The first release incorporating those changes has now begun rolling out, with an official announcement on the Windows Insider blog: "We're moving to Experimental and Beta!" Build 26300.8289, released to the Dev channel on April 24, offers testers a pathway to the new Insider experience.

I've installed the new build on one of my test PCs. If you're currently participating in the Windows Insider Program, these are meaningful improvements. Here's what you can expect and what you need to do to enable the new features.

Last month, I urged Microsoft to stop using its Controlled Feature Rollout technology, especially for builds in the Beta channel. Apparently, someone in Redmond was listening.

One of the most common questions we receive from Insiders is "why don't I have access to a feature that's been announced in a WIP blog?" This is usually due to a technology called Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR), a gradual process of rolling out new features to ensure quality before releasing to wider audiences. These gradual rollouts are an industry standard that help us measure impact before releasing more broadly. But they also make your experience unpredictable and often mean you don't get the new features that motivated many of you to join the Insider program to begin with.