14 DAY TRIAL // The latest Windows 10 preview build shipped to users enrolled in the Windows Insider program no longer features the Focused inbox in the Mail app, according to a recent discovery.
Focused inbox is a feature available cross platform in the Outlook app that provides automatic inbox management by grouping the most important messages in a dedicated tab.
In Windows 10, Focused inbox is offered in the Mail app that comes pre-loaded in the operating system and can be enabled from the Settings screen for one or multiple accounts.
Reddit user Leopeva64-2 discovered that the latest Windows Insider build no longer features the Focus inbox and all messages are now grouped in a standard “Inbox,” with no other options whatsoever.
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Microsoft hasn’t provided any information on its long-term plans over Focused inbox in Windows 10, but this is likely just a bug given the feature is also offered cross-platform as a key capability of Outlook.
The latest preview build allows users to try out Windows 10 20H1 ahead of the public launch in the spring. Windows 10 20H1 will launch as version 2004 and the development has already been finalized in December. The next few months will be used for further polishing and last-minute bug fixing.
This is the second controversial change that Microsoft makes in the default Windows 10 Mail app in the last couple of months. Also recently, the software giant added a banner to the app that points users to the Outlook mobile app, regardless of whether this app is already installed on their devices or not. There’s no option to remove the ad from the Mail app.
New Windows 10 preview builds will begin shipping in the coming weeks, so it remains to be seen if the Focused inbox makes its return to the Mail app.