Windows Phone 8.1, announced at Microsoft's Build Conference in San Francisco, California,
on April 2, 2014, is the current generation of Microsoft's Windows Phone mobile operating
system, succeeding Windows Phone 8.
It was released in final form to Windows Phone developers on April 14, 2014.
The life cycle start date, i.e., the time between which Microsoft will provide updates
to users and will give them assistance, was announced by Microsoft to be June 24th and
it will roll out to current Windows Phone users in the coming weeks or months.
All Windows Phones running Windows Phone 8 will be upgradable to Windows Phone 8.1.
The carrier rollout of Windows Phone 8.1 to devices running Windows Phone 8 was officially
rolled out on July 15th of 2014.
Now, Lumia 625, 925, and other Lumia devices may receive the update next week.
History Windows Phone 8.1 was first rumored to be
Windows Phone Blue, a series of updates to Microsoft's mobile operating system that would
coincide with the release of Windows 8.1.
Although Microsoft had originally planned to release WP8.1 during the fall of 2013,
general distribution of the new operating system was pushed back until the spring of
2014.
Instead of waiting over a year to add new features to Windows Phone 8, Microsoft opted
to release three incremental updates to its existing mobile OS.
Together, these three updates, which were released in December 2012, July 2013, and
October 2013, not only fixed bugs but also added features intended for Windows Phone
8.1, which included the release of "Data Sense" for non-Verizon devices, support for quad-core
processors, 1080p high-definition screens of up to six inches, the addition of a "Driving
Mode," and extra rows of live tiles for larger "Phablet" devices.
The operating system was officially revealed to the public when Microsoft released the
Windows Phone 8.1 SDK to developers on February 10, 2014.
Within hours of the release, details about the SDK and screenshots were leaked to the
public.
Windows Phone 8.1 was officially announced on April 2, 2014, and the final shipping code
was released to the general public on April 14, 2014.
Under the "Preview for Developers" program, which was initiated in October 2013 with the
release of Windows Phone 8 Update 3, developers can install OS updates like Windows Phone
8.1 immediately, instead of waiting months for their wireless carrier and OEM to test
the OS and include their own set of firmware updates before rolling it out to their users.
Users of the "Preview for Developers" program do not void their warranty in most cases and
can install any future firmware that is included with their carrier's official rollout of Windows
Phone 8.1.
Minor updates for WP8.1 which fixed bugs and improved battery life were released on May
14, June 3 and June 12, 2014.
Alongside these smaller patches, Microsoft plans to release two major updates for Windows
Phone 8.1 in 2014.
Along with these OS updates, Microsoft Mobile will give all Nokia Lumia phones the Lumia
Cyan update, which improves camera performance across these devices.
Features Windows Phone 8.1 introduces a host of notable
new features, most of which were unveiled in a preview released to developers on February
10.
Cortana
Cortana is a personal virtual assistant that was added in Windows Phone 8.1, and is similar
to Google Now and Apple's Siri.
The Cortana name derives from the Halo video game series, which is a Microsoft franchise
exclusive to Xbox and Windows.
Cortana's features include being able to set reminders, recognize natural voice without
the user having to input a predefined series of commands, and answer questions using information
from Bing.
Cortana also uses a special feature called a "Notebook", where it will automatically
gather information about and interests of the user based on usage and allow the user
to input additional personal information, such as quiet hours and close friends who
are allowed to get through to the user during these quiet hours.
Users can also delete information from the "Notebook" if they deem it undesirable for
Cortana to know.
Windows 8.1's universal Bing SmartSearch features are incorporated into Cortana, which replaces
the previous Bing Search app which is activated when a user presses the "Search" button on
their device.
This feature will be released in beta in United States in the first half of 2014 before being
publicly available in most other countries by late 2014 or early 2015.
Microsoft has committed to updating Cortana twice a month and add features.
The new features may include more chit/chat replies, improvement in UI and better voice
modulations.
Web Windows Phone 8.1 uses a mobile version of
Internet Explorer 11 as the default web browser.
IE11 carries over many of its desktop counterpart's improvements, which include support for WebGL,
normal mapping, InPrivate mode, Reading mode, and the ability to swipe left or right to
navigate to a previous webpage and back.
The updated browser also includes a new HTML5 video web player with support for inline playback
and closed captions, Windows 8-style website live tiles, and the ability to save passwords.
Furthermore, users can now open an unlimited number of tabs, instead of the previous maximum
of 6.
If a user is logged in with their Microsoft account on both their Windows 8.1 device and
Windows Phone, their tabs on IE11 will now sync automatically.
