Microsoft releases Windows 10 build 19624 to the Fast ring

Today, Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview build 19624 to the Fast ring, once again not adding any new features. In fact, there isn't even an "other updates" section that usually highlights app updates with fun new features that Insiders can explore. It's just improvements, fixes, and known issues.

Here are the general changes and improvements:

• We’re temporarily turning off the new search box in the default apps Settings pages while we work on improving performance and reliability.
• We’re updating the VPN connection logic based on feedback, so that if you disconnect from a VPN network, it will now uncheck the option to auto-connect (similar to how it’s handled for Wi-Fi).
• Based on feedback we’re updating the text of the Add a Device dialog so the list of examples under Bluetooth includes controllers.
• We’re updating the Optional Updates Available section that appears in Windows Update settings, so that you will now be able to copy the text in case you need it.

Here's what got fixed:

• We’ve fixed an issue that was causing unexpected flickering across Windows shell surfaces and apps in the last two builds.
• We’ve fixed an issue causing IIS configuration to be set to default after taking a new build.
• We’ve fixed an issue causing a transient access error when quickly switching between WSL distros using the File Explorer integration.
• We fixed an issue impacting explorer.exe reliability for some Insiders recently.
• We fixed an issue resulting in Settings and the taskbar volume flyout crashing recently when selecting certain endpoints from the audio endpoint list.
• We fixed a race condition that could result in VPN not auto-connecting (if it was set up to do that) after upgrade.
• We’ve fixed an issue where the battery icon on the lock screen always shows close to empty, regardless of actual battery levels. If you’re still experiencing this issue, please report it in the Feedback Hub.
• We fixed a recent issue where if you opened your laptop after it’d been asleep, and it was connected to an external monitor with an external camera, Windows Hello would recognize you but not dismiss the lock screen.
• We fixed an issue that could result in your device bug checking after it’d been asleep.
• We fixed an issue resulting in certain Bluetooth mice being very slow to reconnect to your device after it’d been asleep.
• We fixed an issue preventing you from navigating out of the Connect app’s settings dialog using a mouse.
• We fixed an issue resulting in Windows Security’s Core Isolation feature failing to enable on certain devices recently.
• We fixed an issue resulting in Windows Update failing with error code 0x800700b7.
• We fixed a deadlock that could result in Windows Update’s checking for updates not completing and showing as in progress until Settings was closed and reopened.
• We fixed an issue where some of the buttons and links on the Language Settings page weren’t the correct color when using high contrast.
• We fixed an issue where the text in the Optimize Drives window under Scheduled Optimization section would be truncated in a number of different languages and at certain text scaling levels.

Finally, there are a few known issues to be aware of:

• We’re aware Narrator and NVDA users that seek the latest release of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium may experience some difficulty when navigating and reading certain web content. Narrator, NVDA and the Edge teams are aware of these issues. Users of legacy Microsoft Edge will not be affected. NVAccess has released a NVDA 2019.3 that resolves the known issue with Edge.
• We’re looking into reports of the update process hanging for extended periods of time when attempting to install a new build.
• We’re looking into an issue where some may devices fail to update to this build with error code 0xc0000409. If you experience this error, you may consider pausing updates until a future flight.
• We’re working on fixing an issue for a future Insider Preview build where in Settings > Privacy the Documents and Downloads sections show a broken icon next to their page name (just a rectangle).

The Fast ring isn't tied to any particular Windows 10 feature update. It's in a perpetual state of vNext, so it's somewhat unlikely that the reason there haven't been any new features in a while is because this is being wrapped up as Windows 10 20H2. 20H2 is going to be an enablement package, just like 19H2 was. Microsoft could be on pause though, while it gets 20H2 ready for the Slow ring.