Windows 10 Mobile Fast ring goes to build 15226

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Another small bug-fix update (three build numbers over last week's effort), but we have a new ('feature2', think 'RS2+') Fast ring build for Windows 10 Mobile. As before, the Fast Insiders ring for Windows 10 Mobile is becoming less the 'unstable, early access' ring and more the 'more bugs fixed than any other' ring. There's clearly effort going into keeping the core of Windows 10 Mobile up to date and fixing reported issues, all the while that the feature and app development is concentrated on the 'desktop' and future branches.

From the Windows blog:

  • This build also includes all the improvements from KB4022725.
  • We fixed an issue where some apps could not subscribe to SMS receive notifications.
  • We fixed an issue for Windows Insiders where some binaries stopped working when transitioning from Insider Preview builds to officially released builds.
  • We fixed an audio issue with Bluetooth headphones after Cortana reads an incoming SMS message to the user.

I should emphasise that the quoted changelog represents UI-level or major points fixed and that there are always small under-the-hood OneCore and UAP improvements and fixes which are too low-level to report in the Microsoft post.

See my feature on upgrade paths for the various classes of existing W10M handsets and the wider grid covering older devices, even though most of these won't be able to take advantage of this (RS2+), even with the Insider programme.

Anyone with an existing phone that's officially deemed Windows 10 Mobile CU-compatible by Microsoft can join in the fun - in theory. In each case:

  1. Head into Settings/Update & Security/Windows Insider Programme.
  2. Join the Insiders programme and choose the 'Fast' level in the pick list.
  3. Within a few hours your phone should be seeing the build mentioned above and you'll be running the Creators Update and beyond... 

Note that the popular Lumia 930 and 1520 haven't yet been 'provisioned' for this branch of Windows 10 Mobile. I tried - setting the Insider level to 'Fast' doesn't show up any of the recent 152xx builds. Do ping me if this changes, but I'm prepared at this point to say that these 2014/2015 phones may have reached their end on the Creators Update Release Preview ring, which will see critical updates through 2017 and then... no more after that.

See also my Windows 10 Mobile and the Future...

Source / Credit: Windows blog