Microsoft releases Windows 10 20H1 Build 18985 with Bluetooth pairing improvements

Work continues apace on the next major feature update for Windows 10, due out next May.

Today sees the release of Build 18985 (20H1) to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring, and it introduces Bluetooth improvements and changes to how optional updates are displayed.

SEE ALSO: Windows 10 20H1 will be called Windows 10 May 2020 Update

The headline change in this build concerns Bluetooth pairing. Microsoft has introduced the following improvements:

• Pairing is all done in notifications now. You don’t need to go to the Settings app anymore to finish pairing.
• For faster pairing time, we improved the UI by showing one less notification.
• We added a Dismiss button to the first notification to give you more control while using Swift Pair.
• To make the notification more helpful, now we show the device name and category when we can.

It’s one of those updates that’s only being pushed out to 50 percent of Insiders, so you may receive it in this build, you may not.

The other change in this release relates to optional updates. Once they are detected, they will be listed in a new page under Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View optional updates.

Other changes, improvements, and fixes in this build include:

• Fixed an issue where adding a new Language Pack reported successful installation but was not installed.
• Fixed an issue impacting the reliability of Settings when accessing the Network & Internet section.
• Fixed an issue that could result in printer entries not displaying properly for non-admin accounts -- the text overlapping, and not being clickable.
• Fixed an issue resulting in Task Manager showing an unexpectedly high temperature for certain GPUs.
• Fixed an issue resulting in Task Manger unexpectedly showing 0 percent CPU usage in the Performance tab.
• Fixed an issue where the setting that enables Microsoft accounts on your device to go Passwordless (by requiring Windows Hello sign in and hiding the password option from the lock screen) was showing for local account users. Now the setting will only show for Microsoft account users.
• Fixed an issue with the Reset this PC cloud download option not calculating the correct amount of space you needed to free up if you did not have enough disk space to proceed.
• Fixed an issue with the Reset this PC cloud download option not working when specific optional features were installed.
• At this time, Microsoft is removing the known issue about Realtek SD card readers. If you are still encountering issues with any SD cards, take a moment to check for driver updates.

Known issues are:

• There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. Microsoft is working with partners on getting their software updated with a fix, and most games have released patches to prevent PCs from experiencing this issue. To minimize the chance of running into this issue, please make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system. Microsoft is also working with anti-cheat and game developers to resolve similar issues that may arise with the 20H1 Insider Preview builds and will work to minimize the likelihood of these issues in the future.
• Certain 2D apps (like Feedback Hub, Microsoft Store, 3D Viewer) are incorrectly being treated as having protected content within Windows Mixed Reality. During video capture, these 2D apps block their content from being recorded.
• When capturing a repro video while filing a bug via Feedback Hub in Windows Mixed Reality, you won’t be able to select Stop video, due to the protected content issue noted above. If you want to submit a repro video, you will need to wait five minutes for the recording to time out. If you’d like to file the bug without a repro video, you can close the Feedback Hub window to end the recording and resume filing your bug when you reopen the app in Feedback > Drafts.
• When viewing Optional drivers in the new section on the Windows Update page, you may notice older drivers showing as available for download. If accepted, they will attempt to install and fail to do so. This is a bug related to revised Windows Update detection logic rather than this new UI. The root cause is understood, and a fix will be available in an upcoming build.

Photo credit: charnsitr / Shutterstock