Brace yourself: It's time for another Windows 10 update

Windows 10 users should brace themselves from Monday, 30 April as Microsoft starts nagging them to update their computers.

And update they should. NHS trusts were late to apply security updates last year leaving the service in turmoil as malware ravaged computer systems.

However, this roll out - initially named the "Spring Creators Update" - is more feature-focused than security driven and will bring a range of new options to users' devices.

In a great break from tradition, the update itself should only take 30 minutes according to Microsoft, putting previous marathon operating system installs to shame.

Here's a look at some of the new features:

:: Cross-device synchronisation

It is set to introduce new features including "timeline" which will allow users to reopen previous apps they had been using across different devices.

"Because much of our activity is on the go, you can even pick up what you were doing if signed into your Microsoft account while using Microsoft Edge or Office 365 on your iOS or Android device when you return to your Windows 10 PC," the company stated.

:: Dictation

Users that press the Windows key and H will now be able to dictate to their device instead of typing, although this is only currently available in US English.

With voice-controlled smart assistant devices such as Amazon's Alexa growing increasingly popular, Microsoft says: "We see potential for voice input to dramatically change how people interact with their devices, far beyond novelty experiences or entertainment."

Amazon and Microsoft had planned to enable their voice assistants to talk to each other in a move designed to bridge Amazon's dominance in the home with Microsoft's popularity in the office, although it is understood this project has faced delays.

:: Do Not Disturb (really)

A feature called "Focus Assist" will allow users to silence notifications when they want to concentrate on a task at their computer, similar to how its Do Not Disturb mode worked previously.

Users can turn on Focus Assist whenever they want some peace from social media or other notifications.

"When you finish, you receive a summary of what came through, whether notifications, emails or updates, while you were heads down," the company said.

Users can also white-list particular people who can break through the Focus Assist if they are waiting for a specific call or email.

Others who have Cortana enabled will be able to control their smart home devices from their PC as well.