Apps and Windows Phone Store App framework
Apps for Windows Phone 8.1 can now be created using the same application model as Store
apps for Windows 8.1, based on the Windows Runtime, and the file extension for WP apps
is now ".appx", instead of Windows Phone's traditional ".xap" file format.
Applications built for WP8.1 can invoke semantic zoom, as well as access to single sign-on
with a Microsoft account.
The Windows Phone Store now also updates apps automatically.
The store can be manually checked for updates available for applications on a device.
It also adds the option to update applications when on Wi-Fi only.
App developers will be able to develop apps using C# / Visual Basic.NET, C++ or HTML5/Javascript,
like for Windows 8.
Developers will also be able to build "universal apps" for both Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows
8 that share almost all code, except for that specific to the platform, such as user interface
and phone APIs.
Any universal apps that have been installed on Windows 8.1 will automatically appear in
the user's "My Apps" section on Windows Phone 8.1.
Apps built for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7 automatically run on Windows Phone
8.1, but apps built for Windows Phone 8.1 will not run on any previous version of Windows
Phone.
Windows Phone Store The Windows Phone Store was redesigned in
Windows Phone 8.1 to become more information-dense.
App collections, which were previously visible in a different page, are now fully featured
on the front column of the Store.
There is also no more distinction between Games and other apps; both now show up in
the app list, although categories for apps and games are still separated.
App ratings have been designed to match those of Windows 8.1, with horizontal bars added
to indicate how many 5-star, 4-star, or 3-star reviews an app has received.
App screenshots now no longer have their own page, but can instead can be viewed at the
bottom of the app description page.
Furthermore, the Windows Phone Store now includes a "My Apps" section under the three-dot menu
which allows users to re-install any app they have purchased previously.
New and revamped apps Battery Saver adds the ability to track battery
usage and determine profiles that will lower power consumption.
In addition, the "Background Tasks" page, which allows a user to stop or allow an individual
app from running in the background, has been moved from the Settings menu to Battery Saver.
In addition to just being able to stop a background task from running, users can now set profiles
which will prevent certain apps from running only if the battery level is below a designated
percentage.
Storage Sense lets users move files and apps between their phone's hard drive and a microSD
card, and incorporates features previously available in the "Settings" section that gave
users the ability to delete temporary files to free up storage and uninstall applications.
Wi-Fi Sense automatically signs in Windows Phones to trusted available Wi-Fi hotspots.
It also helps to share your own Wi-Fi credentials with your friends and contacts, but without
the security compromise i.e. it only shares the WiFi connection without telling your friends
the password.
Calendar app now has a week view with current weather, similar to the features in the Microsoft
Outlook calendar available to desktop users.
The calendar further adds support for syncing Google Calendars with your Windows Phone.
Maps has been overhauled with support for aerial-view, 3D mapping and a dynamic compass.
Local Scout, which has been removed from Windows Phone 8.1 in the United States due to the
implementation of Cortana, has been moved to Maps.
The map also shows nearby WiFi-hotspots, if any available, in your location.
Calling and Skype The Dialer app adds a "Speed Dial" page, and
calls from a single caller in Call History are now grouped.
Clicking on the group will reveal individual call details such as the time and date the
call was made.
A button has been added next to each caller which allows unidentified callers to be added
to a user's contact list or brings up information on an existing contact.
Users can now automatically upgrade existing phone calls to Skype video calls from within
the phone call UI, which has also been revamped with larger buttons.
In addition to a large photo of the contact, text with the user's name and phone number
now appear at the top of the screen instead of directly above the dialer.
Skype calls can also be directly initiated from Cortana.
Multimedia Xbox Music and Xbox Video provide streaming
services for movies, music, and TV shows, and are separated as opposed to being joined
together in previous versions.
Notably, Xbox Video now has built-in support for video streaming.
In addition to separating its music and video streaming services, 8.1 also adds support
for separate volume controls, audio and video transcoding, hardware acceleration, stereoscopic
3D, and the ability for apps to capture and record video independently of the operating
system's built-in video recorder.
Furthermore, built-in support for streaming through DLNA to monitors and television screens,
referred to by Microsoft as PlayTo, is also included, as well as the ability to mirror
display from a phone to a separate screen.
Media editing tools have also been refined: apps for slow motion video capture, video
effects, and audio effects have been added.
Microsoft currently provides bi-weekly updates i.e. twice a month, to both of these apps.
The stock camera app has been updated with a more minimalist design similar to that of
the camera app on Windows 8.1.
Additionally, users can now save high-resolution photos directly to OneDrive, instead of only
having the option to upload the 5MP version of the image to the cloud.
