Articles about Windows Insider Preview

I've faced a bit of criticism for claiming the Windows Insiders program was getting confusing and convoluted. Yeah, for some of you, the program is totally clear -- I get it. Please understand, however, that not all Insiders have their lives revolving around Windows 10 like maybe you do. And that's a good thing. When collecting data, you want to have varying degrees of knowledge and understanding, as that provides more diverse feedback.

Today, Dona Sarkar legitimizes my concerns by acknowledging that things are getting a tad confusing. While announcing a new RS4 build for the "Skip Ahead" folks -- Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16353 for PC -- Sarkar clarified some aspects of the Insiders program; she also included a helpful graphic. This is a good sign for the Insiders program, as it reaffirms the company is willing to listen and improve.

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The Windows Insider Program might still be fun for some members, but for others it is getting to be a confusing chore. Don't get me wrong, it is cool that Microsoft lets fans try these pre-release builds of Windows 10, but lately there have been too many builds, requiring too much user effort, with little to no payoff. Remember folks, the operating system should never be the star of the show -- it should fade into the background as you do things with it.

Today, Microsoft releases yet another Windows 10 Insider Preview Build -- 16278 for PC. Sorry Windows 10 Mobile users -- you are being left out of this party. Unfortunately for PC users, this new build is quite bland, once again focusing on fixes. This shouldn't be surprising, however, as the company is now focusing on making things stable for an upcoming gold version of Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. To make things worse, the company has also removed yet another feature from the upcoming version of the OS -- taking HDR screenshots with the Xbox app.

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Windows 10 Mobile is dead -- everyone knows it. Well, everyone except a small number of delusional people clutching their precious Lumia devices. Sigh. One day these unfortunate folks will switch to Android or iPhone so they can experience happiness.

For now, Microsoft is still keeping hope alive for these few loyal Windows Phone fans. In fact, today, the company released a new Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview Build, version 15245. More importantly, the company released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 16275 for PC -- yes, yet another such build for the desktop operating system. Don't get too excited, however, as both of these builds are primarily bug fixes.

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Microsoft has announced a major shake-up in the testing for Windows 10 S.

The software giant has announced that its new OS can now be tried out by all members of the Windows Insiders program.

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The star of today is undoubtedly Galaxy Note8, but Samsung's new smartphone is not the only thing to get excited about. For those enrolled in Microsoft's Insiders program, there is a new Windows 10 build to install.

Microsoft just pushed out Preview Build 16273. This is just one day after releasing a new Windows Server Insider build. While the server build had literally zero new features, the new Windows 10 build does have some; there is a new font and emoji notifications. Unfortunately, the Insiders Program is getting quite confusing. Dona Sarkar tries to explain it all, but you might be left with smoke coming out of your ears. What was once a fun way to test early builds of Windows is beginning to get very convoluted.

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The Windows Insiders program is both cool and annoying. It is cool because it lets enthusiast users experience new Windows features and contribute feedback to make the operating system better. It is a bit annoying, as these testers aren't paid for their volunteer efforts. Even worse, the Insider builds will seemingly never end, meaning some users will forever be using an unstable operating system. Yes, that is their choice, but sometimes people can't help themselves. Hell, it can be argued that their feedback is tainted, as they are maybe never really experiencing the stable releases.

Microsoft has chosen to expand the Insiders program to Windows Server too. Today, the company pushes out Server Preview Build 16267, but there is something weird -- the company forgot to include any new features! In fact, the announcement literally says "There are no new features in build 16267." OK, yes, I am being facetious (and a bit snarky) when I say Microsoft "forgot" to include features, as technically updates and fixes alone are worthy of a new build. Still, for all the effort put in by the testers, a feature or two would be appreciated -- throw em' a friggin' bone!

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Windows 10 Fall Creators Update isn’t too far off being ready for release, which should mean that the new builds we see are pretty unexciting, with bug fixes and minor improvements the order of the day.

But it appears Microsoft didn’t get that memo, as there’s several big changes in new Build 16257, including one that no one saw coming, and which won't be visible to most.

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There are a lot of accessibility options built into Windows 10 at the moment, and soon there'll be a new feature. Brought about by an idea raised at Microsoft's 2014 hackathon, the company is bringing Eye Control to its operating system.

As the name suggests, Eye Control gives users the ability to control and interact with Windows 10 using eye movements -- something which is incredibly useful for anyone with limited movement. The feature is destined for inclusion in a future version of Windows 10, but a beta version will be made available to Windows Insiders.

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The big, standout new feature in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16251 is cross-device web-browsing. This lets you start browsing on your phone, and then switch to your PC and continue from where you left off.

The feature was initially only available for Android, but Microsoft promised that it would arrive on iOS "soon." Well, it’s here even sooner than expected and iPhone and iPad users can grab it now.

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New Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16251 is rolling out now and brings with it lots of changes and some great new features, such as the ability to shut down or restart your PC using Cortana voice controls.

The standout feature though is cross-device web-browsing that lets you browse the web on an Android phone and then switch to continue browsing the same site on your Windows 10 PC. Here’s how to use it.

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It’s been two weeks since Microsoft rolled out a new Windows 10 build to Insiders on the Fast ring. Build 16241 came with a sizeable number of improvements and fixes, with a large number of those focused on the Mixed Reality side of things.

Today the software giant pushes out Build 16251, and the main focus here is on cross-device web-browsing -- that is linking your PC and Android phones together (support for iPhone is coming soon) so you can browse the web on your mobile device and then continue browsing the same site on your PC.

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As was expected, just after releasing the ISO files for Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16232 to all Windows Insiders, Microsoft has rolled out a brand new build just for those on the Fast ring.

Build 16241 comes with a sizeable number of improvements and fixes.

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With the launch of Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Build 16237 to the Fast Ring yesterday, Microsoft wheeled in numerous fixes and new features. At the same time, the company also announced that the second Bug Bash for the next big update to Windows 10 is about to take place.

This is the last Bug Bash that will take place before the release of the final version of Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, and it will see an intense period of testing with the help of Windows Insiders. Things kick off on Friday, July 14 and continue for more than a week.

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It’s a great time to be a Windows Insider at the moment, as the past two Windows 10 builds -- Build 16226 and 16232 -- are jam packed with new features and major improvements.

Build 16237 arrives today in time for the weekend, and like its predecessors, it offers a lot of changes, fixes, and additions.

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We’re back on the weekly release schedule, and after two jam-packed exciting new builds you might be forgiven for thinking the latest big Insider release would be a little light on new features and… you’d be wrong.

Build 16232 introduces some of the new security features which will be coming to the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, including Exploit Protection, and Controlled folder access in Windows Defender Antivirus. It also introduces improvements for Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG).

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