Months after the first Windows 10 Mobile phones made their official debut, Microsoft has said that it’s starting to push W10M to older phones.
Microsoft today began updating older Windows Phone 8.1 devices to Windows 10 Mobile. The current list of devices that can upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile looks like this:
Lumia 1520, Lumia 930, Lumia 640, Lumia 640 XL, Lumia 730, Lumia 735, Lumia 830, Lumia 532, Lumia 535, Lumia 540, Lumia 635 (1GB), Lumia 636 (1GB), Lumia 638 (1GB), Lumia 430, Lumia 435, BLU Win HD w510u, BLU Win HD LTE x150q, MCJ Madosma Q501
If you’ve got a compatible device, you can now download Microsoft’s Update Advisor app to get ready for your Windows 10 Mobile upgrade. The free app will check for updates and help you free up space on your phone by moving songs, photos, and videos to an SD card or OneDrive, or deleting them altogether.
Microsoft explains that some devices that are currently included in the Windows 10 Mobile Insider Program are not in that list (like the Lumia 920.) The company says that W10M includes many new features and that many older phones won’t be able to upgrade without also experiencing degraded performance. MSFT says that it wants to only officially offer Windows 10 Mobile upgrades to devices that can continue to offer a solid experience for the customer.
It’s also worth noting that while Microsoft is starting the Windows 10 Mobile update today, that doesn’t mean that all devices will get it today (or at all). This is aimed specifically at folks in the US. Anyone using a carrier-branded Windows Phone 8.1 device will have to wait and see if their carrier plans to push an update to their phone.
The Windows 10 Mobile update for older phones certainly took its time getting here, as it was previously expected that the update would begin pushing out last December. It’s finally starting to go out, though, and anyone with a Windows Phone 8.1 device that can be upgraded are in store for a big new experience with Windows 10 Mobile.
