Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update will begin on August 2 (in case you were worried)

Microsoft revealed yesterday that there are now over 350 million devices running Windows 10 around the world - but only a tiny fraction of them are Windows 10 Mobile devices. The latest figures from AdDuplex indicate that just 11% of all active Windows phones are running the new OS, and its rate of growth already appears to be slowing.

But while Windows 10 Mobile users are few in number, their enthusiasm for the platform is certainly great, and many of them are eagerly anticipating the arrival of the next major update to the OS. Microsoft announced this week that the Anniversary Update will begin making its way to Windows 10 devices on August 2 - and the good news (in case you were worried) is that the rollout will also commence for phones on the same day.

@A_Deerslayer It will start to roll out 8/2. It will take some time since there are a *lot* of machines globally to update.
— Dona Sarkar (@donasarkar) June 29, 2016

Dona Sarkar, head of the Windows Insider Program, responded to an enquiry on Twitter about when the Anniversary Update would become available for phones. Given that Microsoft didn't start Windows 10 Mobile upgrades until March - nearly 8 months after the update was originally released for PCs - some phone users may well have been concerned about the possibility of another lengthy wait for the latest update to arrive.

In a statement to MSPoweruser, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the plans for a simultaneous release of the Anniversary Update for both PCs and phones:

Windows 10 on PC and mobile will be the first to receive the Anniversary Update. Other devices will get it over time, and we will have more to share on this in the future. The Anniversary Update will start on August 2nd and roll out over time. Given the scale of delivering updates to more than 350 million devices around the world, our rollout will be measured and deliberate to ensure we deliver a great customer experience.

Don't expect the Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update to be available for every device on August 2 though. Both Dona and the spokesperson made it clear that while the update will begin on that date, it will take time to reach all eligible devices - and it sounds like the rollout will be staggered for PCs too.

Source: @donasarkar via MSPoweruser