Microsoft is releasing Windows 10 Insider Preview build 20270 to the Dev channel today. Just like we"ve seen for over a month now, it"s from the fe_release branch, a meaningless branch that used to exist when the company was prepping a feature update for release. These days, it"s just going through the motions.
Windows 10 21H1, if it ships at all, is not going to be a major update, which is what"s in the fe_release branch. The spring update is focused on the Windows 10X RTM, so if we do end up getting a Windows 10 feature update, it will be an enablement package like we saw with versions 20H2 and 1909.
As for when we should return to rs_prerelease and start getting new features, I"m hearing next week. Next year"s fall update is actually looking to be a pretty big one. Windows on ARM PCs are getting x64 emulation, and there"s a UI refresh on the way. The latest report is that Microsoft is adding support for Android apps. Combine that with Windows 10X, and that makes 2021 a pretty exciting year for Windows.
As for this build, there are no new features, but there are some changes, fixes and known issues. Here"s what"s listed under changes and improvements:
- The new “Advanced View” checkbox in Optimize Drives is now up and running and checking it will display volumes previously not visible in this window (for example system and recovery partitions).
- Using the touch keyboard in a portrait posture on a 2-in-1 touch device now supports split keyboard mode. (This was released to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel as part of the recent Windows Feature Experience Pack update.)
Here"s what got fixed:
- We fixed an issue resulting in some dialogs, such as Properties, displaying black text on dark backgrounds in recent flights.
- We fixed an issue that could result in certain apps unexpectedly closing when clicking the Maximize button in recent builds.
- We fixed an issue resulting in printers with Japanese characters in their names not displaying correctly in Printers & Scanners Settings.
- We fixed an issue that could result in some delay logging into your PC on devices with a large number of users.
Here"s what"s still broken:
- We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
- Live previews for pinned sites aren’t enabled for all Insiders yet, so you may see a grey window when hovering over the thumbnail in the taskbar. We’re continuing to work on polishing this experience.
- We’re working on enabling the new taskbar experience for existing pinned sites. In the meantime, you can unpin the site from the taskbar, remove it from the edge://apps page, and then re-pin the site.
- We’re working on a fix for an issue resulting in some users seeing error 0x80070426 when using their Microsoft account to sign into various apps. If you encounter it, rebooting your PC may resolve this.
- We’re working on a fix for an issue where, in recent Dev Channel builds, no drives appear under Settings > System > Storage > Manage Disks and Volumes. As a workaround, you can manage your disks in the classic Disk Management tool.
As always, you can grab today"s build through Windows Update. If you"re not on the Dev channel, you can enroll through the Windows Insider Program tab in Settings.