less exciting update for Windows 10.
Shipped as a cumulative update. As said, Windows 10 19H2 won’t be a feature update per se, but more of a service pack, so Microsoft will push it as a cumulative update for Windows 10. This is another indication the focus will be on performance refinements, bug fixes, and other general improvements, just like a typical cumulative update.
Windows 10 19H2 will thus include all the previously released fixes and improvements that were part of the most recent cumulative updates. The first build of 19H2, for instance, comprises the changes made by Microsoft in cumulative update KB4501375 released on June 27.
Primarily aimed at Windows 10 May 2019 Update users. Microsoft claims that this new approach a la cumulative updates allows it to deliver a faster update process, therefore the servicing technology makes devices running Windows 10 May 2019 Update the ones to get 19H2 just like a monthly update.
Also available for older Windows (with other options). While Windows 10 May 2019 Update will get 19H2 as a cumulative update, the typical feature update distribution system currently employed by Microsoft will be used for devices running older versions of Windows 10. In other words, 19H2 should land on Windows 10 version 1809 and older via Windows Update and as a manual download with the Media Creation Tool.
New features being rolled out gradually. As part of the Windows Insider program, the new features (albeit they won’t be too many) would show up for insiders in waves, as Microsoft wants to test their reliability with a limited set of testers before they make it to all devices.
Don’t expect too many preview builds. Given this update is being tested as part of the Slow ring, which itself isn’t supposed to receive new builds at the same pace as the Fast ring, Microsoft is unlikely to publish too many preview builds of Windows 10 19H2. The company says separate blog posts will be posted every time new builds become available.
Update to be finalized in September, launch in October. As per Microsoft’s typical schedule, Windows 10 19H2 is projected to be completed in September and then released a month later. Windows 10 19H2 will most likely land as version 1909, with its official name to be announced closer to launch.
30 months of updates. Since it’s the fall update, Windows 10 19H2 will receive 30 months of servicing, according to Microsoft’s policy. Windows 10 May 2019 Update will be supported for 18 months.
The next major update for Windows 10 is thus 20H1, which is projected to go live in the spring of 2020 with several significant improvements, some of which have reportedly been pushed back from Windows 10 19H2.