**UPDATED** August 2022
In June of 2018, we announced the addition of Alpha Skip-Ahead to our existing Xbox Update Preview rings. The goal was to allow gamers to provide feedback for Xbox builds or features long before we expect to release them to the general public. Thanks to our most enthusiastic members that goal is becoming a reality.
Because we’ve seen confusion regarding the difference between rings, we hope this post will help you understand the purpose of each one.
Xbox Update Preview Rings
As of August 2022, the current Xbox Update Preview rings are:
- Alpha Skip-Ahead – An “invite only” ring that receives preview builds of a future Xbox OS release.
- “Future” release means these builds may not be released to GA for some time. As such, they may contain different features than other rings.
- When available, Alpha Skip-Ahead typically receives new preview builds on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Alpha – An “invite-only” ring that receives preview builds of the next upcoming Xbox OS release.
- This means this is a preview version of the build that will be delivered to the general audience (GA) next.
- Alpha receives a preview release of the next upcoming build before any other ring.
- When available, Alpha typically receives new preview builds on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
- Beta – An open ring to Xbox Insiders with 3 or more months tenure, with a level 5 or higher in the program.
- Beta receives the next public release of an Xbox OS starting at some point later than Alpha.
- Once Beta receives a build, the build is typically released that same week Alpha receives them.
- When available, Beta typically receives new preview builds on Tuesday and Thursday.
- Delta – An open ring to Xbox Insiders with 1 or more months tenure, with a level 2 or higher in the program.
- When available, Delta typically receives new preview builds on Tuesday and Thursday.
- Omega – Open to anyone and receives system updates closest to the GA (General Availability) release. Newly enrolled users in this ring are not guaranteed to receive all early updates, but they’ll receive the update prior to the GA release. Additionally, a small subset of users may remain on their current GA build once they enroll until the next system update becomes mandatory for the public.
- When available, Omega typically receives new preview builds on Tuesday and Thursday.
Common Question from Xbox Insiders
“I’m in Skip-Ahead, but we haven’t gotten the same features as Alpha. Sometimes we get them after Alpha. What gives?”
Whenever Team Xbox releases a new build (or feature), the confidence in a ring’s stability helps us determine which ring might receive it. This stability is both dependent on the build itself and the service that powers it. Each ring is critical in ensuring Xbox OS builds are in excellent condition when they’re released to GA. Alpha Skip-Ahead builds may include fundamental changes to the OS. This ring may also include or lack features the other “next” rings (Alpha, Beta, Delta and Omega) have.
Alpha Skip-Ahead is part of a different development branch from the other preview rings. The fundamental, core changes that are implemented into Alpha Skip-Ahead builds are done so to validate their stability and functionality. Not all the ways in which Alpha Skip-Ahead differs from the other rings will be obvious with every OS build. Changes that are integrated into other rings, that are visibly reflected in the UI (user interface), may not appear in Alpha Skip-Ahead right away, but our development teams work to get them out as quickly as possible. This ring serves as a building block for changes for Xbox that have a larger impact on the functionality and stability of the system, overall.
Because of how much sooner Alpha Skip-Ahead receives system updates, this time allows for longer stress-testing of these features to see how they perform with a smaller audience we know we can trust to provide us critical feedback. Your feedback helps us ensure the feature or build performs and scales, as expected, before releasing to the next ring.
We hope this gives you some insight into how the rings work.
How can I join the Xbox Update Preview?
If you’d like to enroll your console in the Xbox Update Preview, follow these steps:
- Launch the Xbox Insider Hub on your Xbox console
- Select Previews > Xbox Update Preview
- Select Join
- Choose the preview ring you’d like to enroll your device in
- Once the registration completes, your console may need to update.
What preview ring am I in?
If you’re not sure which preview ring your console is enrolled into, follow these steps:
- Launch the Xbox Insider Hub on your Xbox console
- Select Previews > Xbox Update Preview
- Select Manage
- Your current preview ring will be displayed there
How can I leave the Xbox Update Preview?
If you’d like to unenroll your console in the Xbox Update Preview, follow these steps:
- Launch the Xbox Insider Hub on your Xbox console
- Select Previews > Xbox Update Preview
- Select Manage > Leave Preview
- Once the unenrollment completes, your console may factory reset.
Thank You for Being an Xbox Insider
You have chosen to go above and beyond to help provide us with invaluable feedback and suggestions. We thank you all for your participation in making Xbox the experience it has been and will become!
Helpful Xbox Support Links
For more information: follow us on Twitter at @XboxInsider and this blog for release notes, announcements and more. And feel free to interact with the community on the Xbox Insider SubReddit.