Report: Microsoft and Nokia continue to test Windows Phone 8.1 internally

Microsoft and Nokia are actively testing Windows Phone 8.1, according to Nawzil. The two companies are running FB Pages Manager. Should you not familiar with the name, it essentially enables you to manage your Facebook profiles while on the move. What's interesting is the analytics behind the app, reporting on hardware running multiple builds of Windows Phone 8.1 (aka. Blue).

We've previously looked at Windows Phone 8.1 being internally tested by Microsoft and Nokia, reported by Paul Thurrott, but this data shows solid evidence of said tests being carried out. Both editions of FP Pages Manager (free and commercial) have been used on Windows Phone 8.1, with the following screenshot showing multiple versions of the OS:

WP 8.1 FB Pages Manager

According to the full analytics report, FB Pages Manager has been downloaded more than 80,000 times and has more than 30,000 monthly active users. Nawzil notes that these employees may well be using the apps to manage respective social profiles. 

Windows Phone 8.1 is expected to be announced early in 2014 to go alongside some new hardware from partners. It makes sense for the next major release of Windows Phone to be in active testing. Details are still scarce on what we'll be looking to see in 8.1, but a new Notification Center, ‘Cortana’ voice assistant, app-list sorting, actionable-notifications and other new features are reportedly on the list of major new additions.

Source: Twitter (@Nawzil)

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.