Windows 10 Drops to One Annual Feature Update Moving Forward

Microsoft has started the staged release of Windows 11, and you can go out and buy a new Windows 11 PC right now. While Windows 10 will continue getting updates as promised, it’s natural to expect Microsoft won’t want to spend quite as much time on yesteryear’s OS going forward. Therefore, Windows 10 will only get one annual feature update instead of two, reports The Verge. Before you get too up in arms, this is the same schedule as Windows 11.

Early in the Windows 10 era, Microsoft began rolling out semiannual feature updates, previously called Creators Updates. There have been “service packs” in some previous releases of Windows, but these only came out every few years. This practice supported speculation that Microsoft might never release another distinct version of Windows after 10, as did the long wait between Windows 10 and the newly released Windows 11. Perhaps it was Microsoft’s intention to keep updating Windows 10 at first, but it’s moving on with an OS that will only get one feature update per year.

There’s still a pending feature update for Windows 10 in the works. After Microsoft releases that in the next few weeks, Windows 10 won’t get another substantive patch until late 2022. The upcoming version doesn’t add much. The most prominent feature is GPU compute for the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). Windows 11 won’t get more updates, though. The plan is just to do a single yearly feature patch for Windows 11 in the future, and we probably won’t see the first of those for a while.

Currently, Microsoft is focused on rolling Windows 11 out to existing compatible devices. Unlike Windows 10, Microsoft has opted to only support newer hardware with specific capabilities. For example, PCs need to have a trusted platform module and a CPU from the last few years to run Windows 11. You can install Windows 11 manually on supported devices, but if you decide to wait until Microsoft pushes it to your system, the prompt might not appear until the middle of next year.

Even if you can’t (or don’t want to) run Windows 11, Microsoft won’t leave you in the lurch. Windows 10 will get security patches through October 2025, and those should be more frequent than once a year. Just don’t expect as many new features as we’ve been seeing thus far. With just three or four more major updates in the offing for Windows 10, Microsoft probably won’t want to add anything that’s going to need a lot of support in the future. If you want the latest and greatest, it’s probably best to hop on the Windows 11 bandwagon.

Continue reading

Time to Update: Google Patches 2 Severe Zero-Day Chrome Vulnerabilities

Unlike the last few zero-days, Google didn't find these security holes itself. Instead, it was tipped by anonymous third-parties, and the problems are severe enough that it hasn't released full details. Suffice it to say, you should stop putting off that update.

Samsung Starts Rolling Out Galaxy S20 Android 11 Update on Verizon

Not only does this include the Googley Android 11 enhancements, but it also has numerous Samsung-specific changes as part of the One UI 3.0 revamp.

Apple Urges Immediate iPhone Update to Block Active Online Hacks

There's a new version of Apple's iOS software for iPhone and iPad devices, and as usual, Apple is going to start pestering users to update. This time, the nagging for iOS 14.4 comes with a little more urgency.

Samsung Promises to Update Its Android Phones Even Longer Than Google

Smartphone updates have been a mess for as long as the modern smartphone has existed, but Samsung just took a big step in the right direction: The company has decided to extend security update support to a full four years.