Windows Insider Preview Build 18252 Brings African Text Support, Connectivity Choices

Microsoft is still working out some of the kinks with the major Windows 10 October 2018 Update released earlier this week. The latest version of Windows 10 introduced compelling new features, such as the DirectX Raytracing API and the Your Phone app, but it's also said to be experiencing a few issues. Yet the show must go on, so the company on Wednesday released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18252 to members of the Windows Insider Program.

Preview Build 18252 is available both to Fast ring and Skip Ahead members of the Windows Insider Program. Microsoft said Fast ring and Skip Ahead members will receive the same builds going forward and cautioned that anyone not accustomed to using very early builds of the next major Windows update might want to switch to the Slow ring (people who automatically install this build can roll back and switch rings).

Those who decide to wait for more stable builds won't be missing out on much. The highlights of Preview Build 18252 mostly involve connectivity: several Ethernet settings, including choosing a DNS provider and configuring a static IP address, have been brought out of the Control Panel and into the Settings app, and a new "disconnected" icon that debuted alongside the "Always Connected" PCs will now appear on all devices when a connection is lost.

Preview Build 18252 also introduced a new Windows Ebrima font that allows Windows 10 users to read ADLaM documents and web pages. If you don't know what that means, it probably won't affect you because ADLaM is "a writing system for Pular/Fulfulde, the language of the Fulani people, predominantly residing in west Africa." Microsoft said Ebrima also supports the N’ko, Tifinagh, Vai and Osmanya writing systems.

This build also fixed several problems with Task Manager, Narrator and other aspects of Windows 10. One feature addition that snuck onto the list of bug fixes is a new microphone icon that appears in the system tray when a microphone is in use. That should make it easier to tell if you didn't actually disconnect your microphone, for example, or if a mic is enabled without your knowledge.

More important is the list of known issues. Microsoft said that people can encounter Error 0xC1900101, which causes the update to fail, requiring them to reboot and retry the update later. There are also problems with the Settings app, Inbox Apps and signing in with valid login credentials. Windows Mixed Reality users might also have the same problem as those with the Inbox Apps; deleting and reinstalling the Mixed Reality Portal should fix it.

That's a lot of potential downsides. Those who are willing to risk it to check out future versions of Windows 10 and help Microsoft resolve these issues can install Preview Build 18252 now. Anyone who's only really interested in the Windows Insider Program because they want a sneak peek at new features, however, may be better off moving over to the Slow ring until Microsoft is ready to make bigger changes.