Microsoft’s Windows Insider Program has been a roaring success since making its debut 9 years ago. To keep the program evolving and to fulfil Microsoft’s goal of having continuous support for Windows 11, the company is announcing a new testing channel. Specifically, the Insider Program is now getting a Canary Channel.
If you are new the world of Windows, the Insider Program is a testing ground for Windows previews. Users can sign up and test new Windows 11 features and builds. In return, Microsoft gets user feedback that helps it stabilize and improve Windows builds before launch.
The Windows Insider Program has been such a success that Microsoft has spread the concept. These days there are Insider Programs for Azure services, Edge, Xbox, Office, and more.
Amanda Langowski, Windows Insider chief, says that the program is now getting a Canary Channel. On other Insider programs, such as Edge, the Canary Channel is the first level of testing. It is where users get the most experimental features that are unstable and builds can even be broken.
Channel Shuffle
Langowski points out the Windows Insider Program Canary Channel will function in a similar way. It will receive updates that require longer preview development than others. These may be more technical updates for APIs or even the Windows kernel. Builds in Canary will start with 25000 build numbers, higher than the current Dev, Beta, and Release Preview Channels.
Elsewhere in the Insider Program, Microsoft says it has rebooted the Dev Channel. This channel will now become the main hub for preview features in Windows. From now on, Dev Channel builds will start from the 23000 series. Microsoft says this is the channel it recommends to most Insiders.
Below is the new channel structure:
- Canary Channel: 25000 series.
- Dev Channel: 23000 series.
- Beta Channel: 22000 series.
- Release Preview: Released versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Tip of the day: Windows now has a package manager similar to Linux called “Winget”. In our tutorial, we show you how to install and use this new tool that allows the quick installation of apps via PowerShell or a GUI.
