Microsoft is Splitting the Windows Insider Beta Channel in Two

Gandalf_The_Grey

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Apr 24, 2016
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Microsoft just can’t stop screwing with the Windows Insider Program. But at least this latest change isn’t as horrible as similar previous changes.

“Starting today, we are releasing updates to the Beta Channel that put Windows Insiders into one of two groups similar to what we did back in 2019,” the announcement post explains. “A group of Insiders in the Beta Channel will receive Build 22622.xxx updates that will have new features getting rolled out or turned on via an enablement package like how we release updates for Windows 10 today. A[nother] group of Insiders in the Beta Channel will receive Build 22621.xxx updates that will have new features turned off by default.”

If you know the Insider program, you know the drill: this is A/B testing on a massive scale, and those testers who are placed in Group A (22622.xxx) will get new features, while those in Group B (22621.xxx) will not. But there are some interesting nuances this time around, and it’s not all bad.

First, Microsoft says that “the majority of Insiders in the Beta Channel will automatically get the update (Build 22622.xxx),” meaning that they will be in Group A. And second, those unlucky souls who end up in Group B can “check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22622.xxx).” So there is at least an out.

“This approach is being used for the Beta Channel only and is not indicative of any changes or plans for final feature rollouts,” Microsoft adds. “The enablement package artificially increments the build number for the update with new features getting rolled out and turned on to make it easier to differentiate from devices with the update with features off by default. As a reminder, features we try out with Windows Insiders will ship when they are ready and not every feature that we try out in the Beta Channel will ship to general customers.”

And on that note, Microsoft today is releasing two builds to the Beta channel of the Insider Program, build 22622.290 with new features and build 22621.290 with no new features. New features include:

Suggested actions. “When you copy a date, time, or phone number, Windows will suggest actions relevant to you such as creating calendar events or making phone calls with your favorite apps,” the post explains. “This feature is currently only available to Windows Insiders in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.”

OneDrive storage alert and subscription management in Settings. The Settings app will now display OneDrive information on the Accounts page in Settings just as it does already for Microsoft 365. Right now, this only works for those who pay for 100 GB storage upgrades.
 

SeriousHoax

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Mar 16, 2019
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The people in the comments of the article are arguing, while it seems they neither read the article nor Microsoft's blog post properly. The article clearly clarifies what Microsoft wrote on the blog post,
And second, those unlucky souls who end up in Group B can “check for updates and choose to install the update that will have features rolling out (Build 22622.xxx).” So there is at least an out.
So, it seems users who want to be in the A/B testing builds can manually check for updates to receive such updates. But I agree that it's a bit confusing because insider builds are supposed to be for A/B testing anyway.
 

Jineshsethia

Level 1
Jul 8, 2022
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Microsoft splits the Windows Insider Beta channel into two paths to test new features Microsoft is splitting the Beta channel of the Windows Insider programs into two separate paths as a way to selectively test new features for Insiders testing Windows 11 version 22H2.
 

Jineshsethia

Level 1
Jul 8, 2022
12
Microsoft has split the Beta Channel Insiders into two groups. One will receive Build 22622.xxx updates that will have new features getting rolled out or turned on via an enablement package, while the other group will get Build 22621.xxx updates that will have new features turned off by default.
 

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