A forthcoming Nokia update will allow Lumia 920 users to change their display colors for the first time

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

Nokia is evidently adding some more customization options for Nokia Lumia 920 users (and possibly their other WP8 Lumias).  The evidence comes from the latest update of Nokia’s display + touch app, which allows users to control the SuperSensitive Touch and sunlight readability options.

Now there is a third option called “Lumia color profile”, which will allow you to make your Lumia 920 “Vivid” or “Natural” by using a slider. Likewise you can change the color temperature from “Cool” to “Warm” on a second slider.

This will be the first time on Windows Phone that users were given access to changing more than just brightness on their display and it shows how Nokia is continually offering improved experiences.

 

But where is it?

Nokia Lumia Color Profile

The images for the “Lumia Color Profile” come with the Nokia system app updates that were released today.  Specifically for display + touch version 1.5.0.20. But users have noticed that this option is not available, even after installation and a soft reset.

That leads us to believe that this feature, much like audio-levelling, will be “unlocked” with the new firmware update that is evidently forthcoming. In the past, certain Windows Phone functions like the Wi-Fi Hotspot feature only became available after a firmware update was installed.

Since this is a fairly major new feature, we’re going to bet that display + touch merely unlocks the UI for the “Lumia Color Profile” but it is the forthcoming firmware that will actually enable this feature.

The only thing we need to know now is when are we getting the 1308 firmware update?

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Executive Editor

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.

115 Comments
  • Ahh
  • Things are getting interesting!
  • Em... I have been having those features since some time ago and this page says that it was just released? Wtf (i can actually adjust all that on my 920)
  • Nokia is turnt up!
  • Nokia is just knocking this so far out the park its practically galactic!!!
  • Great!! (y)
    Just waitinf for it then.. my storage's full n i NEED the firmware
  • Try "shrink storage" app I took off 9gb of other storage after 4-5 times using that app, done, do it again for 4-5 times, no other way at least for now
  • Have to remember this when I get a WP8.
  • 'till you get it, they might come out with native solution of that problem
  • waiting*
  • You know there's an EDIT button :-)
  • The "Edit" button doesn't really work, though. I've had it not work for me numerous times; not even sure it's worked right for me once.
  • The edit button won't work for me when l'm in Chrome. Works fine in Firefox though.
  • And it's always worked for me on IE... :P
  • Really makes me not regret buying my Lumia. Oh Nokia you keep doing this and Window Phone and You will skyrocket!
  • "The only thing we need to know now is when are we getting the 1308 firmware update?"
     
    AT&T -- sometime in March
    The rest of the world -- Sometime in 2014
  • Do not forget: Rogers in Canada.
  • Rogers likes to copy AT&T. When they get it, we'll get it a few hours later
  • the rogers 1232.5962.1314.0000 firmware update is on nokia care servers as we speak, running it on my 920 right now.
  • Possibly, but to be fair we Windows Phone users on AT&T had it the other way around for the longest time. My Samsung Focus never even got the disappearing keyboard fix from AT&T, even more than a year after it was available. The last update it saw was Mango (7720) + a new firmware that messed up the Bluetooth volume, both in September 2011.
  • You are lucky to get 7720, my Omnia 7 on Orange UK is still on 7714 but now it is lying on the table with dead battery as I got Lumia 920 :)
  • Yes! So happy with my Lumia here. :D
  • YES!!! The ONE complaint I have for my replacement that I got is that the screen is way too warm and yellow. This is huge.
  • it's actually good for the screen to be warm and yellow, but ONLY at night, it's bad in the daytime and it makes the phone much harder to read, but again at night, it's just awesome
  • Interesting... Setting the bar high...
  • What would this do exactly?
  • Haven't you ever changed color profiles on your monitor or TV?
  • Allow you to tweak the color saturation and tones of the entire UI. Not everyone will use it. But its there for the taking. Just means more customization for those that want it. Hope this helps. :)
  • EVERYDAY i ask my self how THE FU** does nokia not get the respect they deserve???? NOKIA IS AMAZING!
     
  • I think Nokia does get respect. What I ask myself is why poeple defend companies like HTC that release phone and then completely forget about them as they start working on the next phone. How many updates has the 920 received? It seems like there is some little enhancement released every month. I haven't seen many articles about updates for the 8x. We got an HTC one x a little over a year ago. I have yet to see an update for that phone and I'm not sure if it will ever be updated to jelly bean.
  • I think in other countries around the world they get respect.  In my opinion, it seems like here in the US they get very little respect.   It's all Apple and Samsung.  Most people, in my opinion, wouldn't know a good phone if it jumped up and bit them in the ass. 
    As to what Ymcpa is saying, I couldn't agree more with what was said.  When I had my HTC Sprint Hero and EVO,  I can recall only 2 software updates being done in a 4 year span.  The hero being upgraded to froyo, and the evo being upgraded to gingerbread.
     
