Windows 10 testers can now try beta apps without updating the entire OS

Microsoft is introducing a new option for Windows 10 testers this week, allowing them to access beta versions of built-in apps without having to install early operating system code. The software maker has been updating its built-in apps like mail and photos throughout its Windows 10 test periods, but you’d typically need to be on the Fast or Skip Ahead rings to get the very latest app updates.

“We heard feedback from Windows Insiders that having to opt-in to Skip Ahead to receive the latest app updates wasn’t ideal as it required Insiders to also be on super-early and sometimes unstable builds of the OS,” says Windows Insider chief Dona Sarkar. The change now means you can stay safely on the Release Preview Ring or even the Slow Ring and opt into app updates within the built-in apps themselves. New options will be available in the settings or about page within apps, and as long as there are enough testing slots available you’ll be able to opt-in to receiving preview updates. The following apps are supported:

Feedback Hub
Microsoft Photos
Microsoft Sticky Notes
Microsoft Tips
Paint 3D
Windows Alarms & Clock
Windows Calculator
Windows Camera
Windows Mixed Reality Viewer
Windows Voice Recorder

Alongside this new preview program, Microsoft has also started testing its future Windows 10 update, codenamed Redstone 5. The first build is available to Skip Ahead Windows 10 testers, before Microsoft starts to add more features in the coming weeks and months. Existing testers of Redstone 4, Microsoft’s Windows 10 update due next month, can also test a new build (17101) as the company gets closer to finalizing this update. Microsoft has still not named this upcoming update, but the company has referred to it as “Spring Creators Update” before.

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