14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has released new optional cumulative updates for a series of Windows 10 versions, including 1903 and 1909 – the May 2020 Update, or version 2004, isn’t included in this set of updates.
This new rollout only includes non-security fixes and is a preview of the cumulative updates coming next Patch Tuesday and which will also include security improvements.
Just like before, Windows 10 version 1903 and 1909 share the same cumulative update because they use a common core operating system and an identical set of system files, as Microsoft itself explains.
So as part of this release, they are getting cumulative update KB4559004, which increases the OS build number to the following versions:
- Windows 10 version 1903 – 18362.997
- Windows 10 version 1909 – 18363.997
To determine the OS build number on your device, click the Start menu and type winver.
Windows 10 cumulative update KB4559004 thus comes with the very same changelog on both version 1903 and 1909, and you can find all details in the box after the jump. However, there are several improvements that are worth highlighting.
First and foremost, it’s an important update for those who previously used Windows Hello to authenticate into their devices. As you probably know already, Windows Hello powers facial recognition in Windows 10, and if such hardware is available, users can replace passwords with a quick face scan when their computers start.
This makes the whole process not only more convenient, but also more secure, as the password is no longer exposed and thus makes the whole thing much harder to hack.
And this new update includes improvements for Windows Hello, as some users complained that their faces are no longer recognized. I’m also struggling with a similar problem on Windows 10 version 2004, but right now I’m not sure these are related, but hopefully, Microsoft would resolve this on its latest feature update as well.
What happens is that Windows Hello simply fails to recognize my face, and the only way to log into my device is to enter the PIN or the password. The experience, however, is very inconsistent, and while it works fine in some cases, it doesn’t detect my face in others.
The new cumulative update also improves File Explorer, as the file manager sometimes stopped working when the user browsed folders where raw images were stored. Microsoft says the crash also occurred with some other file types, but no specifics are available in this regard.
File Explorer is also getting a second fix that enables users to delete previous searches from the search box. The displayed history is something that many people like because it makes it faster to search for specific keywords, but on the other hand, others want it to go away.
Users who previously experienced issues trying to connect to the Internet using a WWAN LTE modem are getting a patch in this cumulative update, as Microsoft says it received reports that the whole thing sometimes is blocked by a bug. So after installing this update, everything should work correctly.
Another improvement in this optional update concerns family safety features, which for some reason failed to work properly on ARM64 devices. Time limits and activity reporting were no longer available on these computers, and cumulative update KB4559004 brings things back to normal.
There is no known issue in this cumulative update, which means that KB4559004 should install correctly, with no post-installation error expected either.
KB4559004 is available via Windows Update under optional updates but can also be downloaded manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog.