Microsoft releases Windows 10 build 18999 to the Fast ring

Usually, Microsoft releases new Windows 10 Insider Preview builds in the Fast ring on Wednesday mornings, but today, the company released a rare Tuesday afternoon build. It's build 18999, and it's available now in the Fast ring.

The build is from the 20H1 development branch, although that's nothing new. The Fast ring has been testing out 20H1 for a while now; meanwhile, the Slow and Release Preview rings have been testing out 19H2, the update that's due out any day now.

Today's build doesn't contain any new front-facing features. There were a couple of updates, which are independent of the build itself. For example, you can now receive calls with the Your Phone app, and the ability to move and resize Cortana is "now available for all Insiders".

There are a whole bunch of fixes, improvements, and known issues though. Here's what's fixed and improved in build 18999:

• We fixed an issue resulting in some Insiders seeing error 0x8007023e when installing updates.
• We fixed an issue where, after successfully updating to Build 18995, the Windows Update Settings page might show the same build still needs to install. After installing Build 18999, you won’t see this issue on future flights.
• We fixed an issue resulting in the Optional Features page in Settings crashing for some Insiders.
• We fixed an issue where some Insiders were finding that Settings doesn’t launch from the button in Start, isn’t listed in the All apps list, or as a search result. If you are impacted, pressing WIN+R and inputting “ms-settings:” (without the quotes) will launch Settings if you need it.
• We fixed a deadlock in the Network and Sharing Center Control Panel, that could result in it not loading.
• We fixed an issue where if Cortana had been moved from the default position, then it wouldn’t be visible when you tried to launch it via the WIN+C keyboard shortcut.
• We fixed an issue where when on battery saver SearchFilterHost.exe might use an unexpectedly high volume of CPU.
• We fixed an issue where search would crash if a Start Menu layout including a folder had been applied via group policy.
• We fixed an issue impacted VPN connection reliability.
• We fixed an issue in Narrator which caused Chrome to become unstable when navigating web contents.
• In Narrator braille, group header contextual elements are now represented with a “grp” abbreviation instead of “group.”
• Narrator would not show the text being spoken when returning to the same edit field in braille just after navigating back from an element that did not support a standard text control.
• Magnifier now remembers its window position after close and will reopen in that same location next time.
• We fixed an issue where the text cursor indicator did not adjust to show in the correct location after content was scrolled.
• We fixed an issue in the Search bar in either Control Panel or File Explorer where the box becomes grey and prevents input.
• We fixed an issue where devices configured for dual scan (WSUS and Windows Update) for updates may not have been offered new builds in the Fast ring.
• We fixed an issue where some devices configured to Use HDR may have experienced a bluish tint on their HDR displays after using Night Light.
• We fixed an issue where certain 2D apps (like Feedback Hub, Microsoft Store, 3D Viewer) were incorrectly being treated as having protected content within Windows Mixed Reality and were blocking their content from being recorded.
• We fixed an issue where, when capturing a repro video while filing a bug via Feedback Hub in Windows Mixed Reality, you couldn’t select Stop video.

There's apparently only one known issue:

• There has been an issue with older versions of anti-cheat software used with games where after updating to the latest 19H1 Insider Preview builds may cause PCs to experience crashes. We are working with partners on getting their software updated with a fix, and most games have released patches to prevent PCs from experiencing this issue. To minimize the chance of running into this issue, please make sure you are running the latest version of your games before attempting to update the operating system. We are also working with anti-cheat and game developers to resolve similar issues that may arise with the 20H1 Insider Preview builds and will work to minimize the likelihood of these issues in the future.

This particular known issue isn't new, nor is it going away. It's on third-party developers to fix the anti-cheat software in their games.

Microsoft also recently announced that Windows Insider Program chief Dona Sarkar is moving on, and the blog post for today's build is the first that's signed by Brandon LeBlanc.