Worth Updating to 8.1?

[Nawt0k]

I have been debating updating my Icon for awhile, but have held off due to horror stories of glitchy data/wifi/screens/etc. Would anyone think its worth updating to 8.1?

I am really looking forward to the changes, most notably Cortana, and am not confident that Verizon will release the update to customers in any sort of timely fashion. My HTC trophy enjoyed HORRIBLE updates thanks to big red. In the end I would like to update, but wanted feedback from those who have on whether its worth it or if the OS is too glitchy on the Icon without proper firmware.

 

[Blkacesvf41]

At this point I'd just wait for the official release. Verizon wasn't horrible or anything like that last time an update was released.


Sent from my Nexus 7 using WPCentral Forums mobile app

 

[chrisdaboss]

The only downside for me is the battery life. Pisses me off. 8.1 is killing it. Wifi is pretty sketchy too. I do like the notification center. That's mainly why I did it. You might as well wait for the firmware update.

 

[berty6294]

I haven't had battery issues, and the WiFi issues seem to be better now that I'm on 8.1. I love the update, but it shouldn't be much longer for the official to be released.

 

[Nawt0k]

Thanks for the feedback. Given that the TRUE release is getting closer, it actually pushes me closer to updating since (should there be any issues) I wouldn't have to live with them for too long. Notification center and cortana are really appealing.

Its just good to no there wasn't any overwhelming "O GOD NO" game breaking type posts telling me it'd be a terrible idea to upgrade.

 

[Joe Dubya]

Which phone? I have L920 and 8.1 DRAMATICALLY improved battery life. Caveat - it was TERRIBLE at first, and then I realized an issue with Yahoo mail - uninstalled and reinstalled and now battery life is better than new (18 month old phone). If anyone is having a battery issue it might make sense to have a look at your email account - that is where my problem was.

 

[anon(7901790)]

I've run into the occasional problem when I try to wake my phone and it is stuck on waiting and there is a huge battery drain and overheating. I believe I tracked it to an app (or a combination of apps) that are not yet optimized for WP8.1.

Otherwise, I've had no problems and I think it is worth updating to.

 

[Nawt0k]

I upgraded last night. Overall, it seems to work well. There are a few things I cam across in my impressions:

1.) Questions directed at Cortana will end up resulting in internet searches instead of picking up an interaction. Most likely will improve.
2.) If you add "cortana" at the start of what you want her to look up, halo/xbox/cortana reference appear in the web searches.
3.) Now the "people" feed makes you install a facebook app if you want to look at any pictures or open up comments. Used to happen natively without the need for that app. I have no interest in installing the FB app and thus people feed is half broken.
4.) Email notifications at the top of the screen are superflous since the new email icons are right on your lock/unlock screen. So now everything is redundant as my lock screen shows it, an email icon is at the top, AND my inbox has numbers on it.
5.) I seem to get 1-2 less bars on my cell signal now. So areas where I would have full+LTE, now am 1 or 2 bars down. Not a killer or noticing drops, just a something I picked up on.

Overall the experience is nice, if not mostly the same for me, and I am enjoying Cortana.

 

[Kasey Pierce]

I upgraded last night. Overall, it seems to work well. There are a few things I cam across in my impressions:

1.) Questions directed at Cortana will end up resulting in internet searches instead of picking up an interaction. Most likely will improve.
2.) If you add "cortana" at the start of what you want her to look up, halo/xbox/cortana reference appear in the web searches.
3.) Now the "people" feed makes you install a facebook app if you want to look at any pictures or open up comments. Used to happen natively without the need for that app. I have no interest in installing the FB app and thus people feed is half broken.
4.) Email notifications at the top of the screen are superflous since the new email icons are right on your lock/unlock screen. So now everything is redundant as my lock screen shows it, an email icon is at the top, AND my inbox has numbers on it.
5.) I seem to get 1-2 less bars on my cell signal now. So areas where I would have full+LTE, now am 1 or 2 bars down. Not a killer or noticing drops, just a something I picked up on.

Overall the experience is nice, if not mostly the same for me, and I am enjoying Cortana.

Wow...thats really nice to know. Thanks for the observations, let us know if you see anything else!

 

[MikeLip]

8.1 is a big improvement over 8.0. That's nto saying there isn't some baggage with it. It works very well indeed on an HTC 8x and Nokia 928. It *also* works pretty well on the Icon, with the exception of some delayed wakeup issues. In other words, when you try to light up the phone from sleep to use it, there is often a delay. On my Icon the delay varies from none to about 3 seconds. It's not awful but it *is* annoying. Lots of people say turn off wifi, turn on wifi and a lot of other stuff but I think they are fooling themselves since it varies so much. I think it's a firmware or driver issue with this particular phone since it never appears on my other two, and they are all set up the same way.

It's particularly impressive on the 8x since it works *better* on it than 8. The icon is a freakin Lamborghini compared to the 8x, but they both seem to perform as well as each other now.

The delay seems to be slightly better with the latest update but again that is subject to my human estimates and I could be wrong. In any case it doesn't prevent me from using the phone and the pros outweigh the cons for me. I am waiting for the official release to 8.1, hoping that fixes the problem since I expect updated drivers and other firmware to accompany it.

Cortana is a lot of fun, it's easier to get to frequently used settings, notifications are better, and in general you get a better OS all around with 8.1, barring the delay. I'd say give it a go.

 

[adam220891]

Just an FYI, if Cortana does not do much but web searches, you need to do a hard reset. It will not get better without it.