Microsoft releases Windows Phone 8.1 SDK Development Tools RC

Hot on the heels of Microsoft officially announcing Windows Phone 8.1, the SDK Development Tools are now available for download. The Windows Phone emulator has also been updated to handle Windows Phone 8.1. All which in preparation for the eventual release of the Windows Phone 8.1 SDK.

The Windows Phone 8.1 development tools are included with Visual Studio 2013. If you already have Visual Studio 2013 installed, you’ll need to install Visual Studio 2013 Update 2 RC. Otherwise, you’ll need to install the Update 2 version from scratch.

The Windows Phone 8.1 emulator package will also get a bump by adding six emulator images to the existing installation of Visual Studio. This update will allow developers to test how apps run on Windows Phones running the 8.1 update.

You can find all the download information here at the Windows Phone SDK website.

Thanks, sraj, for the tip!

George Ponder

George is the Reviews Editor at Windows Central, concentrating on Windows 10 PC and Mobile apps. He's been a supporter of the platform since the days of Windows CE and uses his current Windows 10 Mobile phone daily to keep up with life and enjoy a game during down time.