Cortana in the UK again what's the official line on this

[Bobvfr]

So what is the official status with the Cortana update here in the UK, I have been waiting patiently for months now, I can understand it being released on brand new phones like the 735 and the 830 but yesterday my lad got a new 930 from EE and Cortana is installed.

I have a 1520 on Vodafone.

Is the update with the carriers, is there a list of what phones are being tested or is it all of them?

I know I could join the preview or pretend to be in the US but I want this without having to do either of them.

If it is with the carriers I can at least get the satisfaction of pestering Vodafone and getting the stock "It will be ready soon" answer but at least it will feel like it's closer.

Bob

 

[Wam1q]

It is shipped with WP8.1.1. with or without Denim. So if you have live folders, you can have UK Cortana, too. Since some 930's got WP8.1.1 without Denim earlier, you don't have it yet. Just wait for your telecom operator to release it (if it is a sim-locked phone).

 

[Bobvfr]

Fed up of waiting, will be doing a major pestering of Vodafone as of now, I think once a day should do to begin with :smile:




Bob

 

[envio]

Cortana for UK (in beta) is available to anyone who is enrolled in the Preview for Developer programme and is unlocked as part of the release of WP8.1.1 (or confusingly officially called "Windows Phone 8.1 Update"). It arrived at the backend of July. So if you really want it, there's nothing to stop you enjoying it right now. The timeline for updates through your carrier are pretty much a mystery and here's why.

There are still a lot of WP8.0 devices that have yet to receive their official WP8.1 update along with OEM firmware. Part of the problem was the wait for the launch wave of official native WP8.1 devices like the Lumia 930 back in August even though 8.1 had been essentially completed back in April. Even more confusingly, since WP8.1.1 has been completed for some time now, new devices like L630, L730, L735 and L830 have been launched in a September wave and they come with WP8.1.1 and updated firmware so the likelihood of seeing it pushed down to older devices gets ever more distant.

Obviously, this is not just a UK problem but worldwide. Microsoft is trying to answer the critics from its userbase and tech media that complain that updates, fixes and improvements to the OS are slow and not big and bold enough. So they've sped it up and introduced the PfD programme. But that has now created a new bottleneck that threatens to slow down the update process to zero as OEMs and carriers struggle to keep pace.

Your best bet is the Preview for Developers and that way, you can at least be at the front of the queue, contribute to its development through giving feedback and make the final end-products better. How the update process is fixed is anyone's guess.

 

[nicfromwales]

Fed up of waiting, will be doing a major pestering of Vodafone as of now, I think once a day should do to begin with :smile:




Bob

We know you're Bob, each message you type has your username and chosen avatar. Typing it underneath every message is unnecessary.

As for the wait for Cortana, I feel your pain. I use the Preview for Developers so have had her for ages, but I've also recommended Lumias to friends and family and they're still waiting. It's just impossible to say when, as it depends entirely on the carriers. Pestering them once a day is definitely a good start!

 

[fancyabrew]

+1 sick of waiting too. I have a 920 on Orange. And whilst I'm in the mood for a rant. WHY OH WHY OH WHY didn't Nokia design the 930 properly so it supported Glance?! I've been due an upgrade for my 920 for a few months now but I've got nothing I want to upgrade too. If the 930 had Glance I would have upgraded. Nokia\Microsoft must have lost quite a few "sales" from people not wanting to upgrade to a 930 because of the lack of Glance.

Rant off

 

[rockstarzzz]

+1 sick of waiting too. I have a 920 on Orange. And whilst I'm in the mood for a rant. WHY OH WHY OH WHY didn't Nokia design the 930 properly so it supported Glance?! I've been due an upgrade for my 920 for a few months now but I've got nothing I want to upgrade too. If the 930 had Glance I would have upgraded. Nokia\Microsoft must have lost quite a few "sales" from people not wanting to upgrade to a 930 because of the lack of Glance.

Rant off

Everything else on 930 is ace. I was skeptical like you but after getting one two days ago, trust me - lack of glance eats nothing from this delicious phone. It's so gorgeous and smooth with quad core, the OS has wings!

 

[stickyshocker]

I love my 930 and I don't miss glance but would like to see an interactive case for it though but saying they didn't design it properly is a little bit out there. They obviously wanted the best screen for this mighty phone and obviously felt that screen res and the amazing picture it gives was better than a screen someone just quickly glances at!!

