Microsoft is going to make some changes in the way it deploys its Insiders program. Starting this year, members of this program will be presented with features that may never roll out generally to the operating system.
No longer all features in the Windows Insider program will make it to the operating system’s wide audience. Microsoft announces this testing strategy in a blog post explaining how the Insider program will work through 2022. The method will certainly be applied to Microsoft’s newest operating program, Windows 11.
In the blog post, Microsoft makes it clear that this new way of working should create an operating system that is as responsive as possible to users’ needs. Soon, Windows 11 will get its first major update since launch, which should already increase the user experience.
Leaning on Dev channel
“As part of this ongoing evolution, Insiders will see us lean more on the Dev Channel as a place to roll out new ideas, work on major items and check the status of individual features,” writes Amanda Langowski, president of the Windows Insider Program.
In addition to the Dev channel, the Insiders program also includes a Beta and Release Preview channel. The Beta channel is an intermediate place where new features are tested. Users from this channel also get almost exclusively features that will make it to the general public in the new testing strategy.
If you want to be completely sure that features from your channel don’t disappear again after you test them out, turn to the Release Preview channel. Langowski describes it as “The best place to get a preview of what’s coming soon to general customers.
Switching easily
Users who are currently in the Dev channel but only want to try out features that are sure to make it to the general public can switch to the Beta channel. Microsoft is going to make it easier for these users by providing a feature that makes the switch a one-click process. Currently, switching is only possible by completely reinstalling the operating system.
read also