After promising it for a few weeks now, Microsoft today released Windows 10 Insider Preview build 19536 to the Fast ring. It"s the first preview of Windows 10 vNext, or the one that will come after 20H1. Presumably, this will be 20H2, unless Microsoft decides to make 20H2 a servicing update like it did with 19H2, in which case this will end up being 21H1.
But also, things are getting changed up a bit. Moving forward, the Fast ring is just rs_prerelease. It will simply be the active development branch. That means that the features you see might show up in the next update, or they might be in the one after that. They might ship in full builds, or in servicing.
This build actually has a bunch of new features, and you can expect the features to keep rolling in with the new way that things will be going. There probably won"t be that period before a feature update where there are just fixes for a couple of months.
Here"s what"s new:
Optional Drivers
We’re still working on making it easier for you to see all optional updates (including drivers, feature updates, and monthly non-security quality updates) in one place. When optional updates are detected, they will be listed under Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View optional updates.
For drivers, you no longer need to browse Device Manager for a specific device to update. Windows Update will automatically keep your drivers up to date, but if you’re having a problem, one of those optional drivers might help.
Re-releasing the updated Korean IME
During 19H1 development, we’d started work on an updated version of the Korean IME as part of our ongoing efforts to modernize and improve your typing experience in Windows. Based on feedback, we decided not to ship this with 19H1, and instead worked on further improving the experience first. With Build 19528, we’re re-releasing the updated IME, along with some improvements that help it work better with various apps.
To recap the most noticeable changes included as part of this IME work:
- For those who’re familiar with typing in Korean when writing in Hanja, we have a new candidate selection window that uses modern controls and clearer typography:
- The new IME version also comes with an updated algorithm used for text prediction when writing Korean using the touch keyboard. Text suggestions should now be more accurate and relevant to what you are writing.
Family group setup
Microsoft has family features that span across multiple platforms, like Windows, Xbox, and Android. On Windows, you can set things up for your family, like screen time limits, content filters, have kids ask before they buy things, or even stay organized with a shared family calendar, OneNote, and Office 365 Home subscription. If you share a device with family, it’s easy to get their account set up in a family group to take advantage of all these features.
In this build, we want to help customers set up their device to be used by multiple people in their family. While we’re not releasing an ISO for this build, some Insiders who choose to reset their PC may see a screen during setup that asks who’ll be using the device. If they select People in my family, we’ll help them get set up in a family group once they get to their desktop, so that they’re ready to get started with all the features.
If you see this new page, let us know what you think by going to Security and Privacy > Child accounts and family settings in the Feedback Hub.
If you"re on the Fast ring, you can install build 19536 now. The good news is that there"s no Skip Ahead anymore, so if you were worried about a limited enrollment period, you don"t have to.