The Fast ring will get faster in just a couple of weeks

Dec 26, 2015 07:56 GMT  ·  By

The Windows Insider program will get a new overhaul in just a couple of weeks, as Microsoft wants to kick off 2016 in style and release new Windows 10 builds for both PCs and mobile.

The company has already announced that everyone working on new Windows 10 builds is taking some time off during the holidays, but users are eager to get new testing bits on their PCs and mobile devices. That won't happen until January, and in a tweet posted on Christmas day, Windows Insider boss Gabriel Aul reiterated the same date, so no, Santa isn't bringing a new build this year.

And it certainly makes sense. Releasing a new Windows 10 build, be it on PCs or mobile, requires a lot of effort, both before and after the actual launch, so this means the Windows development team would have to be at work during the holidays too.

“This time of year many of us take the opportunity to spend time with family and take some vacation time, so the engineering team will be running at a slower pace and many of our key people who drive our flighting process will be out (including me),” Aul explained.

The faster Fast ring

What's also important to note is that, starting January, the Fast ring that most of the insiders are already registered for will become even faster, and Microsoft says that it wants to provide these users with new updates more frequently.

The company doesn't specifically mention whether it wants to roll out daily builds (usually tested by company engineers) to users or not, but it does point out that updates will go live at a faster cadence than before, so those not in the mood to fight with a lot of bugs should switch to the slow ring.

Additionally, it's worth knowing that Windows 10 Mobile will also get some cumulative updates, which aren't exactly new builds, but they do change the version number. They generally include bug fixes and performance improvements and are also expected to arrive at a faster pace than before.

That being said, get ready for an exciting year as part of the Windows Insider program, and make sure that you enroll in the correct ring because faster means buggier in 99 percent of the cases.