Microsoft pauses Insider builds for PCs as it gets ready to release the UUP

Microsoft recently announced the new Unified Update Platform (UUP), their next generation software update delivery technologies incorporated into Windows.

The foundations for the technology was first delivered via the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14959 for Mobile and PC which was released in early November to Windows Insiders in the Fast ring.

Hey #WindowsInsiders, we're hitting pause on PC builds today for Fast and Slow to get ready for UUP. https://t.co/UrL2UGGKjB

— Brandon LeBlanc (@brandonleblanc) December 2, 2016

Now Brandon LeBlanc, Senior Program Manager on the Windows Insider Program Team tweeted the above message, saying PC Builds for the Fast and Slow Ring were on pause as Microsoft gets ready for the new Unified Update Platform.

In the bog post he writes:

 We are going to pause all PC builds for both the Fast and Slow rings starting this evening (Friday 12/2). We will begin flighting the latest builds via UUP starting with our internal rings first then to Insiders based on each ring’s promotion criteria. We’re excited to be able to release builds for PC to Insiders using UUP! Mobile builds are not impacted by this.

UUP offer more control over the timing of when updates are installed, it will require less local processing and thus improve battery life, and it will also reduce the update download sizes. The new update mechanism will be available to Windows Insiders across PC, tablet, phone, IoT, and HoloLens.

New improvements in UUP include:

• Enables differential downloads for all devices built on the Mobile and PC OS. A differential download package contains only the changes that have been made since the last time you updated your device, rather than a full build.
• They are reducing the update data sent to client devices as well as the amount of processing we are doing on devices, this especially important for devices built on the Mobile OS. Using UUP, when your device checks for updates, the Windows Update service will evaluate which updates are needed by a given device. The Windows Update service then returns these updates to the device for download and install.
• In the PC world, you can update to the latest build in one operation, regardless of what base build you are currently running, yet that’s not how it worked for the Mobile OS. On your phone, we would sometimes require you to install in two-hops (updates) to get current. With UUP, they are bringing PC-like logic to the mobile allowing you to update your phone in one-hop, just like the PC.

We expect to start using UUP for PC Insider builds will be followed by IoT and HoloLens shortly after.