Microsoft executives have previously admitted that Windows 10 builds for phones haven’t been pushed to testers as quickly as they would have liked. But there’s hopeful news: A new build, 10080, could arrive this week.
Microsoft’s Gabriel Aul, who oversees the Windows Insider program for Microsoft, said Tuesday that a new build was being readied for public testing.
@bibeksau You won’t 🙂 10080 is the current candidate. Pushed to Microsoft ring yesterday. If it fares well, we’ll have a build this week.
— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) May 12, 2015
// Aul went on to say that the build, if approved, would take a couple of days to be pushed to the Windows Insider program. Typically, Microsoft tests out the builds internally, as frequently as on a daily basis. If approved, they’re then pushed out to the public in either the “fast” or “slow” rings. That approval process takes a bit of time.
@Sicily98IT @bibeksau Not today, it takes a couple days to evaluate quality telemetry from Microsoft ring.
— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) May 12, 2015
Microsoft has opened up the new builds to most of the Lumia phones that Microsoft and Nokia have shipped in recent years. Aul also said that the next build will support the Lumia Icon as well, a phone that has been given short shrift by Microsoft.
Why this matters: Windows 10 for phones is supposed to bring big, positive changes to the foundering device platform. Microsoft hasn’t said what will be in build 10080, but if nothing else, we should see various usability enhancements and perhaps even more development around universal apps. We’re all waiting with bated breath for the standout feature: Continuum for phones. The problem is, of course, is that Continuum requires new hardware, so it’s unclear how, if at all, Microsoft will publicly test it.