Microsoft's Windows 10 April 2018 Update rollout begins
Video: Windows 10 April 2018 Update: Here's what you can expect
As promised last week, Microsoft has begun rolling out the Windows 10 April 2018 Update (codenamed "Redstone 4") for PCs, starting at 1pm EST on April 30.
The latest release, Build 17134.1, is available to those who proactively go download the bits. (Microsoft also revealed in a blog post that anyone who uses Windows Update on their PCs to check proactively for updates will see the new release now, as well.)
April 30 is also the day Windows 10 April 2018 Update arrives on MSDN/Visual Studio downloads, as Microsoft officials said last week. Those who'd prefer to wait for Microsoft to begin pushing the update to them will begin seeing it arrive via Windows Update starting May 8. As with other Windows 10 feature rollouts, this one will be staged. Certain devices with a higher likelihood of successful updating will get it first.
Microsoft posted to its Microsoft docs site on April 30 a handy list of IT Pro-specific features in the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, which also is known as 1803. A number of these features are actually part of the latest refresh of Microsoft 365, which is the subscription bundle of Windows 10, Office 365, and Enterprise Mobility + Security, as officials noted last week.
Among the IT Pro features in this release:
- Support for Windows 10 kiosk and the new Kiosk Browser
- Windows 10 Subscription Activation with support for Inherited Activation
- Ability to run custom actions or scripts in parallel with Windows Setup
- Better control over updates (pause, uninstall) using Windows Update for Business
- Co-management, meaning Intune and System Center Configuration Manager policies now enable hybrid Azure Active Directory-joined authentication
- Windows Hello now supports FIDO 2.0 authentication for Azure AD-joined Windows 10 devices
- New features in Windows Defender ATP, Application Guard, Device Guard, Exploit Guard
Users can download the Windows 10 April 2018 Update manually or try checking for updates on their Windows 10 devices.
Microsoft officials also noted that Office Insiders on the Fast Ring can now try out integration of single sign-in across Windows 10 April 2018 Update and Office 365. By signing into one of these services, users will automatically be signed into both across their devices. This integrated sign-in option will be available by June 2018 to all Office 365 users.