Microsoft has just released the new Windows 10 Mobile Build 10586.63 to Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring on Jan. 8, making it the first test build of the year to roll out.
It's believed to be a Cumulative Update, and Microsoft hasn't detailed the changes yet. Fortunately, a generous employee provided a list of the improvements on Reddit.
According to the Microsoftie, the build comes with improvements across the board, particularly on general reliability, battery, performance and quick actions settings page. On top of those, there will be enhancements for typing on the Polish keyboard in Outlook Mail, turn-by-turn directions over Bluetooth in a car, battery usage with Iris Recognition and MS Band usage with Cortana.
To emphasize on how lucky for this "leak" to have happened, Windows Insider head Gabriel Aul announced back in December 2015 that after the 10586.36 build, Cumulative Updates would only be posted on the Insider Hub and no longer on the Windows Blog.
"Going forward, we won't be publishing blog posts to announce new Cumulative Updates for Windows Insiders to test. Instead, we'll publish these announcements in the Insider Hub so please check there for news," he said.
It's also worth mentioning that the team ran into a last-minute issue with the staging before the launch, which is why some users may have experienced some delay in getting the build. Needless to say, the team has already fixed the problem.
Microsoft is also expected to release the new Windows 10 Redstone Build 11097 sometime next week to Windows Insiders. With just a few days in for the new year, Aul says that the team is returning up to speed via Twitter.
@DecadeMoon @Wereszko @mayank_jee We are all getting back in the office, getting new builds through internal rings, etc. A few more days.
— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) January 7, 2016
As a testament to that statement, he has already confirmed that the company is already testing the build internally.
@win10fan I'm running 11097 on my PC right now — Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) January 9, 2016
While he didn't give any detail for this one either, he did say that build will only bring tweaks and bug fixes here and there. In other words, it's mostly geared toward fixing what's underneath.
@win10fan It's still early in development, so mostly underlying structural stuff still, not UX — Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) January 9, 2016
At any rate, it's great news to hear how the team is focused on the reliability of the software. This goes without saying, but it's highly unlikely for anyone to prefer a feature-packed system full of errors over a smoothly running one.
Considering that the Windows 10 Mobile Build 10586.63 went official on Friday, it's pretty safe to assume that the Redstone build will arrive on Jan. 15. Of course, that schedule is not set in stone, as Microsoft can choose not to roll it out yet for a more stable version depending on the circumstances.
Windows 10 Redstone is slated for an official launch in the summer of 2016, featuring major improvements such as extension support for Edge and important updates to Continuum. According to speculations, it'll arrive in two waves: one in June and the other in October.
Also, what's notable about the huge Windows update is that Cortana will become a lot smarter, giving the beloved virtual assistant the capability of working with Office apps. To top it off, it's going to address the scaling issues that some certain apps seem to have.
Interestingly, Microsoft promised users that it'll release new builds at a faster pace this year, so that could mean that once the Build 11097 goes official and when the team gets back in the groove, the updates could keep on coming and coming frequently – well, our fingers are crossed.
Sure, it would be great if Microsoft would go ahead and let everyone in on what the company has in store. However, to put things into perspective, these developments nonetheless indicate that the company is up and about in improving the software and developing a consumer-ready build.
