Articles about Windows 10 Mobile

NetMarketShare’s desktop operating system usage figures are due out in a couple of days, and what happens in terms of Windows 10 growth will be interesting as it will be the first time the new OS isn’t available for free.

Before those figures arrive however, Microsoft has released some of its own, and according to the software giant Windows 10 now has 50 percent of the market in the US, and 51 percent in the UK. And, as if that wasn’t surprising enough, those numbers are from June, so the current percentage will likely be much, much higher.

Continue reading →

Windows continues to lose ground to Android and iOS in the smartphone market, according to a new report from Gartner. Driven by the poor performance of the Lumia line, its share dropped to just 0.6 percent in Q2 2016, down from 2.5 percent a year ago.

Microsoft is the largest platform vendor, selling over 90 percent of the smartphones that run Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile, so its performance has a direct impact on Windows' share in this market. And, since in Q2 2016 it only sold 1.2 million Lumia devices, it dealt the platform yet another blow.

Continue reading →

Microsoft finally began rolling out the Anniversary Update for Windows 10 Mobile yesterday, but today there’s already a new Redstone 2 build for those users on the Fast ring. Build 14905 is also available for PC users.

The new build doesn’t fix the freezing issues that some users have reported following installation of the Anniversary Update (although there are workarounds you can try if affected) but it does include several improvements and fixes for PC and Mobile.

Continue reading →

It’s clear by the delay in pushing out finished versions that Windows 10 Mobile is far from a priority for Microsoft. That’s understandable, given the tiny number of compatible handsets out there, but even so, it’s a frustrating situation for fans of Microsoft’s mobile platform.

If you’ve been waiting, and waiting, for the Anniversary Update to arrive on your Windows Phone, the good news is Microsoft is finally rolling it out, two weeks after the big OS update hit PCs, and a week after it was expected.

Continue reading →

With the release of Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft's support for Windows Phone is gradually starting to die off. We already knew that Windows Phone support for Skype was coming to an end, but now we know more.

Microsoft has now announced that as well as ending support for Skype on Windows Phone in October, come 'early 2017' the apps will simply stop working. And it's all thanks to a move to the cloud.

Continue reading →

Let's be honest, folks -- Windows 10 Mobile is not a popular phone operating system. Compared to Android and iOS, Microsoft's OS is largely insignificant. In fact, many people -- including my colleague Mihăiță Bamburic -- consider it a dead platform without a future.

Today, however, Windows 10 Mobile gets a significant app, showing that maybe it isn't dead after all -- Starbucks. While you may not view it as a big deal, many people depend on the coffee chain's app to pay for drinks and find locations. The fact that Starbucks put resources towards the app should make Microsoft fans very happy.

Continue reading →

The same day that Windows 10 Anniversary Update started to roll out to computers around the world, the launch date for the Windows 10 Mobile version has been revealed.

The Lumia India team -- so an official Microsoft source -- said on Twitter that Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update will be available from August 9. This is just one week after the desktop launch, and it will give those with compatible handsets to take advantage of a raft of new features.

Continue reading →

If you still think that Windows 10 Mobile has a future then you must not have yet seen just how many Lumia smartphones were sold last quarter. We have known for quite some time that the operating system has no place in today's landscape, and now Microsoft is officially confirming it.

Microsoft has not provided a sales figure for the Lumia line when it announced its earnings results earlier this month, like it has done previously, but the software giant has revealed how many units it moved during the whole fiscal year 2016, giving us just what we need to complete the puzzle.

Continue reading →

Microsoft continues to polish Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14393 in preparation for its big release as the Anniversary Update on 2 August.

The latest cumulative update (KB3176927) is available for both PC and Mobile, and bumps the Fast ring build up to 14393.5. As you would expect, this patch fixes a fair few problems, including some notable ones.

Continue reading →

It’s generally considered that the newly released Windows 10 Build 14393 is the Anniversary Update as Microsoft not only hasn’t rolled out any new builds since that one arrived on Monday (and they were coming thick and fast previously), but it’s just released a patch for that build.

The cumulative update for PC and Mobile mops up some more problems, and bumps the OS preview up to 14393.3.

Continue reading →

Windows 10 Insider builds really are coming thick and fast now. Build 14390 came out just three days ago, and now we have Build 14393 following it on to the Fast ring.

This pattern will continue for a while yet as Microsoft squashes as many bugs as possible as it enters the home stretch for the big Anniversary Update out on August 2.

Continue reading →

Microsoft famously declared that Windows 10 would be running on 1 billion devices in two to three years’ time -- meaning by late summer 2018.

It was a bold claim, but given the OS was free, and available for PCs, tablets, and smartphones, eminently possible. But despite Microsoft’s efforts -- pulling every dirty trick in the book, and then some, to con users into upgrading -- it seems as if the new OS is going to take a while longer to hit that milestone, and blame is being laid squarely at Windows 10 Mobile’s dreadful performance.

Continue reading →

The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is due on August 2, and Microsoft is hard at work getting it ready for release.

The software giant has pushed out two new builds to Fast ring insiders in quick succession already, and today we get yet another one -- the third in a week. Microsoft may be sprinting to the finish line now, but there is still work to be done.

Continue reading →

The Windows 10 Anniversary Update edges ever-nearer to release, and the new Insider builds are coming thick and fast. We even had a surprise weekend build last week.

Even though new Insider chief Dona Sarkar is away at the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), she still found time to announce a new build, and as you might expect so close to the official release this one mostly focuses on fixing problems and improving reliability.

Continue reading →

Windows 10 is currently available as a free upgrade if you are coming from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, but this offer will not last for long. Just like everyone else, you will have to pay to get Microsoft's latest operating system after July 29. Question is, how does the free upgrade deadline impact Windows 10 Mobile?

While Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile did not launch at the same time, Microsoft positions the two operating systems as sister products. They have a shared core, many features in common, similar UI components, and even the build numbers are now the same as you probably know if you follow Windows Insider builds. So, understandably, there is some confusion over whether would-be Windows 10 Mobile users will have to pay for an upgrade after the Windows 10 deadline passes.

Continue reading →