Microsoft has released its latest Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview, build 10572, and it introduces a wide range of new features, including improvements to Cortana, Photos and storage settings, along with deep integration of the new Skype messaging, calling and video experience.
However, like build 10549 - which rolled out to Insiders on the Fast ring last week - there"s no direct upgrade path from earlier builds to the new one. That means that anyone who wishes to install the latest build must first downgrade to Windows Phone 8.1, before they can install 10572 on their handsets - but the good news is that Microsoft has confirmed that this annoying "build-to-build upgrade bug" has been fixed in new versions of the OS from 10575 onwards.
But for the time being, this bug persists - and of course, given that this is still pre-launch software, build 10572 inevitably brings its share of other known issues too, as Microsoft"s release notes explain:
- Visual Voicemail sync is broken on some devices. You may need to call your voicemail directly within the Phone app > Settings > Change more settings for Phone > Call Voicemail.
- Opening message threads within the Messaging app will crash on dual SIM phones if the second line’s Messaging tile is removed from the Start screen (even if only a single SIM is used). The second line’s Messaging app will also appear to be removed from the All apps list. To work around this issue, the second line messaging tile must be linked to the first line messaging tile by opening up the first line in the Messaging app then go to Settings > link tiles.
- On Dual SIM devices, unpinning the second line Phone tile from the Start screen will make the entry disappear from the All apps list. Rebooting the phone will cause the tile and application to both reappear.
- Photos cannot be selected for sharing through third party apps like Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram Beta, WhatsApp etc.
- Some devices will get into a state where the Phone app will continually crash upon launch. Resetting the device will recover it from this state.
- Devices that have updated from Windows Phone 8 to Windows Phone 8.1 may lose the ability to connect to Wi-Fi on Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview builds or may fail to update to Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview builds all together. You can use the Windows Device Recovery Tool to first update your device to Windows Phone 8.1 and then upgrade to the latest Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview build.
However, Microsoft has also fixed various bugs and glitches in build 10572, including:
- Notifications, such as new messages, can be received without first unlocking the device.
- Cortana’s background activity has been optimized for power usage.
- We have fixed some of the issues that were causing the Start screen to not load. Additionally, we have made some performance improvements to the Start screen.
- We have made performance improvements to Acton Center, including swipe to expand and dismiss notifications. Swiping to expand or dismiss notifications should happen more quickly.
- The alarm icon now appears on the Lock screen when an alarm is set in the Alarms & Clock app.
- The proximity sensor during calls is now behaving as expected on devices that may have previously failed to turn the screen off.
- App downloads in the Store were sometimes getting blocked by a service hanging in the background – this should be resolved and app downloads should be more consistent.
- The keyboard will switch languages less aggressively now.
- Taping restart for apply an update will reboot the device immediately now.
With Windows 10 Mobile now just a few weeks away from its launch, it seems likely that we"ll see new builds continuing to roll out at a faster pace. For now, though, there"s plenty to get stuck into with build 10572 - so let us know how you get on with installing it (or even if you"re sitting this one out!), and be sure to share your impressions of the new build below!