Microsoft is making some big moves for its Windows Insiders Preview program, which could mean some big news later down the road.
According to Microsoft’s official blog and reported by Windows Central, the tech giant will use the newly created Canary Channel to test Windows OS builds that will lay the foundation for a new major version of the operating system. This new channel will drop unstable and experimental builds on a regular basis, which will likely lay the foundation for Windows 12.
The Canary Channel will be used to test features that “require longer lead times” before being made available to the public. Some of these include “major changes to the Windows kernel, new APIs, and more,” and not all features are being tested for public release.
As a result of the new changes, all Dev Channel Insiders will be moved to the Canary Channel as the Dev Channel will receive 23000 series builds. Meanwhile, the Canary Channel will get 25000 series builds, so those who want to stay in the Dev Channel will have to reinstall the Windows OS.
What we know about Windows 12 so far
There are many rumors about Windows 12, including leaks from Microsoft and Intel themselves. One such leak is that Intel’s upcoming CPUs will support Windows 12, and before that it was reported that Microsoft would move to a new engineering schedule which sees a new version of the Windows OS released every three years.
The new OS may also be called ‘Next Valley,’ and will be the first cloud-based OS. We even saw an image of the new OS in Ignite 2022, where the design is supposed to be adapted to different devices and accessories.
While the last rumor was a bit confusing, there isn’t much else we know about the upcoming OS right now. Hopefully, future builds from the Canary Channel will reveal more information about Windows 12.