Oh noes! Microsoft has been making some changes to how the Windows Insider Program rolls, and one such change is pulling the plug on the Skip Ahead ring of the preview program.
Or channel, what have you.
The software titan made official its decision to kill off this ring, which itself was a subset of the Fast ring, when it released Windows 10 Insider Preview build 19018 earlier this week. This channel basically allowed users to skip ahead and test versions of upcoming Windows 10 builds in very early states.
In other words, this was for those that wanted their hands on the earliest preview of new features.
As noted by Brandon LeBlanc, senior program manager of the Insider Program:
“Starting today, Windows Insiders who have opted into Skip Ahead are being migrated back into the Fast ring. This means that Skip Ahead will no longer be reflected under Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program. Going forward, we will not be offering Skip Ahead as an option for Insiders to sign-up for. Our goal is to provide everyone in the Fast ring the freshest builds at the same time.”
About time.
With the Windows 10 November 2019 Update right around the corner, Redmond will now be free to move the 20H1 release to the Slow ring of the program.
While the next update after this one, dubbed 20H2, will land in the Fast ring. But it will now arrive for everyone in the Fast ring, and will not be limited to the handful of folks that signed up for the Skip Ahead channel.
If you are enrolled in Skip Ahead, there is nothing you need to do, you will be merged with the standard Fast ring automatically.
