Microsoft is now going to be streamlining the number of upgrade paths for the Windows Insider program, allowing only Windows Insiders on builds like version 1703 and above to upgrade to the most recent builds like version 1803 and the recent RS5 builds.

Microsoft’s Jason Howard announced the change in a blog post earlier this month, stating that:

As part of our efforts to simplify the number of update paths we actively host within the Windows Insider Flight space, we will no longer allow older Windows 10 builds to directly update to newer preview builds. By removing these other update paths, this helps us keep a simple and clean flighting architecture with less chance of errors during the update process.

This won’t affect mainstream PC users, the majority of whom are already on the Creators Update and above and can simply update their PC with Microsoft’s Windows 10 Update Assistant tool, but it spells trouble for the few Windows 10 Mobile users who are on devices unsupported by the Creators Update.

For those users, while Microsoft will still offer support in terms of security updates, it’s one more clod of sand sprinkled over the grave that holds Windows phone.

Via AAWP.