Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 preview due week of August 4

On July 30, Microsoft officials took the wraps off the first update to the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system.

A developer preview of Windows Phone 8.1 Update -- as Microsoft execs curiously have christened what is expected to be the first of several updates to its phone OS -- will be available some time during the week of August 4. The odd naming convention isn't a first; the Microsoft Operating Systems Group also decided to call the first update to Windows 8.1 "Windows 8.1 Update," despite the fact there will be a second update to that operating system, most likely on August 12.

(In the spirit of attempting to reduce confusion, I'm just going to call this Windows Phone 8.1 release "Update 1.")

Read more at: Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 preview due week of August 4 | ZDNet

See also: Windows Phone 8.1 Update brings Cortana to new markets + new features

 

[stupops]

Hi. I did a full reset as I has to chnge my Microsoft account alias. No update to 8.1 when I restarted. Boo.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

Hi. I did a full reset as I has to chnge my Microsoft account alias. No update to 8.1 when I restarted. Boo.

Thanks for that, stupops. :thumb:

And it's a qualifying phone?

 

[Tepid]

So, GDR1, not a huge update in terms of a ton of stuff
But what is there, is HUGE.


-Live Folders are fantastic. Love them.
-Adjustable Snooze time set per alarm (not Global)
-Select individual messages from a single thread to delete or forward
-Apps Corner could come in very handy in some situations...
-xBox Music is actually improved a bit, but then, I never really had any issues with
how it worked to begin with. Does seem smoother though with getting in and scrolling around.

-LIVE FOLDERS :thumb:

-IE i am still on the fence about.
They kinda seem to have cheated it a bit, but I don't thing there is any other way.
Need to force people to stop using Chrome, it's trashing the net.
I have seen it reported that some people are getting pop-ups now to install Andriod garbage.
Luckily, the way WP is designed, it can't trash the Phone or the OS. Still, it sucks to see this.

-Store Live Tile, don't really care.

-This here I need to research, interesting though.

Enhanced privacy and security:

We’ve made some improvements in the Windows Phone 8.1 Update to keep your data and identity more protected on public networks. For example, we have added the ability for you to send and receive data through a virtual private network (VPN) when connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots giving you another layer of protection. If you’re on your home wireless, creating a VPN provides anonymity to help shield your device from being identified by other devices on the network.

-Since I do not have an Interactive Case I can't try one.
Here are some ideas of what that is. Not sure which ones would work, or if they all would.
LG G3 QuickCircle Case unveiled ahead of May 27 event | PhoneDog
Amazon.com: Interactive case

 

[HippsieGypsie]

Thanks for that info, Tepid! Yes, it looks as though what is there, is HUGE.

Wow! MS is moving quite quickly on WP development. Quite honestly this is the first I've heard of GDR1. As you may know, recently I upgraded my Lumia 1520 from 8.1 DP to official 8.1 release. Just noticed the other day that I have the "Preview for Developers" app that I didn't notice was automatically installed during the upgrade. Is this the sequence of updating you performed?

I'll have to find the time to open the app and install GDR1. It's getting difficult for this old dude to keep up with all this new tech! It seems to come exponentially quicker as time goes on!

 

[paulsalter]

Just to add for those of us outside the US, a big new feature

China and UK now have Cortana Beta, same as US
Canada, India & Australia have the Alpha version of Cortana

Never tried tricking it before to give me access, but it is working very nicely in the UK now

 

[HippsieGypsie]

Very cool and thanks for the info, paulsalter. :thumb:

Could you explain how you did that?

 

[paulsalter]

For China and UK it is now there as default with this version, just leave region settings as own location and Beta version is there (exactly like the US)

Not 100% on Canada, India & Australia, but I think you leave the language/region setting as your location and change the speech settings, these need to be set for English UK

 

[HippsieGypsie]

Thanks. :thumb:

 

[paulsalter]

Thanks. :thumb:

You're Welcome

For me, Windows phone 8.1 and now Update 1 is making the phone very nice, little changes for some things but the experience is getting very good now

 

[Tepid]

Preview for Developers (aka DP) is not auto installed, unless they did,, but I doubt that,, it's an Opt in App
You have to install it. I would be surprised if DP was installed automatically.

You can only get WP8.1 through your carrier, or by installing DP.
So the only way you had WP8.1 before official was with DP installed and enabled.
If you reset your Phone back to 8 and did the OTA Update,, it's possible that DP was reinstalled from backup.

GDR1 (aka Windows Phone 8.1 Update aka Update 1) is also only available through DP for the majority of users.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

You're correct. I must have downloaded the app in the free Dev process: Get updates for your Windows Phone, but forgot about and never noticed it in my apps list. I see it may have been a waste of time and effort to upgrade to the official 8.1 release. I should have went through the app for GDR1. Lesson learned!

Anywho, I now have version 8.10.14147.180 which is GDR1.

 

[Tepid]

No, you did the right thing updating to the official release of 8.1
It was also the only way you could get the Cyan Update for the 1520.
If I had the option I would do the same, reinstall DP and continue getting these great additions direct from MS
I wish Cyan could be gotten by bypassing Verizon, I would have it already.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

How confusing this can be. There seems to be misinformation everywhere. According to this article, Cyan, when released, will install no matter what OS edition when available. How reliable is this?

Microsoft Confirms Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview Users Don’t Need to Downgrade to Get Lumia Cyan

Many users have not upgraded yet to Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 for fear of not being able to install Lumia Cyan when it becomes available for their smartphones.

The good news is Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore cleared up the situation of these updates and confirmed that regardless of what version of Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview you have installed on your phone, you would still receive the firmware update your handset is eligible for.

More here:

Microsoft Confirms Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview Users Don?t Need to Downgrade to Get Lumia Cyan - Softpedia News for Mobile

My latest firmware revision number (1028.3562.1407.1001) does not match the one listed here (Latest version: 02061.00074.14273.33019) for the 1520: Availability in North America - Nokia

Not even close! Is it because I now have the GDR1 upgrade?

I sympathize with you on Vz. They seem to be lagging.

 

[Tepid]

The downgrading to WP8 to get Cyan was due to a BitLocker issue on Corporate used devices.
This only affected a handful of people,, but to play it safe, MS blocked anyone on Dev Preview from getting it
I think the fix is part of GDR1, not sure though.

it is confusing.

Most likely the versions won't match because of GDR1, yes.