Microsoft has a new Windows Insider "ring" for early testers, introducing the safer and more polished Release Preview Ring.
The Windows Insider program is usually the go-to place for getting a sneak peek at upcoming Windows features before they're ready to roll out for the general public. However, Windows Insiders can be a pretty risky business and not everyone dares to venture into this territory.
Insider preview builds can give an early taste of neat treats to come, but they can also be quite buggy and with various issues. Even the "Slow Ring" of Windows Insider still involves some risks, but Microsoft now has an intriguing alternative.
The new Release Preview Ring enables users to get early access to updates for Windows 10, hardware drivers, and Microsoft apps, while still enjoying a polished OS release. This means that Release Preview insiders will be able to enjoy new features ahead of others, but they won't have to venture too deep in unpolished Windows 10 builds.
Simply put, Microsoft's new Windows 10 Release Preview allows users to get early access to updates, but not so early that they have to struggle with severe bugs. It's a more cautious way of being ahead of the curve while still remaining in your comfort zone.
The Windows Insider Release Preview ring is available for both PC and Windows 10 Mobile and comes as the third "ring" part of the Windows Insider program. The other two - the Fast Ring and the Slow Ring - remain unchanged.
"The Release Preview ring will focus on Insiders that want to stay on the Current Branch (currently builds based off of 10586), but continue to receive early access to updates, application updates, and driver updates," Microsoft explains in a new announcement on its Windows Experience Blog.
Windows Release Preview users will face minimal risk, yet they will still be able to provide feedback and help Microsoft polish and improve the OS. The Release Preview ring is slower than the Slow Ring and it's the safest and most stable ring of the Windows Insiders Program.
Microsoft also released a new Windows 10 Mobile preview build 10586.107, which hit the Fast Ring first and became available for the Slow Ring shortly after. This new build brings some fixes related to missing tiles, adds enhanced Narrator support for a number of languages, and other improvements.
