Windows 11 24H2 update may not turn up until late in the year – and given how many plates Microsoft is spinning, that wouldn’t surprise us
Previously rumored September 2024 release is suddenly looking a bit shakier
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Windows 11’s much-awaited 24H2 updatemight arrive a bit later than was previously rumored, or at least that’s the most recent chatter and speculation online.
Windows Latestpicked up on aMicrosoftupdate regarding the potential release timeframe for 24H2 (as part of theintroduction of smaller updates for Windows 11that we just reported on).
Microsoft tells usthat: “Windows 11, version 24H2 will be available as a traditional feature update to all devices later this year.”
Of course, that doesn’t mention any specific timeframe, but as Windows Latest andothershave theorized, the wording that Microsoft employs here, “later this year,” is a hint (admittedly a vague one) that it’ll be Q4 rather than Q3.
Okay, so technically, later this year could mean next month, but if we were looking at an August 2024 release, it’d be a strange choice of phrasing, let’s face it.
The current rumor for thedebut of Windows 11 24H2 is September 2024, but perhaps given this small clue dropped by Microsoft, we might be waiting a little longer. There are other reasons to believe this may be the case, so let’s dive into those next.
Analysis: A case of spinning too many plates?
The reality is that Microsoft is doing a very different kind of update this year, with the annual upgrade for Windows 11 already having been made available – onCopilot+ PCs, anyway. That said, this isn’t the full truth of the matter, as what’s installed on those AI-focusedlaptopsis a barebones version of Windows 11 24H2 – which is required becauseCopilot+ devices need to have the underpinning platform brought in with 24H2(called Germanium).
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That installation of 24H2 on Copilot+ PCs does not have all the features that’ll be introduced with the full 24H2 update when it arrives later this year. Everyone on Windows 11, Copilot+ and normal PCs alike, will get that update, with all the features on-board, simultaneously rolled out as normal.
The thing is, though, that Microsoft has had a lot more on its plate with the annual update process in 2024, due to having to do all the groundwork for Copilot+ PCs (and the work behind the scenes on Germanium). Heap on top of that a bunch of effort needed to realize new AI features, and some big ones too, including Recall, the controversial addition that was pulled. Indeed,Recall is a flagship AI feature, and one Microsoft is currently having to completely revamp (it’s even been yanked from test buildsfor now). Again, that’s more work.
So, this is why we aren’t particularly optimistic about a September 2024 release date, as previously rumored, any longer. Simply put, Microsoft is spinning so many plates with preparing 24H2, and other AI features, plus dealing with an almighty headache around Recall, that it’s all too easy to believe a Q4 release is at least somewhat likely for 24H2. After all, it could land as late as November (which has happened in the past with an H2 update for Windows), and Microsoft might just need more breathing room this time around.
This is, of course, pure speculation, and 24H2 could make the cut for Q3 – or September, rather (we’d be seriously shocked at an August release, frankly). As ever, we’ll wait and see, but following the progress of 24H2 in testing should give us more clues as 2024 rolls onwards.
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Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - ‘I Know What You Did Last Supper’ - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).
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