Microsoft is set to release Windows 10 October 2018 Update soon — next month, you should update because it will keep you and your PC more secure.
There are two types of Microsoft updates: feature updates and quality updates:
- Feature updates add new features and functionality and are generally released twice a year — once in the spring and once in the fall. Windows 10 October 2018 Update is a feature update.
- Quality updates provide security and reliability fixes and are released monthly — typically on what is known as Patch Tuesday, the second Tuesday of every month.
With each update, Microsoft patches known security vulnerabilities. If you don’t stay current, then you are leaving yourself open to nefarious individuals exploiting flaws in Windows to access your PC and your data.
Keeping current with Windows updates is one of the most effective ways in protecting yourself. And if you think installing Windows updates is a pain, it is certainly less painful than getting infected with malware or getting hacked.
A good argument can be made for delaying an update for a few days or weeks to make sure Microsoft is able to iron out all the kinks.
Windows 10 October 2018 Update will introduce some new features. They include:
- The Your Phone app for cross-Windows 10/Android communications.
- Updates for Windows Mixed Reality, including support for more AR-like experiences and the ability to use a headset without a monitor.
- Updates to Edge for managing autoplay audio and Windows Hello-based website logins.
- The rollout of the SwiftKey keyboard for touch, laying the groundwork for dual-screen tablets.
- Separation of font scaling settings from the rest of the interface’s scaling, a useful tool for high-resolution displays that can make text both incredible crisp and insanely tiny.
- A new and improved screenshot tool.
- Game Bar enhancements including improved audio recording and system performance monitoring.
- A notification telling you if an application is still using an external GPU when you try to detach it.