Windows 10 1809 user? Microsoft has started herding you to 1909 update
Microsoft has started the process of moving PCs with Windows 10 version 1809, the October 2018 Update, to Windows 10 version 1909, which it released last month.
Windows 10
The company said it will "slowly start the phased process" to upgrade users on this version and argues the move is necessary for a smooth transition, despite support remaining for Windows 10 1809 for Home and Pro editions until May 12, 2020.
Microsoft released Windows 10 version 1809 in September, 2018 but paused the release due to a serious data-deletion bug. It rereleased it in November, 2018.
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"Beginning today, we will slowly start the phased process to automatically initiate a feature update for devices running the October 2018 Update (Windows 10, version 1809) Home and Pro editions, keeping those devices supported and receiving the monthly updates that are critical to device security and ecosystem health," Microsoft explains on its Windows 10 version 1909 issues page.
"We are starting this rollout process several months in advance of the end of service date to provide adequate time for a smooth update process."
Microsoft's jump-start on Windows 10 version 1809 upgrades differs from its past automatic upgrade efforts.
Support for Windows 10 version 1803, the April 2018 Update, ended on November 12. Microsoft announced plans to automatically upgrade systems on the day that version reached end of life.
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Windows users do have better tools for when Windows 10 updates install. Microsoft introduced the ability to control when to install feature updates via an update it released in May 2019, which displayed feature updates in a separate module on the Windows Update page. These controls allow users to install security updates without necessarily installing the feature update immediately.
Windows 10 version 1909 was a minor update to version 1903 and is the first Windows 10 feature update to employ Microsoft's new update process. The update to 1909 for users on Windows 10 1903 is more like a monthly update where as users on versions 1803 or 1809 would experience a traditional, more disruptive feature update.