Microsoft has released build version 18970 of the Insider Preview of Windows 10 in the fast ring. The most important change concerns changes to the tablet mode. On convertible laptops, the Live Tiles menu no longer appears automatically at full screen size.
Anyone who puts a 2-in-1 convertible laptop in tablet mode and runs Windows 10 18970 as an Insider user will now receive the ‘trusted desktop experience without interruption’, according to Microsoft. Currently, when you put a convertible into tablet mode or unplug a keyboard, Windows 10 automatically switches to a full-screen view of the tiled Start screen. The desktop view is also available in tablet mode, but it is optimized for touchscreen use.
The tablet mode is still present with build version 18970 of the Windows 10 Insider Preview, but with convertible laptops the desktop view remains present, even if the 2-in-1 is used as a tablet. Users who still want to see the tile menu full screen, must indicate this manually with the start button or the Windows key.
Microsoft has adapted the desktop display in tablet mode by, among other things, increasing the space between items on the taskbar for touch control. Furthermore, the search input field on the taskbar has been replaced by a search icon, the virtual keyboard appears automatically when tapping text input fields and the layout of the explorer has been optimized for touch control.
Another change in build 18970 is that when resetting their PC through System Restore, users can download Windows files for reinstallation. That ‘cloud’ option is in addition to the existing ability to reinstall Windows using local files. Microsoft emphasizes that the download option installs the same build, version and edition of Windows 10 if the user is already running.
Microsoft lists the other changes in a blog post. It concerns a test version of Windows 10 that should appear in the first half of 2020.