Can't wait for the Windows Phone Tango update? Download the CAB file now and do it yourself.

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File this under: Experienced users only

Warning:  We’re just going to say that Windows Phone 7.5 Tango is not that big of a deal. It’s a tiny update with a few MMS enhancements and some minor tweaks (most of which are undocumented, but see our hands on video to get an idea). So we’re not sure that trying to manually update your Windows Phone with Tango 8773.98 is a high priority. Nor is the risk of damaging your phone and blocking the upcoming 7.8 update.

And let's be honest, a lot of "fixes" and "tweaks" for your Windows Phone will come from the OEM firmware which this does not provide. Finally, this does not provide the new Start screen. That's Windows Phone 7.8 this is still 7.5.

Having said that, user bobzero on the XDA Forums has posted the Tango OS cab files direct from Microsoft and the needed language files to get the update started. It will break inter-op unlock (for the tiny few of you who have that) but you can go through the process again re-enable it.

The big question for many of you will be How do I do this? It’s not Android-custom ROM hard, but it does require a little prep work and some careful reading.

Luckily for you we wrote a nice little tutorial on how to manually update your phone to 8107 to get the much needed “disappearing keyboard fix”. That same process should work here so long as you replace the 8107 CAB with the 8773 one, obviously. Likewise, you’ll need the language packs too which bobzero has given you.

We haven’t done this yet ourselves but we do have our trusty Samsung Focus 2 and a bottle of Wild Turkey that says we’re going to try it soon.

As usual, sound off in comments on your experience and please, don’t blame us if you damage your phone. Remember: read, ask questions and take your time. And if you're on OS 8107 you need to go to 8112 first.

Source: XDA Forums; Thanks, bobzero for this tip and your past ones ;-)

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino

Daniel Rubino is the Executive Editor of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft here since 2007, back when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, Microsoft Surface, laptops, next-gen computing, and arguing with people on the internet.
131 Comments
  • Done...Everything working just as it should but now with the addition of Tango!!! So nice to finally be able to send vids, ringtones, etc via mms. Way to go Microsoft!!!
  • Will it work on Quantum?
  • Yes, it should work on all Windows Phones and definitely the Quantum. 
  • Yes, I updated my Quantum yesterday.
  • So is this the home screen update or not?
  • No. That is months from being ready. This is Windows Phone 7.5 Tango, not 7.8.
  • I thought its called Refresh now?
  • No, this is not 7.8....This is Tango..
     
    If this was 7.8 there would be 1/2 the WP7.5 users would be here right now disussing and installing it...
  • No.. Right from the article .. This is the minor Tango update.. Some fixes and MMS enhancements
  • Oh. Damn.. Well I am done caring.
  • LOL
  • Did you even read any of the fucking article
  • Calm down now.
  • Reading is a learning curve, I have been told
  • I'll leave it for the 7.8 and flip to silence updates for my 900.
  • Done updating my Htc wp 7.5 everything works fine and love how I can attach more photos on my text message. I see my settings shows latest update.
  • What HTC do you have ? What carrier? By chance did you get a HTC update to?
  • No thank you. Best to wait for official update.
  • +1
  • Yep, I'm waiting also. Never had the need for the features in this update
  • I might do it, but probably not. I did something like this for Mango, and I might do it for 7.8, but not for Tango.
  • 7.8 indeed!
  • You mean "ondeed".
  • This is how I got 8107 back in March.
  • Same here
  • Done! Internet Sharing over 3G... *vomit* :)  XDA have a good article in their forums on a HOW TO. 
     
