Will Windows phone on 8.1 be upgraded to Windows 10?

[ShinraCorp]

We'll probably have more answers to this during BUILD but until then in theory YES it can be upgraded but I am not sure if the Gen 1 WP will work so well.

 

[a5cent]

The answer is yes, with or without the DP, even if Cyan is not released (yet) for Lumia Icon.

And OP isn't asking that, he is asking if WP8.1 devices will be upgraded to W10, and you agree that only firmware is the issue.

We don't really know what the OP is asking, as the OP hasn't been clear whether the developer preview would be good enough.

Either way, I'm not sure if everyone who's camera stopped working after installing the developer preview would agree with you, that the developer preview always represents a viable upgrade path. I suspect many would think it does not. Just getting the newest OS version installed doesn't count. It also needs to work correctly.

Moreover, how about the Lumia 810? Have we been able to install the latest version of WP8.1.1 on it, with or without the developer preview (I haven't heard that we have, but I could be mistaken)?

 

[SwimSwim]

I firmly believe all current WP8 and WP8.1 updates will be upgradeable to Windows 10, I really do. Of course, some of the "older" hardware will be limited in the way of features (I.E: How the iPhone 4 and 4S were excluded from enjoying AirDrop support on iOS 7), but they will get the OS, even if it's only in name.

Any "modern" hardware (anything that shipped with WP8.1 already onboard, plus the 1520 and Icon) will get most if not all the new features and benefits Windows 10 will bring (whatever those may be) for its device category (I.E: 530 will get all the new "low-end" features, 830 will get all the new "mid-range" features, and the 1520, HTC One, 930, etc. will all get new "high-end" features).

For older hardware like the Lumia 1020, 920, 520, etc., the water is a little more murky. I know I was rather disappointed with Cyan on my Lumia 1020, it was an update in name only, and didn't had any visible new features to 8.1 beyond optimized firmware. This could very well be the same thing for those on "older" hardware when Windows 10 rolls around. You'll get the update, but it'll be in name only.

We'll have to wait and see how things pan out, but (aside from evil carrier medaling) all WP8+ devices will receive the update to Windows 10. How much benefit said update will bring depends on your device and its hardware, but everyone will get it nonetheless.

EDIT: This is all purely my speculation. This is not officially endorsed and/or leaked info from Microsoft. Microsoft has yet to say anything on the subject, so I'm just speculating based on what I think will happen. Take my post with a grain of salt, as you should with all things written in public-forum posts on the Internet.

 

[Smili]

You`re not really right . I give you an example : look @ the thing with the HTC 8X . Those users were able to receive the 8.1 update , BUT they needed a carrier update for the chipset , processor and other things . At some point you won`t be able to receive the dev preview because of the carrier . Like someone said in an early comment , Windows 10 might require a Snapdragon XXX model , or maybe your phone will need hardware updates from the carrier .

In my oppinion , this thread is useless . We won`t find this out until Windows 10 for phones is about to be realeased .

That is where Preview For Developers comes in, as the preview builds are usually the same as the release builds and avoid the stupid carrier nonsense.

 

[CapoFantasma97]

I'm pretty sure WP 8.1 devices will be updated to Windows 10.
Since Microsoft is building the new x3x series which mounts WP 8.1, they would give them an important update, or they would be useless, and Microsoft would lose lot of money and customers.
And since WP 8.1 is also available for x2x series, they would be upgraded to Windows 10 too.

 

[snowmutt]

We'll have to wait and see how things pan out, but (aside from evil carrier medaling) all WP8+ devices will receive the update to Windows 10. How much benefit said update will bring depends on your device and its hardware, but everyone will get it nonetheless.

EDIT: This is all purely my speculation. This is not officially endorsed and/or leaked info from Microsoft. Microsoft has yet to say anything on the subject, so I'm just speculating based on what I think will happen. Take my post with a grain of salt, as you should with all things written in public-forum posts on the Internet.

Sorry swimswim- as of now I am completely sure of the future based on your legally binding post on our forums.

Sucker....

:winktongue:

I feel we have about 8 months of threads like these. I also wonder if we will see any true "flagship" devices until mid next year as we wait on Windows 10 for Mobile Devices and Portable Computation Equipment, or whatever it is going to be called. But if I seem strangely silent on the matter, it is because I am trying to live down being wrong about WP7 devices being upgraded to WP8. I see no reason to jynx us again.

 

[savagelizards]

What would happen to the world as we know it if Microsoft simply expanded the Preview for Developers program and released OS updates and firmware directly for all users, perhaps with some licensing agreement that excluded the carriers from responsibility?

That way we could all be on the latest firmware when we wanted.

After all, iOS8 was released to everyone. There was no requirement for users to install it, and some who waited missed out of a few issues that early adopters encountered, but Apple and Microsoft are both capable of issuing carrier-agnostic updates.

It sure would be nice to get the Cyan update for my Icon, and Microsoft now owns the firmware. Nokia Recovery software can correct any unforeseen errors. What would be the harm in letting tech-savvy users download and install it themselves?

 

[davidewart]

Re: Does Windows phone 8.1 phone can be upgraded to Windows 10 or not ???

That is the carrier's job, over which MS has no control.

I'm puzzled by this comment. Is this true for all carriers worldwide?

 

[mjrtoo]

What would happen to the world as we know it if Microsoft simply expanded the Preview for Developers program and released OS updates and firmware directly for all users, perhaps with some licensing agreement that excluded the carriers from responsibility?

That way we could all be on the latest firmware when we wanted.

