CONFIRMED - Huawei Ascend W1 will work with Windows Phone 8.1

[Ryan ODonnell]

UPDATE: This method does work, but the official update is now available via Preview for Developers. Just enroll in the program and check for updates!

The following forum entry is for Huawei Ascend W1-U00 handsets only!!

Hello all you consumers and developers,
I took a risk and installed the Russian ROM people were talking about (available here https://onedrive.live.com/pagenotfounderror) at the Microsoft Community here (Windows Phone 8.1 Ascend W1 ->80188309 - Microsoft Community and check the post by FedorMaslak - translation required Russian - English)

The instructions on how to flash a ROM to the Huawei Ascend W1 are found here http://forums.windowscentral.com/hu...ose-who-get-their-w1-market-locked-china.html

Here is how you do it:
Step one - Flash the ROM using the tools in the forum entry above.
Step two - Download General Distribution Release 2 (GDR2) OTA via phone update
Step three - Download Preview for Developers
Step four - Activate the Preview for Developers and install GDR3.
Step five - Once installed, you will see Update 1/2 installing on your device, this is for preparation for WP8.1
Step six - Check for updates and Windows Phone 8.1 will install!

I have enclosed two screenshots of my home screen, Cortana and my "about your phone" screen, obviously with the various bits removed. I am on O2 UK in the United Kingdom using firmware number 1030.56.01000.05310.

I will happily make a video for YouTube if people wish to see it run on the W1.

 

[davidggg]

does everything work fine? all languages available?

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

does everything work fine? all languages available?

English (United States), Russian and German are available!

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

does everything work fine? all languages available?

And yes, everything works superbly!

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

Here's a video for proof - Windows Phone 8.1 on Huawei Ascend W1 - YouTube

 

[davidggg]

sound? headphones? everything fine? i heard there were problems with this

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

sound? headphones? everything fine? i heard there were problems with this

Everything is fine with my handset and WP8.1! No issues what so ever!

 

[davidggg]

nice. keep us informed about bugs if you find any.

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

nice. keep us informed about bugs if you find any.

Sure will! There is very few lags, but they all clear up very quickly, other than that, it is very snappy!

 

[Oscar Alfonzo]

What about the huawei U34?

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

What about the huawei U34?

I'm not sure anyone has actually tried that, but you could give it a go at your own risk!!

 

[Antonio Russo93]

How much internal free space do you have after you get 8.1 ?

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

How much internal free space do you have after you get 8.1 ?

On W1-U00, I got around 1.4GB free after 8.1 installation

 

[omgitsnick]

There's actually a bug with the camera when you take a photo and swipe to the right and delete the photo, the camera would just go black. You have to swipe either to the left or right to go back to the viewfinder.

 

[OLdy123]

Can you provide me a link of the official european rom gdr2 for w1-u00 that has support for all the languages? Thanks

 

[darthcircuit]

I'm trying to update my phone, but after update to GDR2 then install the Dev Preview App and then update to GDR3, my phone says it is no updates are available for my phone. Anyone else encounter this? Any ideas?

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

I'm trying to update my phone, but after update to GDR2 then install the Dev Preview App and then update to GDR3, my phone says it is no updates are available for my phone. Anyone else encounter this? Any ideas?

What handset do you have? Did you flash the ROM on the first post? Eli A (MSFT) says that he has suspended the WP8.1 download for Huawei devices.

EDIT - This is the quote from Eli A on the MIcrosoft Community:
"Hello Folks,
Just a quick heads up as to where we are at on this specific issue. Until we roll out the next release, we have decided to stop the update notification to the Huawei Ascend devices so that you don't get your hopes up only to have it error again. As soon as we have this fixed, you will see an update and that should help brighten your day.
Other then that, I don't have anything else to share for the time being. As soon as I have more, I will bring it back here for everyone to hear.
Thank you,
Eli A"

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

There's actually a bug with the camera when you take a photo and swipe to the right and delete the photo, the camera would just go black. You have to swipe either to the left or right to go back to the viewfinder.

I don't get that issue on mine! Everything on mine works just like a charm!
I have noticed that sometimes the Music app won't open though, but it does open most of the time, and when it doesn't, I just use Cortana to play my music!

 

[davidggg]

can i use different keyboard or regional settings than english, russian and chinese?

 

[Ryan ODonnell]

can i use different keyboard or regional settings than english, russian and chinese?

Yeah! When the installation for the ROM is complete, at first, select English (United States) and then complete setup. Then go to Settings and then you can change it to whatever you like!
By the way, it is worth noting, if you are trying the ROM, it is normal for the phone to restart automatically 2-3 times before setup fully loads!