Xbox Insider Program members previously had a difficult time applying to join the Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead channels. In an official blog post today, Microsoft announced that it will invite more Xbox Insider members to join the two channels in the next 1 week, and promised to open the invitation channel regularly in the next 1 year to absorb more members to join.
Typically, Microsoft invites only “limited invitations” to join the Alpha / Skip-Ahead channel from among beta testers in other channels.
Microsoft did not specify the reason for the current expansion of Alpha and Alpha Skip-Ahead channels in the blog post, but NeoWin speculates that Microsoft wants to invite more people to test the upcoming features and that the Xbox update will usher in a major breakthrough.
For those who are interested, you can check out the test invitations in the Xbox Insider Hub app. After launching, select “Update Preview”, select “Alpha” or “Alpha Skip-Ahead” under the “Manage” item, and then click “Finish”. “Then click “Finish” to get the desired console update.
The Xbox Insider project as follows:
There are 5 Xbox Update Preview Circles that you can use to control when and how often you can get a sneak peek at console updates. You will gain access to the preview circles based on your activity as an Xbox Insider member. If you have been invited to join multiple preview circles, you can switch between them in the Xbox Insider Hub.
The current Xbox Update Preview Circles include:
- Alpha Skip-Ahead – Open on an “invite only” basis to receive updates belonging to different future branches. This preview circle receives updates well before the official release (GA) and includes features that may not be available in other preview circles.
- Alpha – Open on an “invitation only” basis to receive updates at the earliest point of the preview period.
- Beta – Open to Xbox Insider members with a planned service period of 3 months or more and an Xbox Insider experience level of 5 or higher. This preview loop receives updates shortly after Alpha.
- Delta – Open to any Xbox Insider member with 1 month or more of planned service and who has reached Xbox Insider Level 2 or higher.
- Omega – Open to anyone who receives system updates shortly before GA (public release). Newly registered users in this circle are not guaranteed to receive all early updates, but they will receive them prior to the official release. In addition, a small percentage of users who register may continue to use their current GA version until the next system update becomes mandatory for the public.