    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1306415&page=93
  • What phone on what carrier do you have?
  • Updated my Verizon HTC Trophy.  Make sure you include the language pack on both updates.
  • when do you think at&t will push the update out?
  • Just FYI, for anyone worried about language packs, backups, etc.etc., SuperSport took all the files and compacted them into a single download over at XDA. Read the post for those still on 8107, and for those on 8112 simply download the file. Here is the link: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1736863
  • It's actually a HUGE deal Daniel, when you want to throw your phone against the wall as the keyboard keeps disappearing as you're trying to type something out. That fix alone makes this update a big deal in my opinion.
  • That's for 8107 back in March. That's why we wrote the tutorial for you guys. Tango (8773) doesn't fix that the previous update did.
  • Aren't all updates cumulative though? So if they didn't do 8107 it will fix that issue too... But yeah, I do remember the tutorial on here. Good thing I'm with Australian carriers and got that update a few months ago (not that I ever had a disappearing kb).
  • The updates themselves are not.  Only the official process would be cumulative, as it updates to the releases in order.  So, if your device didn't have 8107, it would apply that update prior to 8773.
  • Ahh, I see. Well unfortunately, ATT didn't push the 8107 update and haven't even said when (and if) they'll push Tango, so if i don't hear anything official soon, I'll give this a try.
  • Err...trying it on my Lumia 900.
  • I just updated my Focus v1.  Upgrade seems to have gone well.  I did some post upgrade tests and don't see any negative impacts.  Speech to text still works well for authoring text messages and starting programs.
    We will see how it goes for the next few days.  Tired of waiting for AT&T to get off their tails.
  • Worked perfectly on my AT&T Lumia 900, only needed English (US) and Spanish languages.  If and when any official updates come, I still have my backup safe and ready to go back to.
  • It could be a coincidence, but my battery life has been phenomenal today.
  • Yaay. Just got my official update! Good I did wait!! Confirmed saw mms setting.
  • What device do you have and with which carrier?
  • Unlocked HTC HD7. In India there are no carrier subsidies. Out right purchase. Carrier is Dolphin for MTNLGovt org called Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd
  • that's really cool ! give it a try !!
  • Anyone know if this update will be officially available for the HTC Arrive?
  • I'd say no. Sprint seems to have stuffed the Arrive the the back of the closet and shoved a billion iPhones in front of it.
  • Well, that sucks.
  • I just completed the update on my HTC Arrive with no problems. It's well worth it!
  • Can I do this on my mac?
  • ?
  • Last I knew, from 8107 forced, U need a PC.
  • Have I missed something? I've had tango(8773.98) for nearly a month on my Lumia 900.
  • Yes, you have. Most users of Windows Phone are not on Tango. 
  • There ya go, until today I assumed that it must've been rolled out because I had had it for a few weeks already
  • Does it have mms configuration?
  • Wow!!! Im new to windows phones and my old Samsung focus has been rockin tango 8773.98 for about 3 months now!
  • My quantum weighs a ton compared to a lumia need win8
  • Not a update to worry over? Really Daniel sorry but many of us do not agree maybe you haven't rub into the incredibly annoying disappearing keyboard bug. That in Tango alone makes this update awesome.
  • As he's already said above, that was in the 8107 update that's been out for 4+ months... There was even a tutorial for updating to it back then. Tango update itself IS very minor.
  • Reading is tricky & hard
  • Ya except if your on ATT you have never gotten that update. Which in the US means ALOT of people as ATT is the carrier with the most Windows phone devices. Tango will bring that fix for us.
  • Got the Lumia 800 cab on mine with working tethering (internet sharing)
  • I now have Tango on my AT&T Lumia 900! :)
  • @ Daniel Rubino can you please tell me how i can get punjabi language support ?
  • I did the process above and now have 8773 0n my Samsung Focus Flash!! Already had 8107 months ago by using the interop unlock and debranding hack over at XDA, I'll never wait on AT&T again!!
  • I know have tango on my HTC titan att. Update to 8112 and then to 8773. I had 8107 which fixed the keyboard issue. Wasn't aware of the 8112 firm update and tried 8773 before 8112 and it failed. MMS settings are showing and I can add previously recorded video and voice notes to my text messages. Yes!!
  • abond32,
    Did you do all language cabs? I was following another article that said you just needed the first link but it didn't work. MMS wasn't working. Luckily I did backup. So restored back. And all is good. And second question to anyone is the first file under languages English. Back when I did 8107 it said English was all that was needed on my Titan.
     
