Microsoft Could Release Another Windows 10 “Service Pack” in 2020

Microsoft has already finalized Windows 10 20H1, officially known as version 2004, and the company is now focusing entirely on last-minute polishing and bug fixes before the public release scheduled for the spring.

At the same time, Microsoft should begin the work on the next feature update for Windows 10, codenamed 20H2 and due in the fall of this year.

But as it turns out, there may not be too much to test in Windows 10 20H2, simply because Microsoft wants this feature update to focus mostly on under-the-hood refinements, rather than on new features.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is exactly the concept Windows 10 19H2 (November 2019 Update) was based on, with many describing it as a service pack, rather than a genuine feature update for the operating system.

Windows 10 20H2 preview builds coming soon

In other words, there’s a chance Windows 10 20H2 could end up becoming a little more than a service pack as well, bringing rather subtle improvements instead of breaking changes and new features.

This means the upcoming Windows 10 20H1 feature update due in the spring will be the star of the year, as it’s indeed a feature-packed release.

For some people, this approach makes sense, especially as many criticized Microsoft for its fast release cadence. Since two large feature updates every year might be hard to deploy in large organizations, a lightweight fall update that ships as a regular cumulative update and focused specifically on quality improvements would make more sense going forward.

Microsoft recently said that Fast ring insiders would begin testing new features without a specific release date, so probably the company indeed wants to spend more time on the under-the-hood refinements in Windows 10 20H2.

For now, it’s more important to take this as a rumor, as Microsoft is yet to confirm its plans for Windows 10 20H2. Preview builds should land shortly, so it won’t take long until we find out if another service pack is coming or not.