15 Lumia 930 & Windows Phone 8.1 Tips

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8.1 operating system didn’t exactly help smartphones made by other companies topple Apple’s iPhone dynasty. That being said, phones running the operating system are finally competitive with the iPhone in terms of features and extras – something that wasn’t easily said about it before the Windows Phone 8.1 update.

Windows Phone 8.1 added Cortana, the personal assistant that’s now on its way to notebooks, desktops, tablets and 2-in-1s with the upcoming Windows 10 update. Microsoft also added a File Explorer and common sense syncing that makes owning a Windows Phone instead of an iPhone a must for any Windows user.

Here are 15 tips for Windows Phone 8.1 and Windows phones of every cost and color, including the Nokia Lumia 930.

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The Best iPhone Alternatives Running Windows Phone – April

Windows Phone, the software that Microsoft users to power its own iPhone alternatives and the iPhone alternatives of others, is in the middle of a transition. At some point later this year Microsoft has plans to finally reveal a new flagship that many hope will give high-end Android phones and the iPhone 6 the competition they need. Until then, Windows Phones hardware makers are playing it low-key, releasing low cost iPhone alternatives where it makes sense and leaving the rest of their mobile ecosystem in stasis.

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Microsoft releases Windows 10 for phones preview build 10052 with major fixes

Microsoft has released a new build 10052 of Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones.

The latest build is a more minor update than build 10051, which was made available just a few days ago, and includes major fixes for the issues affecting Windows Insiders. There are no new features, but with the fixes added in, it is expected to make the build smoother.

Fixes in build 100052

Flight mode can now be enabled.
Users can now disable data connections.
The bug that caused phone's MMS settings to be lost after upgrading from build 9941.
The issue in which users couldn't download keyboards for additional languages.
The issue where the viewfinder in the camera app composed incorrectly on devices including the Lumia 1020.

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Microsoft issues new bug-fix-focused Windows 10 Mobile test build

Microsoft has rolled out yet another new test build of its Windows 10 Mobile release -- one that is focused almost entirely on quashing bugs.

The new Windows 10 Mobile build, 10052, is a follow-up to the last Windows 10 Mobile release (build 10051) which Microsoft made available on April 10.
The build released today, April 21, to Windows Insiders works only on select Lumia Windows Phone devices, as has been the case with the previous two builds.

The April 21 build does work on Lumia 520 devices. Microsoft temporarily had pulled build availability of the Windows 10 Mobile preview for Lumia 520, 525 and 526 devices following user reports of problems, including, in some cases, bricked phones, when attempting to roll back to Windows Phone 8.1 using the Windows Phone Recovery Tool.

The April 21 build seemingly still does not work on flagship Lumia Icon (929) or Lumia 930 devices, due to screen size/scaling issues. It also still doesn't yet support Windows Phones from any of Microsoft's phone OEMs.

Today's build includes fixes to a number of Windows 10 Mobile issues, including various data connection, MMS settings, and Camera Viewfinder issues.

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​Microsoft issues fix for Lumia phones bricked by Windows 10 Fast lane

Microsoft has released a possible fix for low-end Lumia smartphones that have been bricked after installing an early Windows 10 preview build.

It seems a shortage of memory in the Lumia 520 and Lumia 525 is behind the bricking of some of the units, after owners installed a Windows 10 Technical preview build, named 10051, released through Microsoft's tester Fast lane.

In an update on its Windows Insider Program site on Friday, Microsoft said only a "small portion" of Lumia 520 and 521 devices were affected.

Microsoft last week pulled down the test build for the Lumia 520, 525, and 526, following reports that some of the handsets were becoming unusable, typically after using Microsoft's Windows Phone Recovery Tool (WPRT) to roll back to Windows Phone 8.1. Affected devices were left with "no direct way for an end-user to check their device", Microsoft said.

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Microsoft Windows 10 Technical Preview update withheld: Users report bricking while downgrading to Windows Phone 8.1

The much anticipated Windows 10 Technical Preview software update is now rolling out across the globe.

However, things do not seem to be rosy for a section of users, as their devices got bricked after they tried to down grade to Windows Phone 8.1 from 10, using the Windows Phone Recovery tool.

According to a GSMArena report, and a posting on the official Microsoft Community blog, users of Lumia 520, Lumia 525 and Lumia 526 have reported problems. The phone is bricked while downgrading to the older Windows Phone 8.1 post installation of the latest Windows 10 for Phones Preview that is available via the Windows Insider Application.

These users have reported that their handsets were bricked while they rolled-back to Windows Phone 8.1 (after installing Windows 10 Preview) via the Windows Phone Recovery tool.

This has led to Microsoft temporarily stalling the roll-out of Windows 10 Technical Preview to Lumia 520, Lumia 525 and Lumia 526 users.

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Windows Phone 10 latest: Less stuff that does more - plus IE-killer Project Spartan

Hands On Last week Microsoft released Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones, build 10051, as part of its Windows Insider preview series.

This is by no means a stable build, especially on a low-end phone like our Lumia 635. The built-in apps crash from time to time and sometimes the entire OS freezes. Another common problem is chopped-off text.

That said, it does provide a look at Microsoft’s progress in implementing universal apps, which run both on desktop Windows 10 and on phones and tablets, as well as an update on how Windows 10 for phones is coming together.

There is plenty new in this release. It now runs on most Lumia 8.1 devices, as opposed to the short list previously supported, and includes Project Spartan, Microsoft’s new web browser. Other new apps include Phone, Messaging, People, Maps, Mail and Calendar.

One thing you will not find is the Office hub, which provided viewing and editing for Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. This is because a more capable universal version of these apps is on the way. A preview of Universal Office is already available for Windows 10 on PCs, but Microsoft has more work to do in scaling it for the phone.

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