    Thanks,
  • You need ALL languages installed on your phone for every update! If you don't send them you'll leave your phone in a inupdateable state and hard reset won't fix that. So flashing a stock rom might help, or trying to send languages for past updates afterwards.
  • Not all phones have all languages. Like mine, only has English and Spanish.
  • LOL at people who thought Tango fixed the keyboard bug.......your late lmao
  • The thing is it DOES fix the keyboard bug for many users (like myself) that never got the 8107 update from their carrier. Not everyone is willing to try and do it themselves and would really like the carriers to do this one useful thing for their customers.
  • No, Tango itself does not fix the kb bug. The process of the update would install 8107 first which gives the illusion that Tango fixed it.
  • Only problem, it says all of my video files are too large??? Anyone else?
  • Nevermind you have to lower video quality if it's set on 720p HD in video settings.
  • It won't just down convert it for you? Lamesauce
  • Nope
  • Ok, I've got all the right language files, I seem to need to update to 8112 first, but I keep getting an error. Am I missing something here? I only need english and spanish. 
    Is there a specific spot with file locations?
  • You can update only from 8107, if you have any older version you need to update to 8107 first. Or if you have at&t lumia 900 you can't update via this method as it uses a custom OS build.
  • Erm tethering for the Lumias is a big deal!
  • Official update is listed as available for my country (Russia) and product code (059M5W4), but neither my phone nor Zune are aware of its existence. Internet sharing is a big deal in my opinion, so I can't wait to get my hands on this update. However, I don't wish to accidentally screw up my phone while trying to apply the firmware manually. Wonder how long will it actually take for phone/Zune to pick up the update?
  • Probably in the next 24 hours
  • Although I can't stand the "Get media content now" followed by a *ding*, then - nothing, I'm going to wait for O2 to deliver the official update. Don't want to risk not getting 7.8 as my HD7 is going to my mum once I get my WP8 device.
  • Updated my ATT 900 with cab files and it worked. BUT made phone too unstable and even my message hub would not open. I would say wait!
  • You need ALL languages installed on your phone for every update! If you don't send them you'll leave your phone in a inupdateable & buggy state and hard reset won't fix that. So flashing a stock rom might help, or trying to send languages for past updates afterwards.
  • I had 2 cab files in the root folder of the bat file...one was the update itself and the other was the language pack....not sure how many more cabs needed to be in the root folder. Any ideas? How many did you have?
  • There are 2 cab files for the OS update, then there's language. You must have missed 1 of the two os ones.
  • Exactly, My ATT Lumia 900 had 2 languages so I installed 4 cabs. 2 for the os and 2 for languages and I hae been running great for about 24 hours now.
  • Does Lumia 800 needs to update to 8112 first too? Unlocked one...
  • if you are on 8107, then yes. If you have 8112, then no. Remember to send ALL languages installed on your phone, otherwise you'll brick it and hard reset won't help.
  • Thanks!!! I had updated!!! Lumia 800 with 8773.12200...
  • has anybody successfully tested this on the DVP yet?
     
    EDIT:  I did it, worked like a charm :)
  • People still use MMS?
  • GUYS!
     
    Just use the good old disconnect trick!
     
    1. Connect phone and start Zune if it doesn't automatically start.
    2. Switch phone to Airplane Mode
    3. Bring up your network adapter on your computer
    4. In Zune: Go to settings and click Update
    5. Like half a second after the bar in the Zune-program has finished, right click your network adapter and select Disable.
    It should say there's an update available, if it says anything else the timing for your network adapter was off.
    Enable the internet connection and either press okay to update
    OR: Okay to remove the error message and start from number 4. again until you get the prompt there's an update available.
     
    This has just been tested and confirmed for my Lumia 800 with product code: 059N3B3 that has the "Waiting for approval" status. So it should work for ALL Lumias that are listed on the page where you check update availability.
    http://www.nokia.com/global/support/software-update/lumia/europe/availab...
    This is the safe way to update as it is an official update and you don't have to download and keep track of language files or anything like that.
  • See im doing this lightning fast and nothing is happening. It keeps saying it can't find updates. This worked for mango tho
  • After you disabled the wifi, turn it back on. Then, wait for the blue circle to appear next to your mouse cursor (hourglass if you are using later versions of windows). The very second you see the blue circle, simulatenously disable and enable your wifi back again. Do this off/on wifi until an update is read. It worked for me. I have an unlocked lumia 800.
  • Thanks for the tip. It worked for me but it only updated the operating system. The Nokia firmware remained the same--its still on .8107. Were you able to update the firmware as well?
    #I have an unlocked lumia 800
  • Update available from Zune, will update later.
  • Updated two VZW Trophies last night with no problems. A total of 8 cabs were required for the process, both the 8112 and 8773 updates have 2 system cabs, and I needed the English (US) and Spanish cab files. Those are the language cabs with identifier of 0409 and 0c0a btw.
    As noted, not much different if already running 8107.
  • just did my trophy as well but am noticing as I go through it that some of the new features still arent enabled :-/
  • Lumia 900s do good. Have yet to test my focus flash, omnia, focus, quantum, surround, or titan.
  • Oh and a screenshot of the lumia files with the cmd saying update complete.
    http://i1184.photobucket.com/albums/z335/baileystein1/Lumia9008773Update.jpg
  • Well since I am on Verizon, I don't get the export contacts to SIM (though I do have a SIM in the phone), no ability to add voice notes to messages, not network settings for call frowarding/waiting, no visual voicemail or internet sharing (old complaints).
    Sigh...
  • Same here... Its boring without a lumia...
  • Hey on my HD7 I can't keep WiFi and cellular data both on. If I do when one signal gets low it kills both. It want switch back and forth. So I only keep one on and manually switch. Did the update fix this?
    What is your firmware version?
  • Just updated my HTC Titan. Did the 8107 update from 7720, then 8112, then 8773.
     