After all, iOS8 was released to everyone. There was no requirement for users to install it, and some who waited missed out of a few issues that early adopters encountered, but Apple and Microsoft are both capable of issuing carrier-agnostic updates.

It sure would be nice to get the Cyan update for my Icon, and Microsoft now owns the firmware. Nokia Recovery software can correct any unforeseen errors. What would be the harm in letting tech-savvy users download and install it themselves?

See windows 10 tech preview posts.

 

[a5cent]

Re: Does Windows phone 8.1 phone can be upgraded to Windows 10 or not ???

I'm puzzled by this comment. Is this true for all carriers worldwide?

Well, I could have explained it better...

The actual job of copying the update onto your device is done either by MS or the OEM. However, legal restrictions prevent them from doing so without carrier approval. It's the carrier's job to do what is necessary to approve an update.

This is true for every carrier in the world, the processes carriers go through to approve an update can be very different however.

 

[Mr Lebowski]

Satya Nadella is a big fan of Spinal Tap so they've decided to skip Windows 10 and jump right to Windows 11

 

[msirapian]

Re: Does Windows phone 8.1 phone can be upgraded to Windows 10 or not ???

Well, I could have explained it better...

The actual job of copying the update onto your device is done either by MS or the OEM. However, legal restrictions prevent them from doing so without carrier approval. It's the carrier's job to do what is necessary to approve an update.

This is true for every carrier in the world, the processes carriers go through to approve an update can be very different however.

The most important risk, though, concerns operator variants. In Europe, I suspect the quantity of Country Variant models is higher than in the US (look at the 1020, ICON, etc. for instance). In France, some carriers have refused to update their variants in the past (nokia N8, even Black); in Germany (or the UK I don't remember) a carrier said they won't send Cyan but Denim directly, etc.

But for the happy owners of Country Variant phones or, as I did for my branded 1020, owners of de-branded Lumias, the only responsible for pushing the updates is MS.

And ironically, the CV ROM is much more versatile: the VVM registry keys in the FR CV ROM allow to use any French operator's VVM, while my original ROM contained only my initial carrier's keys.

Back to the topic, when available, an unbranded (or debranded) Country variant device is probably the best way to mitigate the risk that an upgradeable device is not upgraded.

 

[a5cent]

Re: Does Windows phone 8.1 phone can be upgraded to Windows 10 or not ???

The most important risk, though, concerns operator variants.

I'm not 100% sure I understand your point, but I think I agree. Since it's mobile operators that decide whether an update that could run on our devices, actually gets installed on our devices, it follows that mobile operators are by far the biggest potential obstacle.



With unbranded devices it can be (but isn't necessarily) MS that handles the distribution of OS+firmware. It started out that way, then Nokia started handling this for their own devices. I don't know if that changed again with the merger. I guess the important fact here, is that while it's MS or OEM that push updates to our phones, they legally control that process only for unbranded devices.

 

[SSgt Bruskowiz]

If Not ... Let us stop buying a Windows Phone even the cheapest one L530 and move to android one or IOS ..!!

Thats a super brilliant idea..........................not.

Jumping ship to what?
You forget the reason why a lot of people crossed over to WP

Besides that, does the most currently droid phones going to support Droid 5 ?
( not to mention that stil a lot of devices cant run 4.4 kitkat ).
Does apple keep going to support two year old or older phones?

Sorry dear fellow,
i believe even without 10 on my phone, its stil a better alternative then Ios or Droid.

 

[msirapian]

Re: Does Windows phone 8.1 phone can be upgraded to Windows 10 or not ???

I'm not 100% sure I understand your point, but I think I agree. Since it's mobile operators that decide whether an update that could run on our devices, actually gets installed on our devices, it follows that mobile operators are by far the biggest potential obstacle.



With unbranded devices it can be (but isn't necessarily) MS that handles the distribution of OS+firmware. It started out that way, then Nokia started handling this for their own devices. I don't know if that changed again with the merger. I guess the important fact here, is that while it's MS or OEM that push updates to our phones, they legally control that process only for unbranded devices.

Exactly. Microsoft is pushing 8.1.1 right now to the 930. In France, it's mainly the "Country Variant" (=unbranded) model. The operator branded ones (Orange, etc.) haven't received anything.

In other terms, for a given model
case a) Microsoft don't want to upgrade it: all devices (branded or not) are concerned
case b) Microsoft want to upgrade it: then branded devices (for which firmwares are validated by carriers) have the risk that a given carrier says no, or doesn't want to validate the FW. This has happened in the past in France, and is happening now for some devices which won't receive Cyan just because the operator decided so.

Anyway, the answer to the OP question is : wait & see

 

[Bobvfr]

If Not ... Let us stop buying a Windows Phone even the cheapest one L530 and move to android one or IOS ..!!

Go on then.



But please be a gentleman about it and shut the door on the way out so we can't hear you moaning.




Bob

 

[eddieDOTexe]

The hardware should be good enough to run it m8. We have Windows 8.1 tablets with 1gb of RAM being released these days!

 

[Wp8 lvr]

few days back Daniel stated its own article comments section than Microsoft already internally testing W10 on lumia 520 n 920...
so definitely all current wp8 devices are upgradable to w10.

 

[MysticForce]

few days back Daniel stated its own article comments section than Microsoft already internally testing W10 on lumia 520 n 920...
so definitely all current wp8 devices are upgradable to w10.

Well if testing, it doesn't mean that all lumias will pass the test.
Also WP10 is still not ready, if it is we would see some preview but they have nothing yet.

 

[msirapian]

Yes, we had the living images in beta on the 1020, it worked but finally Nokia decided not to release it officially. So I agree, testing doesn't mean releasing.