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A recent leak says Windows 10’s next update has been pushed back to May 8

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Are you wondering where the expected Windows 10 April update is? You would not be the only one. While the Redstone 4 update has been making its way through Microsoft’s Insider Program over the past few weeks, a leaked internal memory from the company now suggests it will not see a general release until May 8.

The next big update for Microsoft’s perennial operating system technically does not have an official name outside of Microsoft yet. Codenamed Redstone 4, it has been colloquially called Spring Creators Update by some, in line with previous Windows 10 updates. Regardless of its name though, it is expected to bring some intriguing new privacy tools and improved stability.

The release date though seems hard to pin down. It was initially thought likely to be released April, but as we approach the end of that month, many are wondering whether it will make it out before we hit May. Now, a leaked memo to Chinese vendors suggests it will land in that territory on May 9. That would make it a May 8 release in the U.S. — a Tuesday, so it would line up with previous ‘patch Tuesday’ releases from the company.

Initially published by ItHome, the translated memo reads as follows:

“Please note that from the morning of May 9, Windows RS4 update will start pushing, and storefront opportunities will be updated one after another. I strongly suggest that you prepare in advance for the recovery of U disk in case of need, restore the U disk.”

There are a lot of caveats there though, with Neowin highlighting that it’s not even concrete that the memo itself is real. Assuming it is though, it is equally possible that Microsoft will release Redstone 4 into Western markets before it is rolled out to China. Microsoft hasn’t released a statement in response to the supposed leak.

If it turns out that the memo is true, we likely won’t hear anything from Microsoft until May 7, when it runs its next Build event. With it set to run for two days, that would give it ample opportunity to debut the new build to the public with additional details.

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
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