Windows Insiders will have to wait until 2017 for new Windows 10 builds

If you’re a member of the Windows Insider program, then you’re likely used to receiving a new Windows 10 build to try out each week or so. If you’re a Microsoft employee responsible for pushing those builds, then you’re likely spending quite a bit of time making sure they’re ready to go.

Of course, Windows Insider is a beta program, meaning that the builds it pushes out are less reliable and more problematic — indeed, the point of the program is to put the software in the hands of testers and receive feedback on issues and areas of improvement. Thus, when the holidays roll around, giving and receiving new builds can cause problems, precisely why Microsoft has announced today that there are no new builds coming in 2016.

The news comes via Windows Insider chief Dona Sarkar on Twitter, where she put it bluntly: “No more builds this week. We don’t love the current options & don’t want to leave you in a bad state during the holidays. And this also means no more builds for 2016. We will release ISO for the Slow ring build next week.”

The last Windows 10 Insider build was 14986, and it brought a host of improvements. Cortana was fleshed out with new skills including the ability to control PC power states via voice commands, new music player controls, improved Chinese support, and a nifty new full-screen Cortana interface for idle machines. The Windows Game Bar also received some improvements, including better full-screen support.

All in all, Build 14986 was a pretty significant set of fixes and improvements to close out 2016 in style. While Windows Insiders are largely excited about trying out new things, and the Windows Insider team is dedicated to providing them, it’s true — the holidays are the last time you want to run into massive widespread technical support issues.

And so, Windows Insiders should stop pressing that update button and relax a bit instead. Windows 10 Creators Update is still on schedule for early 2017, and so there’s plenty of new Windows 10 goodness to look forward to after the New Year’s celebrations are over.