 

[fancyabrew]

from what I read it isn't the quality of the screen that meant no glance it was cost cutting. No reason you can't have a good quality screen and Glance, still think they dropped a b0llox by not having glance on the 930

 

[fancyabrew]

not saying its not a nice phone my mate has one (moved from Android) and it is VERY nice. I would just miss Glance, so I'm giving the phone a miss too!

 

[Great deal]

Fed up of waiting, will be doing a major pestering of Vodafone as of now, I think once a day should do to begin with :smile:




Bob

Im on Vodafone in UK as well, my GF is with EE. I have actually given up. As soon as contract is up im getting an iPhone, I will sell it and get a Windows 10 device when they are out, as it stand today its a poor OS compared to Android, alas I detest Google so im not going back to them. It is beyond belief that tasks in the native calendar app are not pinnable - I (like a LOT of business users) use Outlook tasks to get things done, the WP implementation is half arsed and half baked, makes me cringe when I look at it compared to Lolipop or the hardware compared to Samsung S5 etc. I know WP is in transition, im just fed up of being a guinea pig without love nor support in the UK. People are talking about update 2, we don't even have update 1 :/

 

[stickyshocker]

Im on Vodafone in UK as well, my GF is with EE. I have actually given up. As soon as contract is up im getting an iPhone, I will sell it and get a Windows 10 device when they are out, as it stand today its a poor OS compared to Android, alas I detest Google so im not going back to them. It is beyond belief that tasks in the native calendar app are not pinnable - I (like a LOT of business users) use Outlook tasks to get things done, the WP implementation is half arsed and half baked, makes me cringe when I look at it compared to Lolipop or the hardware compared to Samsung S5 etc. I know WP is in transition, im just fed up of being a guinea pig without love nor support in the UK. People are talking about update 2, we don't even have update 1 :/

Cortana is already out in the UK, not on all devices but she's here and if your that bothered get dp is does nothing to your phone

 

[Great deal]

Cortana is already out in the UK, not on all devices but she's here and if your that bothered get dp is does nothing to your phone

Exactly!!! if Cortana is officially here on the new devices then whats the reason for the delay on all the others?

 

[stickyshocker]

Exactly!!! if Cortana is officially here on the new devices then whats the reason for the delay on all the others?

Lots of different reasons, but the main 1 will be to release it with Lumia denim and then that will be down to the carrier to send out if they can be bothered. Dp is available and the more support that gets the more info ms gets in how it runs etc. Try it you wont be disappointed!

 

[Great deal]

Lots of different reasons, but the main 1 will be to release it with Lumia denim and then that will be down to the carrier to send out if they can be bothered. Dp is available and the more support that gets the more info ms gets in how it runs etc. Try it you wont be disappointed!

Fair point, sod it - signing up now.

 

[stickyshocker]

Fair point, sod it - signing up now.

How did the update go?

 

[Bobvfr]

Fair point, sod it - signing up now.

Can I have a step by step guide for the terminally stupid :wink:

 

[stickyshocker]

Can I have a step by step guide for the terminally stupid :wink:

What for the process for developer preview?

 

[Bobvfr]

Yes

Just wasted half hour online chatting to a Vodafone technical rep online, went through all the usual, ask Nokia/MS, but the update is with you, we don't know about it, bloody carriers.

How can we find out if update 8.1 update one has been released to a carrier for a specific phone, is there a website?


Bob

 

[stickyshocker]

Yes

Just wasted half hour online chatting to a Vodafone technical rep online, went through all the usual, ask Nokia/MS, but the update is with you, we don't know about it, bloody carriers.

How can we find out if update 8.1 update one has been released to a carrier for a specific phone, is there a website?


Bob

Ok go here and download this

http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=178ac8a1-6519-4a0b-960c-038393741e96

Once installed follow the steps provided you may need to sign up but just use your Microsoft account email address, once enrolled go to setting phone update and check for updates manually and hey presto you phone will start to download the latest os version.

Once installed you can uncheck the box and unenroll yourself and when the offical release comes out your phone will pick it up as normal.

If anything fails you can use the recovery suit to restore the phone to the earliest available os version