Microsoft managed to make itself more interesting and relevant when it released Windows 10 around four years ago. It's not perfect - in fact, it had a few privacy issues here and there, not to mention the broken update system. But Windows 10 has definitely helped a lot of users and made desktop much easier in an age where we're all used to mobile phones and its operating systems. And it seems Microsoft is bent on improving its functions.
Last week, the company threw in something fresh with a leaked build aimed at Insiders that seems to be hinting at a Windows 10 Cloud Download feature. After this build, Microsoft clarified in an officially issued build's release notes that while "Insiders may notice some references to 'Cloud download' relating to PC reset or refresh," it isn't actually available yet. "We'll let you know once it is, so you can try it out!," the company added.
Not a lot of people know, but Insiders aren't actually the most patient bunch in the planet. As expected, they have tinkered with this feature to know what it does. Apparently, this feature refers to a reset/refresh function on your Windows 10 device. The new window asks users if they want to reinstall Windows via local reset or through Cloud Download.
On Twitter, users @H0x0d and @thebookisclosed shared that the feature actually downloads Windows 10 Build 14393 from the Redstone 1 branch (back in 2016), hinting that Microsoft may have worked on this feature before. Another user noted that it uses the "same image source as Media Creation Tool, no cool WU/UUP tie-in."
Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc didn't let the observations pass and wrote in response that the new cloud recovery feature isn't actually working yet. He then posted a link to a cloud recovery option for Surface devices to show what the Insiders may actually be seeing.
LeBlanc obviously knows what he's talking about, but it didn't go unnoticed that the link he sent isn't the same one that's used in Surface devices, which only features a "Restart now" option below the "Recover from the cloud" option.
We're not entirely sure what the Cloud Download is all about as Microsoft hasn't said a word about it. Is it a new feature, or is it something that the company has been working on for a while now?
Microsoft will release a new build from the Windows 10 20H1 branch next week, so hopefully they'll clear things up for us.
