Microsoft Opens Windows 10 May 2019 Update Availability To All Users Manually Checking Windows Update

by Brandon Hill — Friday, June 07, 2019, 12:42 PM EDT

Microsoft has just opened up Windows 10 Version 1903 (May 2019 Update) availability to additional users. The Redmond, Washington-based software giant took a deliberately slow approach with the May 2019 Update after it failed spectacularly with the October 2018 Update with a myriad of showstopping bugs.

The company announced this week that the May 2019 Update is now being made available to all Windows 10 users that manually "Check for Updates". Previously, Microsoft made the update automatically visible to hardware configurations with no known compatibility issues. The May 2019 Update, however, could still be deferred if a user didn't want to upgrade this early in the game.

In addition, a separate subset of users who proactively clicked the "Check for Update" button were previously able to be served the May 2019 Update. Microsoft's official communiqué on the matter states:

Windows 10, version 1903 is available for any user who manually selects “Check for updates” via Windows Update. The recommended servicing status is Semi-Annual Channel.

This slow and steady approach by Microsoft appears to be paying off, as the Windows 10 May 2019 Update hasn’t had nearly as many "epic failures" as its October 2018 Update predecessor. That's not to say that release has been trouble-free, as there have been some reported issues with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity and installs on AMD processors.

As for those there are wondering what Microsoft is doing with the 19H2 release, Brandon LeBlanc, Senior Program Manager for the Windows Insider Program Team, posted the following to Twitter:

There will be plenty of time to test 19H2. We get a lot of value out of the Slow ring. You shouldn't worry - this will all play out and we'll communicate the details once we've locked on them. Important not to put artificial timelines on these things.
— Brandon LeBlanc (@brandonleblanc) June 5, 2019

Tags: Microsoft, Windows 10, (nasdaq:msft), may 2019 update, windows 10 may 2019 update

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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