IMPORTANT: As is normal with pre-release builds, these builds may contain bugs that might be painful for some. If you take this flight, you won’t be able to switch Slow or Release Preview rings without doing a clean-install on your PC.
If you want a complete look at what build is in which Insider ring, head over to Flight Hub. You can also check out the rest of our documentation here including a complete list of new features and updates that have gone out as part of Insider flights for the current development cycle.
Not seeing any of the features in this build? Check your Windows Insider Settings to make sure you’re on the Fast ring. Submit feedback here to let us know if things weren’t working the way you expected.
What’s new in Build 18985
Improving your Bluetooth pairing experience
For Windows 10 version 1803, we announced a new streamlined experience for pairing supported Bluetooth devices. The idea was simple—if a supported device was nearby and in pairing mode, we’d show a notification that prompted you to go through pairing. This saved you from opening Settings yourself and finding the right place to go. Today, we’re rolling out an update with improvements we hope you’ll like.
Here’s what’s new:
- Pairing is all done in notifications now. You don’t need to go to the Settings app anymore to finish pairing.
- For faster pairing time, we improved the UI by showing one less notification.
- We added a Dismiss button to the first notification to give you more control while using Swift Pair.
- To make the notification more helpful, now we show the device name and category when we can.
We’re excited for Insiders to try it out and share feedback. This new experience is currently rolled out to 50% of Insiders, and we’ll let you know as the rollout increases. Supported devices include:
- Surface Ergonomic Keyboard
- Surface Precision Mouse
- Microsoft Modern Mobile Mouse
- Surface Mobile Mouse
- Microsoft Arc Mouse
- Surface Arc Mouse
- Surface Headphones
Improving your optional update experience
As some Insiders have noticed, we’re working on making it easier for you to see all optional updates (including drivers, feature updates, and monthly non-security quality updates) in one place. Once optional updates are detected, they will be listed in a new page under Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View optional updates. For drivers, you no longer need to browse Device Manager for a specific device to update. Windows Update will automatically keep your drivers up-to-date, same as before, but if you’re having a problem one of those optional drivers might help.
Other updates for Insiders
Snip & Sketch app update
After spending time in both the Fast and Slow rings, we’re now starting to roll out Snip & Sketch version 10.1907 to 100% of Insiders in the Release Preview ring. We will also be rolling this update out to a small percentage of those using retail builds. As a reminder, this update includes two notable improvements based on your feedback:
- Single window mode: We’ve heard that some of you prefer your previous snip to close when you click New in Snip & Sketch, so you don’t end up with a bunch of windows. Going forward, this will be the default option. If you liked having multiple windows, don’t worry! That’s still an option too if you go to Snip & Sketch settings.
- Zoom support: You can now zoom in on your screenshots if they’re a bit too small for you to annotate on (and yes, touch, CTRL+Plus, CTRL+Minus and Ctrl+Mouse wheel are supported!) If you prefer keeping a small Snip & Sketch window, we’ll also zoom out to ensure the whole snip fits in the Snip & Sketch window.
What snipping improvement would you like us to work on next? Let us know! Fastest way to get to the right place is to select the “…” menu in Snip & Sketch, and then choose Send Feedback.
General changes, improvements, and fixes for PC
- We fixed an issue where adding a new Language Pack reported successful installation but was not installed.
- We fixed an issue impacting the reliability of Settings when accessing the Network & Internet section.
- We fixed an issue that could result in printer entries not displaying properly for non-admin accounts—the text overlapping, and not being clickable.
- We fixed an issue resulting in Task Manager showing an unexpectedly high temperature for certain GPUs.
- We fixed an issue resulting in Task Manger unexpectedly showing 0% CPU usage in the Performance tab.
- We fixed an issue where the setting that enables Microsoft accounts on your device to go Passwordless (by requiring Windows Hello sign in and hiding the password option from the lock screen) was showing for local account users. Now the setting will only show for Microsoft account users.
- We fixed an issue with the Reset this PC cloud download option not calculating the correct amount of space you needed to free up if you did not have enough disk space to proceed.
- We fixed an issue with the Reset this PC cloud download option not working when specific optional features were installed.
- At this time, we’re removing our known issue about Realtek SD card readers. If you are still encountering issues with any SD cards, please take a moment to check for driver updates, and file feedback if that does not resolve it for you.
Known issues
- There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. We are working with partners on getting their software updated with a fix, and most games have released patches to prevent PCs from experiencing this issue. To minimize the chance of running into this issue, please make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system. We are also working with anti-cheat and game developers to resolve similar issues that may arise with the 20H1 Insider Preview builds and will work to minimize the likelihood of these issues in the future.
- Certain 2D apps (like Feedback Hub, Microsoft Store, 3D Viewer) are incorrectly being treated as having protected content within Windows Mixed Reality. During video capture, these 2D apps block their content from being recorded.
- When capturing a repro video while filing a bug via Feedback Hub in Windows Mixed Reality, you won’t be able to select Stop video, due to the protected content issue noted above. If you want to submit a repro video, you will need to wait 5 minutes for the recording to time out. If you’d like to file the bug without a repro video, you can close the Feedback Hub window to end the recording and resume filing your bug when you reopen the app in Feedback > Drafts.
- When viewing Optional drivers in the new section on the Windows Update page, you may notice older drivers showing as available for download. If accepted, they will attempt to install and fail to do so. This is a bug related to revised Windows Update detection logic rather than this new UI. The root cause is understood, and a fix will be available in an upcoming build.
Windows Insider Webcast is back on September 24
The Windows Insider webcast is back on Tuesday, September 24! We’ll be talking about the upcoming 5-year anniversary of the Windows Insider Program, and then we’ll have guests from deployment and one of our leads for the 20H1 Bug Bash.
Tune in at 10 a.m. PDT / 5 p.m. UTC on the Windows Insider Mixer channel!
The Bing Team Wants to hear from you in Chicago and Boston
Hey Windows 10 Insiders, the Bing team wants to hear from you and get your unique perspective. Join them at exclusive Bing Listens events in Chicago and Boston, where you’ll interact directly with the team and get a chance to ask questions, give feedback, and share your ideas. There will be giveaways, prizes, and great food. This event will allow you to leave an impact on a future Bing product that will delight you, your friends, and family.
Choose a city below to learn more about the Bing Listens Tour and register today!
No downtime for Hustle-As-A-Service,
Dona <3