Skip to main content

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.

Recommended Videos

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.

Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock is a Freelance Writer at Digital Trends covering primarily laptop and other computing technologies. He has…
I hope these 3 long-lost Microsoft Windows 8 features stay gone forever
Windows 8 Start screen

If you used a Windows computer in the early 2010s, chances are you experienced Windows 8. Whether it was a good experience is another matter entirely, though. If you ask me, it was a bit of a disaster.

For me, updating to Windows 8 was an unexpected jumpscare. Maybe you had a similar experience; perhaps you just updated your computer one day to discover that the beloved Start Menu vanished without warning. In its place, you saw a full-screen tile interface that probably made you feel like you were using a phone rather than a desktop.

Read more
This Windows 11 update makes Start Menu much more desirable and usable again
The Dell XPS 13 on a table with the Start Menu open.

The Start Menu has been the central element in Microsoft Windows for nearly three decades. Though loved initially for its resourcefulness, the Menu went through some debatable -- I call them abhorrent -- changes with Windows 8, but eventually returned to occupying less space in the interface with Windows 8.1, and then Windows 10 and 11. Despite the rescuing, it is still reeling under the damaging changes in the form of recommendations and random automatically populating lists that reduce it to a mere glorified search interface. However, Microsoft may now be looking to resolve these issues and bringing back a more simplified interface with an upcoming update.

Microsoft is testing a new interface for Start Menu on Windows 11, reducing the existing clutter of randomly interspersed apps and files. X user @phantomofearth, renowned for testing new features in Windows Insider builds, gave us a good look at the new interface in a detailed video walkthrough.

Read more
Proton VPN has a brand new Windows app — plus widgets on mobile
Embargo: April 3, 3AM PT. Proton VPN Windows app on monitor.

Proton VPN has launched a new Windows app today, redesigning the look and simplifying the experience for users. As common a tool as VPNs are now, they're still quite complex and it's common for users to ignore features they're not familiar with.

With this new redesign, Proton hopes to encourage users to try out advanced features like Kill Switch, port forwarding, and split tunneling. If you're wondering what these three features do -- Kill Switch instantly blocks network traffic if you lose your VPN connection, making sure your IP address isn't temporarily exposed. Port forwarding helps you securely connect to your home network from another location or give someone else access, and split tunneling lets you choose which apps use your VPN and which don't.

Read more