Microsoft just made Windows 11 Canary builds a bit confusing

Last week, Windows 11 Canary Channel made a significant jump from 26XXX builds to 27XXX builds (reportedly called "dilithium"). Besides all the mentioned changes in the release notes, the latest build, 27686, introduced a small adjustment that might look a bit odd to some insiders, especially newcomers. The winver dialog and the System > About section now have "Dev" as the Windows version, even though build 27686 is from the Canary Channel.

Microsoft has not mentioned it in the release notes, but according to Brandon LeBlanc, Senior Program Manager at the Windows Insider Program team, the change indicates that your current build is an in-development release, not a specific Windows 11 version, nor your current Insider Channel.

That change makes sense: release notes for Windows preview builds, especially Canary builds, make it very clear that changes "should not be seen as matched to any specific release of Windows." What makes much less sense is how Microsoft calls Canary builds "Dev." True, experienced users know that Windows version and preview channel are two different things, but Microsoft literally has a channel with the same name. Of course, there are already confused people out there.

Back in its original days, Microsoft had just two channels (then called "rings"): Fast Ring and Slow Ring. Now, insiders have access to four new channels with new features, often appearing in "slower" or more stable channels before showing up in Dev and Canary. Besides, you never know whether you will get a lucky ticket and receive new features, as most of them are now rolling out gradually to Windows Insiders. While there is a clear reasoning behind that approach, it just adds to the overall confusion of the program.

As a reminder, you can always check your Insider channel by heading to Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider.

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