When it comes to updates, Windows Phone isn’t exactly a platform on which all users get new software in a timely manner. Heck, the AT&T version of the Lumia 1020, which was once a flagship smartphone, just got the Lumia Denim update that was announced in early September 2014. Today Microsoft said that things are going to be different with Windows 10 Mobile.
In a post on its Microsoft Ignite blog, the Redmond firm said that it plans to apply its “continuous update process” to every Windows 10 device, phones included. Microsoft explained to ZDNet that all Windows 10 Mobile will get all updates, and that it will even be making the final decisions on when to begin rolling updates out to devices. While Microsoft will still test its updates with carriers, but Microsoft intends to push updates to all devices on all carriers simultaneously.
One thing that’s worth noting is that the Windows 10 Mobile update for existing Windows Phone 8.1 devices will still be pushed by carriers. That means that while any Windows Phone 8.1 can be updated to Windows 10 Mobile, there’s no guarantee that all of those updates will be pushed in a timely manner.
Getting updates to users in a timely manner is a pretty important part of having a mobile platform, especially for Windows Phone, which still has a relatively small market share — at least compared to Android and iOS — and needs to do all it can to ensure that its existing users stay with it. And while it’s not necessarily Microsoft’s fault when an update takes a long time to get to a device, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s frustrating for users to wait months and months for a big update. Here’s to hoping that Microsoft sticks to its plan and is able to treat its Windows 10 Mobile users to timely updates.
