Microsoft has announced a significant change for that Fast ring in the Windows Insider program, as the clients are moving to some more straightforward approach for the next Windows 10 feature updates.

Beginning with the discharge of Windows 10 build 19536, the Fast ring can get improvements from the RS_PRERELEASE channel. In other words, the updates that will be included in these builds don't possess a release date and are the most recent ideas tested through the Windows team.

So while these functions turn into readily available for the short ring, they might not be part of the next public feature update for Windows 10 production devices, as Microsoft says it might only publish them when they're ready.

Slow ring for more polished builds

"Moving forward, the short ring will get builds directly from this active development branch and new features will show in these builds first. While features within the active development branch may be slated for a future Windows 10 release, they're no longer matched to a specific Windows 10 release," the organization explains.

"This means that builds in the active development branch simply reflect the latest work in progress code from our engineers. Additional features and OS improvements done in this branch over these development cycles will show in future Windows 10 releases when they're ready."

Quite simply, insiders that need a far more stable experience without experimental features are suggested to stick using the Slow or Release Preview rings. These builds would continue to receive more polished builds, that undergo additional testing before receiving the go-ahead for production devices.

Windows 10 20H1 is the next feature update for the operating system, and it's scheduled to land in the spring as version 2004. People familiar with the matter said the RTM date for Windows 10 is mid-December.