    Works like a charm! Thx WP central(no thanks AT&T)!
  • Updating my 800 as we speak. Have to do the two updates thing since I was on 8107 so it will take like an hour or so I guess. No rush though!
  • Everything updated and works like a charm.
  • I hope it's not just me. Did anyone notice after the tango update on the 900, that it makes the phone feel much faster? Is it me or?...
  • Well, the update worked like a charm on my titan. Everythings seems to work except the voice note  It comes up and records but there is no sound on playback or when it is sent.
     
    Has anybody expericenced this?
  • Yes my titan has the same issue
  • Glad to see I am not the only one. It looks like it does not connect the recorder to the mic. I am hoping someone will post a link to the 8773 cab that is designed for a titan.
     
    I can text videos and multiple pictures though. I guess that is a plus.
  • Updated Lumia 800... From 8107 to 8112 then 8773... WiFi Tethering is usable, Flip to Silence is working great (might hurt the phone if flipped too fast) and MMS improvement... However, Nokia Counters still not in the Marketplace...
  • Had all 2 OS CAB and 22 Languages, LG Quantum will not load Wifi, Messaging, and other main software apps.
  • I updated my Lumia 800 with the tutorial succesfully with no errors found. But I've seen almost all of the updates e.g. mms, call forwarding but no WIFI TETHER (internet sharing) :( BTW i'm from the Philippines with 8107 and updated to 8112 and then 8773. Anywork around to enable the wifi tether? I could developer unlock my device but not interop-unlock because of the NOKIA DLOAD problem. Thanks in advance :)
    UPDATE: Saw this thread from JusThinK of XDA-Developers:
    Same tutorial with what WPCentral provides but he added OEM updates, I tried and installed it and wifi-tethering is enabled. :D
    Link:
    http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1737907 
  • Updated to Tango on my HTC Surround.  Everything seems to work well.  I'm waiting for the "official" update to release for my Lumia 800 to see if the Internet Sharing is enabled.  Using Supreme Shortcuts, I can get to the Internet Sharing setting screen but cannot turn it on because the feature "isn't enabled."
  • I didn't realize I had to do the 8112 and 8773 independent of one another.  I dropped the cab files for both in my folder and ran the update.  It appeared it went straight from 8107 to 8773. However, the phone (HTC Arrive) seems to be running fine. 
     
    Would you suggest I do a restore and do them one at a time?
  • If everything is working you should be fine. I forgot to install the language packs and freaked out cause I thought my phone was unusable(phone,messaging, etc. would not open). Then I put the files in the cab sender and bam! phone works perfectly.
  • As long as you have ALL the cabs loaded in the folder, it will load them sequentially. Sometimes this can cause an error, but typically it will be fine. Just don't try to do too many cabs at once.
  • Went for official update through Zune today, Zune said the tango update was available and now my Lumia 800 is stuck on 8112, help?
  • Updated my ATT L900 last night using the tutorial in the xda forums. Ran smooth all through out the day with heavy usage.
  • I don't see the location icon thingy nor the export to sim but MMS voice/video support is all I need. Also check for OEM updates on Zune after updating. HTC Titan's SPL has been upgraded to 4.6 from 2.5 so watch out, no HSPL.
     
    And btw, flip to silence has been around since 1st gen HTC windows phones, and I think it also were available to winmo htc phones that came with sense. But native support would be great.
  • I forced the Tango update thru Zune on my unlocked DVP.
  • This is the best thing that has happened to my life in recent days.lol Everything works perfectly even on my unlocked HTC Titan.
  • I have Samsung Focus, and upgraded to 8112 without an issue with UpdateWP.  While upgrading to 8773, however, my phone somehow lost connection to PC, and it was left in upgrade mode. Removing battery and restarting did not help.  It still showed connection picture when turned on.  And of course, Windows and UpdateWP couldn't find my phone.  I left my phone connected to PC for an hour while searching for ways to recover.  When I retried removing battery again, my phone came to life magically and I was able restore 8112 from backup.  I may try to upgrade to 8773 again... but I am not quite sure now.  I thought I lost my phone permanently for couple of hours.
  • Where can I get the language pack? I use Focus and it had 5 languages: English, German, French, Spanish and Italian
  • http://www.wpcentral.com/force-updating-your-windows-phone-os-build-8107... In that tutorial after downloading the language pack you realize for example that the Spanish is the one that says ".lang_0c0a" So when you are downloading from this link http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=27960331&postcount=929 be sure that you are using the same ones but in the right version!
  • HTC Arrive update completed successfully.
  • i tried doing this on my htc arrive and sucessfully got 8112 but the phone application wouldnt launch. does anyone know how to fix this?
     
  • I have the same problem, Pleeeease let me know if you find any solution :D :D
  • Update bricked my Titan...
  • All good in my Samsung Focus V1 from AT&T use in DIGITEL (Provider in Venezuela - Latin America)
  • I thought its called Refresh now? playfi