Microsoft is said to have confirmed to its partners that it will finally release its much-delayed Windows 10 Mobile update this month.
If you"ve been waiting for your Windows Phone 8.1 handset to receive the upgrade, you"ll probably already be aware of how the saga has played out over the last few months - but if not, here"s a quick recap:
- October, 2015: Microsoft says that it will begin upgrading handsets in December.
- December, 2015: Without warning or explanation, the company says that the upgrade "will begin rolling out early next year" instead.
- Early January, 2016: Several European carriers say that the rollout will begin imminently.
- Late January, 2016: One of the aforementioned carriers changes its story, and says upgrades will begin in February instead. Curiously, some of the tweets referring to a January release are deleted. VentureBeat later reports that it has seen a Microsoft email to its partners confirming the delay to February.
- Mid-February, 2016: Microsoft Mexico says that the update will be released on February 29.
- February 29, 2016: Windows 10 Mobile fails to appear once again.
...and that brings us to the present day, as Evan Blass (better known as @evleaks) reports on VentureBeat that he has seen another Microsoft email to its platform partners, in which the company now states that it is planning to release Windows 10 Mobile for older devices later this month.
A few days ago, another European carrier said that it would start upgrading some of its handsets this week - but it"s not yet clear if that aligns with the information provided in Microsoft"s latest partner correspondence.
According to the email, the upgrades will begin after Microsoft has delivered its monthly firmware updates for its flagship Lumia 950 and 950 XL.
Today"s report further states that, initially, users will have to manually initiate the Windows 10 Mobile update once it"s released, in order to be able to install it on their devices. While no specific timeframe is provided, it"s said that Microsoft will later push upgrade notifications to other eligible devices awaiting the update.
This doesn"t necessarily mean that everyone who wants to be able to upgrade their devices to the new OS will be able to do so on the first day of its release. Microsoft confirmed last year that the upgrade from Windows Phone 8.1 to Windows 10 Mobile will still require carrier and manufacturer approval, and given how many of those partners dragged their feet when it came to previous updates, it seems likely that not all devices will be able to upgrade on day one.
Bear in mind too that - as outlined above - Microsoft"s rollout plans have evidently suffered from multiple delays already, so there"s always the risk that its latest schedule may be pushed back again.
Are you still looking forward to the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade for your handset? And if so, which features are you most excited about? Check out what some of our other readers have said, and have your say in our latest discussion!
Source: VentureBeat