14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft typically rolls out improvements and new features for Windows 10 with the help of the two major updates that it ships every year, but the company is ready to change this approach and embrace the so-called Windows Feature Experience Packs that would be used to deliver improvements more efficiently.
More specifically, what this new approach is supposed to do is avoid forcing Microsoft to roll out a whole new update with a full system image just to improve certain features in the operating system.
In other words, the purpose is to make it possible to deliver updates for those features and apps that aren’t tied to Windows 10, as it’s the case of Microsoft Edge, for instance.
But Edge isn’t the only OS component that can be serviced this way, and Microsoft wants to use this opportunity to improve Windows 10 more effectively.
The snipping experience is one of the parts that can be improved with Windows Feature Experience Packs, and there’s a chance Microsoft would focus even more on this approach in the coming months and years. In other words, expect more of Windows 10 to become independent, as this allows the Redmond-based software giant to completely change the way it improves the operating system.
“Through the Windows Feature Experience Pack, we can improve certain features and experiences that are now developed independently of the OS. Currently, only a limited number of features are being developed this way, so we are starting out very scoped. By testing this process first with Windows Insiders, we hope to expand the scope and the frequency of releases in the future. Eventually, Windows Feature Experience Pack updates will get folded into the already existing servicing process for Windows 10 and delivered to customers that way through Windows Update,” Microsoft explains.
Just like Windows 10 builds, the Windows Feature Experience Packs are shipped via Windows Update, only that everything comes in smaller packages that only take a minute to install.
At this point, however, this new approach is still in the Beta channel of the Windows Insider program, and if everything goes according to the plan, it could go live for everybody in the coming months.
Microsoft is now shipping the first Windows Feature Experience Pack to insiders running Windows 10 version 20H2 on their devices, so there’s a chance this particular update could eventually get the same improvement in the production channel.
“Windows Feature Experience Pack updates will be delivered to Insiders through Windows Update just like builds and cumulative updates are. Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel can go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and check for updates to receive the Windows Feature Experience Pack update. Please note that in order to receive this update, Insiders in the Beta Channel will need to have 20H2 Build 19042.662 installed. Insiders will need to reboot to enable the above mentioned improvements and can check their Windows Feature Experience Pack version by going to Settings > System > About,” Microsoft notes.
So the bottom line is that Windows Feature Experience Packs simplifies the updating experience when there’s not a lot to update in the first place, streamlining the whole process by switching to a more lightweight package that is easier to deliver and easier to install.
It remains to be seen how Microsoft further improves this concept in the long term, but at this point, everything seems to suggest that getting enhancements for certain Windows 10 capabilities will be much easier rather sooner than later.