Microsoft lets users choose whether to install major updates in Windows 10
Microsoft is going to give users more control over updates to the OS starting with the upcoming Windows 10 May 2019 Update. Users can decide for themselves whether and when to install the feature updates that appear twice a year, until the end-of-service period.
Microsoft does notify users through notifications that there are current updates and also advises the company that they should install them, but the final decision on whether and if so when will lie with the user. Microsoft reports this in an update on the Windows 10 May 2019 Update, as the upcoming Windows 10 update appears to be called.
Only when the end-of-service date for a Windows version has arrived or is in sight will the OS automatically install the updates again to ensure that systems remain supported. For example, for the current Windows October 2018 Update, the end-of-service date of the Home and Pro versions is May 12, 2020.
To make it clear to users which update is ready, there will be a Download & Install button in the Windows Update settings, specifically for the feature updates that appear twice a year. Microsoft will also bring this button to Windows 1809 and 1803 at the end of May, i.e. the April 2018 and October 2018 versions. From then on, the Windows Update Check for updates button will only be available for monthly patches and security updates.
Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education users already had the option to pause updates, and that option is now coming to Home. This concerns both the monthly and the feature update and they can be postponed five times with seven days each. So that pause will replace the snooze option.
There will also be an option to let Windows determine when it is useful to perform updates based on usage patterns. This should prevent users from encountering reboots unexpectedly. As of Windows 10 Anniversary Update, there was already an active hours feature, but users had to manually adjust it if they wanted to set active hours other than 8am-5pm.
Microsoft is also making changes to quickly detect serious issues after updates are released, even if they are limited numbers of affected systems. In addition, the software developer expands the Windows 10 Update History page with a dashboard about the current status of updates. That overview lists issues at play, including summaries and options to share the content via email or social media.
With the changes, Microsoft wants to prevent Windows updates from causing large-scale problems like the October 2018 Update. Those problems eventually resulted in this version being made widely available only last week. Microsoft previously announced that problematic updates will be automatically rolled back on affected systems.
The May 2019 Update will appear from the end of May for the first batch of regular users, who can then download it via ‘Download and install now’. Starting next week, Microsoft will release the Release Preview to Windows Insider test users. In addition to graphical changes, this version also includes a separation between Cortana and the search function and a slider for screen brightness in Action Center.