Microsoft will step up experimentation on new features for Windows 11, even if they never get released

With Windows 11, Microsoft will step up the Windows Insider program. Laying down its plan for 2022, the company has announced that it will be adopting a new strategy with the future releases to Insiders, which will focus on "trying out different concepts" with Microsoft's features and services.

Windows Insider program lead Amanda Langowski noted in a blog that the company is now planning to restructure the Dev Channel as a “place to incubate new ideas.” With the Dev Channel, Microsoft will now also work on long-lead items, as well as control the states of individual features.

The basic idea is to simply step up its experiments on features and services. For this, Microsoft will be rolling new features in stages, to monitor quality and feedback from Insiders. It will also then test variations of features, also known as “A/B testing.” Once these features are found to be ready, they might get released in a future Windows update.

Langowski, however, highlights that in some cases, these new ideas and concepts may never even be rolled out to the public. Though, by increased experimentation, "we can better refine experiences, and deliver solutions in Windows that truly empower our customers to achieve more,” Langowski wrote in the blog.

While the Dev Channel will be focused on these experiments, the Beta Channel will preview experiences that are closer to what the general Windows users will eventually get. Since the Dev and Beta Channels will work parallelly, there may be instances when features and experiences appear in the Beta Channel first.

Explaining how things will work going forward, Langowski also suggested developers with the Windows Insider program think about which Channel suits them the best. For those wanting to move from the Dev Channel to the Beta Channel, the company has assured that it will soon bring a window to Insiders that will allow this switch.

Surprisingly, a crucial note was hidden towards the end of the blog. Wrapping up the explanation on Insider Channels, Langowski unveiled a new icon for the Windows Insider Program. The icon now better represents the Insider community across all its 3 Channels: Dev, Beta and Release Preview.

The icon will soon appear to Dev Channel Insiders under Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program. The icon will also show up in emails and other areas within the Windows Insider program.