“If you’re a Windows Phone customer and love to try the latest stuff before anyone else, or a Developer or IT Pro who works with Windows Phones, joining the Windows Insider program and trying out this build may be right for you. You’ll be getting an insider’s view and getting builds that normally would have only been available to Microsoft engineers in the past,” said Microsoft in a blog post. No longer called Windows Phone, Windows 10 will run across all devices including PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. See how to install Windows 10 on non-smartphone devices. New features include full-size art for the Start screen, more settings in Action Center, interactive notifications, better speech-to-text and an improved Photos app. Future builds will include universal apps versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, Mail and Calendar.
Can I upgrade to Windows 10 on my phone? Which Lumias are compatible
Before you follow the below guide to installing Windows 10 on your phone, only selected devices are supported at the moment. You can get Windows 10 on your phone now if you have a Lumia 630, 635, 636, 638, 730 or 830. It sounds strange to leave out high-end devices like the Lumia 930, 1320 and 1520 but Microsoft says a future feature called ‘partition stitching’ is needed. Until then, there isn’t enough space on the OS partition for the update. Microsoft said: “Note that this doesn’t mean that Windows 10 will take more disk space than Windows Phone 8.1, it’s just a function of the upgrade process at this point. Once the partition stitching feature is completed, many more devices will be supported.” Update: Microsoft now has the code for partition stitching so a lot more Lumia phones will be able to get the Windows 10 preview. You can see the full list below which the firm stresses is preliminary and bugs may cause devices to be removed or fixes may add ones which are not listed. There is no date for the next firmware upgrade yet and a notable omission is the Lumia 930. Lumia 1020, Lumia 1320, Lumia 1520, Lumia 520, Lumia 525, Lumia 526, Lumia 530, Lumia 530 Dual Sim, Lumia 535,Lumia 620, Lumia 625, Lumia 630, Lumia 630 Dual Sim, Lumia 635, Lumia 636, Lumia 638, Lumia 720, Lumia 730, Lumia 730 Dual SIM, Lumia 735, Lumia 810, Lumia 820, Lumia 822, Lumia 830, Lumia 920, Lumia 925, Lumia 928, Lumia ICON, Microsoft Lumia 430, Microsoft Lumia 435, Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM, Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM DTV, Microsoft Lumia 532, Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM, Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM, Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM.
How to install Windows 10 Technical Preview on your phone
Step One Head to the Store on your Windows Phone device and download the Windows Insider app.
Step Two Once installed, launch the app and select the ‘get preview builds’ option.
Step Three You’ll need to enroll on the Windows Insider programme to get preview builds of the software and you have two options, Insider Slow or Insider Fast. Fast will mean you get updates quicker but they have the potential to be more buggy and crash. Meanwhile, the slow option will involve you waiting longer but receiving a more stable build. Microsoft has a list of known issues on the blog post which we linked to at the top of the article. Select the one you prefer and hit the arrow button at the bottom of the screen.
Step Four Before you can install Windows 10 on your phone you have to accept the terms and conditions of the Insider Programme. Most importantly it could void your warranty and as we mentioned it could be buggy making your device unusable in some ways. We don’t advice installing it on your main phone. If the device is your main phone and you really want to install Windows 10, opt for the Slow Insider option to ensure a more stable build.
Step Five Once you’ve accepted the terms, simply head to the ‘phone update’ section of the system settings and hit the ‘check for updates’ button.
Step Six Once the update has downloaded and installed, your phone will reboot and migrate some data. You’ll then be given a ‘success’ message but you’re not quite done. As it says, you can leave the phone plugged into the mains and let it do the rest or head to the Insider app to finish the upgrade.
Tech Advisor’s Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.