Multitasking Building on improvements made in the third
update to its predecessor, Windows Phone 8.1 adds support for closing apps by swiping down
on them in the multitasking view, which is similar to how multitasking operates on Windows
8 and iOS.
Pressing the back button now suspends an app in the multitasking view instead of closing
it.
Live tiles A third row of live tiles, which was previously
available only to Windows Phones with 1080p and select phones with 720p screens, is now
an option for all Windows Phone 8.1 devices regardless of screen size.
Microsoft has also added the ability for users to skin live tiles with a background image.
Social The "Me" hub in Windows Phone 8.1 has been
transformed from a single hub to update and maintain all social media accounts to a single
hub to a viewer which allows users to view news feeds from social networks.
When users click on a Facebook post, for example, they are instantly redirected to the Facebook
app, instead of being allowed to like or comment on that post in the "Me" hub itself, a feature
available in previous versions of Windows Phone.
The Me hub's notification center for social networks has also been removed, as this feature
is now integrated into Windows Phone 8.1's Action Center.
Supported social networks in the "Me" hub include Facebook, Foursquare, Linkedin, and
Twitter, which has also been fully integrated into the Contacts Hub.
"Threads," which allowed users to seamlessly switch between different chat services, have
also been removed from the Messaging app, which is now solely for text messages.
Lockscreen Windows Phone 8.1 adds the ability for OEMs
and individual apps to customize their custom lock screen themes even further by skinning
the font and orientation of time, date, and notification text.
Notifications and settings
A new notifications center known as "Action Center" has been added, and allows for the
ability to change simple settings such as volume controls.
The new notifications area's design allows the user to for example change wireless networks,
turn Bluetooth and Airplane Mode on or off, and access "Driving Mode" from four customisable
boxes at the top of the screen, while beneath these four horizontally placed boxes include
recent text messages and social integration.
Apps can also send users location-specific notifications with the addition of a new geofencing
API.
Keyboard Microsoft has added a "Word Flow" keyboard
in Windows Phone 8.1 that, similarly to the Swype keyboard option available on Android
devices, allows users to swipe through letters to type.
As the user swipes, the keyboard generates space automatically for the next word to be
entered.
Fifteen-year old Lakeside School student Gaurav Sharma, using Nokia Lumia 520 device equipped
with Windows Phone 8.1 and the "Word Flow" keyboard broke the Guinness World Record for
the world's fastest typing on a mobile phone, which was previously held by a Samsung Galaxy
S4 user, by 8 seconds.
File system Windows Phone 8.1 allows apps to view all
files stored on a WP device and move, copy, paste and share the contents of a device's
internal file system.
As a result of this change, multiple file explorer apps have been released on the Windows
Phone Store since the operating system's debut.
Microsoft released its own file explorer app on May 30, 2014.
In addition to these changes, SkyDrive has been completely rebranded to OneDrive across
the operating system after Microsoft's settlement of a dispute over the "Sky" trademark with
BSkyB.
Users are also presented with multiple options when a Windows Phone 8.1 device is connected
to a computer via USB.
Enterprise and other improvements Windows Phone 8.1 adds support for VPN and
Bluetooth 4.0 LE.
Hardware Devices
These will be manufactured by Nokia, Gionee, HTC, Huawei, JSR, Karbonn, LG, Lenovo, Longcheer,
Micromax, Samsung, Lava, and ZTE.
Sony has also stated its intention to produce Windows Phone devices in the near future.
During BUILD 2014, Microsoft announced two additional hardware partners - Micromax and
Prestigio.
The already released Windows Phone 8.1 devices are the Lumia 930, Lumia 630, Lumia 635, Micromax
Canvas Win W092, Micromax Canvas Win W121 and other Windows Phones.
The first Windows Phone 8.1 device was the Lumia 630 announced by Nokia on 2nd April,
2014 at Microsoft's annual Build Event Hardware requirements
Starting with Windows Phone 8.1, several hardware buttons that were previously required on Windows
Phone are no longer a requirement for device manufacturers, a move that was made in order
to allow OEMs to develop devices that can run both WP and Android.
WP now supports on-screen buttons that OEMs can use to replace the capacitive "back, "Windows",
and "search" buttons that have been required for devices running the OS since 2010.
The new on-screen buttons can be hidden by swiping them to the side of the screen.
Windows Phone device manufacturers are also no longer required to include a physical camera
button on the side of the phone.
External links Official website of Windows Phone
Windows Phone 8.1 at DMOZ See also
Windows Phone version history Windows RT
Windows 8.1 Windows Runtime
References