Something like this should have been there from the start, but better late than never. Microsoft has finally introduced what it calls the Unified Update Platform, or UUP for short, that it promises will streamline updates.
And make them more seamless.
The software titan announced this alongside the release of Windows 10 Insider Preview build 14959.
This feature is now available for mobile right now, but will work across PCs, phones, IoT devices and HoloLens, and will make it easy for users when installing a big feature update — like the Anniversary Update or the upcoming Creators Update.
Redmond says that we will see smaller download sizes, at least on PCs:
“We have converged technologies in our build and publishing systems to enable 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.”
Pretty big deal, this.
Installing full builds of Windows 10 not only consumed a lot of bandwidth, but required a lot of time.
Not to mention the whole process was usually troublesome for users that are not tech savvy, as the potential for things to go wrong was high. With this new initiative, however, most of these issues will cease to exist.
But that is not all.
There are additional benefits to the UUP too, including a reduction in the time it takes to check for updates. The system lowers the amount of data sent to client devices, and also reduces processing time, which is actually transferred to the service, and not the device.
Plus, it will put an end to two-hop updates, where users were required to update to a preview build in order to get to the current one.
Case in point, upgrading to Windows 10 Mobile on a smartphone running Windows Phone 8.1 today requires users to first make the move to build 10586.107, before they are able to deploy the Anniversary Update on their handset.
Wins all around, then!
UUP is available for mobile users today on Windows 10 Mobile builds in the Fast ring. It will be available for PCs later this year, while IoT and Windows Holographic will likely get access to it in 2017.
source:windows10update
