Microsoft releases new Windows 10 preview for PCs without Messaging Everywhere feature

Microsoft today announced the release of a new Windows 10 build for PCs and mobile for people participating in the fast ring of the Windows Insider Program.

Build 14376 follows build 14372 from last week.

The new build has no known issues and a lot of bug fixes. For instance, the networks and VPN connections options in the network flyout on the taskbar will now take you to the right sections within Settings, Dona Sarkar, a software engineer in Microsoft’s Windows and Devices Group, wrote in a blog post. And the “set time one automatically” feature in Settings should work now, too. And Explorer.exe won’t crash now when you receive a notification from Edge. (See the blog post for a rundown of all the fixes.)

But the build doesn’t have any net-new features. In fact, probably the most notable thing about this build is that a feature of Windows 10 called Messaging Everywhere has been removed.

Sarkar explains the logic behind the move:

The experience was well-received by Insiders however we believe we can deliver an even better experience through the Skype app. Because of this, we decided not to release this feature as part of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update this summer. Starting with Build 14376 and going forward, Insiders will no longer have the ability to reply to text messages from their phone via the Messaging app on their PCs. The ability to reply to text messages on your PC using Cortana is unaffected. Going forward, we will be working with the Skype Team on delivering a great “messaging everywhere” experience on your Windows 10 devices through the Skype app.

Microsoft will provide more information about the new way that cross-device messaging will work “in the months ahead,” Sarkar wrote.

If you want to try the new previews but you’re not a Windows Insider, you can sign up here.