  • +100000
  • Nokia is Windows Phone!
  • I can't wait!!!
  • Good job nok
  • Yes yes yes yes!!!!
  • I look forward to the updates Nokia releases.  They always seem to impress me with the work they are doing on WP8.
  • Nokia is to Atlas as Windows Phone 8 is to world. Discuss.
  • I'm guessing you're a Brit who went through the 'sixth form'. That reminds me of my 'A' level days.
  • I'm neither British nor a Rand fan ;-)
  • ...or perhaps just the obvious metaphor that Nokia is holding up/carrying Windows Phone
  • WINNAR!
  • Apperantly this is exclusive to the 920, because my T-Mobile Nokia Lumia 810 is a no go.  But I'm sure this wont last long. 
  • Nokia now is trying everything they can. But I guess Microsoft is a little bit slow...
  • I think MS just wants to shutup and work on updates without disturbing the current market for phones.
  • wow would be stunning if it can allow the display to be monochrome in further updates haha
  • Im not too excited about the news... It's useful, but not a must have.
  • I'm so grateful for all that Nokia is doing for Windows Phone! I can't wait for this feature to be "unlocked" for my viewing pleasure! I'm wondering where the effect will be noticed. Is this for background or tiles, will it be noticed within apps or is it intended for the Start Screen only? So many questions and so much excitement for me, seeing the mind boggling pace at which improvements are being layed down on the fly! Proud to say I own a Windows Phone, even more proud to say it's a Lumia, and proudest to say I'm a WinPhan!
  • I'm surprised so many people don't understand what these are for. :)
    Haven't any of you ever really done anything to your monitor or TV settings?
  • I think we all know what adjustments do, so sarcasm aside, the question is where it does it and how it will translate. Entire OS, SS, apps? :)
  • I think what tisitti is getting at is this is like tuning a setting on your tv... It should affect everything globally. Just think of it like a screen tweak (which is why they put it where they did).
  • I would buy the phone JUST to have this feature, when I can make the screen warm at night it would look 100x better than default, so yeah it's a MUST HAVE for me!
  • A few days ago when these articles came out I just cursed my Arrive under my breath and got jealous. I am so happy I am no longer in that camp. This looks amazing. :D
  • And some people keep waiting a Surface Phone when people from Nokia clearly does everything they can to bypass the most annoying WP's limitations that MS simply ignores...
  • Woopiie!. Maybe this phone will work ok in 6 month (something) then when Blue goes out!
  • I think David Ortiz just it a home run thanks Nokia great feature update.
  • WOW!! Sooo many things are happening today!
  • WOW, a firmware update and (with) this one.. THIS is news!!..m so lucky to have Lumia 920 :D :D *big grin*
  • Sweet, and all my synology ds apps have been updated today
  • +1
  • Wow, nokia gonna make me smash my HTC into a wall...
  • I'm starting to feel sorry for people who don't have a lumia
  • Ah... Let me look into my chinese made crystal ball... "So when will we get the new Firmware?"...
    Answer... "When it is ready..."
  • This shows Nokia is the one who is committed to adding value to WP8 than Microsoft actually is. Microsoft needs Nokia more than the other way around.
  • I'm sorry but "Windows Phone" is NOKIA.
  • Yeah it is, i guess in future we will only have nokias with WP like Apple with iPhones only.
    HTC sucks anyways...
  • I disagree. I have a titan that is durable and has nice hardware. I like HTC although I do have a Nokia.
  • +1
  • Now that's neat! 
  • Maybe it is just me but I would really like to be able to change the color of individual tiles.
  • + 1000
  • +10000 I have thought the same thing since the first day I received my 920. I love the theme colors but would still love to be able to mix in some different colors.
  • That's the choice of app developers to give end users tile customization options, best example is our very own WPCentral app
  • Nice! Nokia is the best!
  • Nokia should just take over Microsoft and continue supporting wp8. They are doing a tremendous job!
  • Wonder when nokia will release the place tag & glam me tag?
  • In hungary i havent got the portico either.
  • Ahhh cool
  • Where can I acquire the wireless charging hand implant?
  • hahahaha.
  • This is the major reason, after making a mistake twice by bying HTC devices for Windows Phone plaform i.e. Radar and Titan, this time around I made a switch to Nokia Lumia 920. Nokia has been consistently doing a great job for the platform unlike HTC. HTC is slowly and steadly moving towards its demise in Windows Phone platform. The worst part is they are unable to mark any significance in Android too!!! Ultimately, there will be 3 big fighters fighting for market share i.e. Apple with iOS, Samsung with Android and finally Nokia with Windows Phone. All others are going to be wept OFF!
  • Woohoo! Hopefully this version of display + touch fixes the horrid auto brightness issues after the last update.
  • I really can't understand all the excitement...how about fixing the camera, or the auto brightness which has almost halved the battery life since I installed portico, as the screen is continuously blighting up and down...should I continue? Seems like we have to thank Nokia all the time for just having what they promised...
  • I have no such issue with auto brightness l920, battery life is also stable
  • You are not the first person that i come accross reading tech sites that is complaining about the flickering of their screen on the 920. Now i consider myself more than technically challenged, but here is what i noticed very early using my lumia 920.If i move to or away from a source of light at night when the "automatically adjust" button is turned on in settings-brightness, the sceen will flicker quite drastically. It will dime down if i move away from the light to a darker space. If i put the phone directly under the source of light it will sudently brighten significantly and remain that way for as long as i stay under that bright light. If i turn of the automatic setting the screen remain the same no matter what. One would think that it is the way nokia designed the phone??  I don't know the exact nature of your problem with your lumia but i tought , i would share that with you. Cheers!
  • Yes, that's exactly the problem. Just any indoor light makes the screen go brighter...if I just twist the phone a bit (away from the phone so no as much light goes towards the sensor) or to a darker area, it dimmers. The thing is, before the Portico update, the sensor wouldn't work, but the brightness seem just right (indoors)...now it is too bright and turning off the auto brightness simply makes it brighter than before (in low setting).
    But it is not just that problem but also the camera, Bluetooth problems,etc etc which most of us know about....anyway it just seems everyone gets too excited about nothing that major when real problems seem to to take forever to fix. Nokia doesn't seem to have their priorities right...
  • Obviously the idea is for the sensor to work that way BUT its continuously changing brightness...not very stable...and the worse thing of it is that's eating the battery twice as fast as before portico (because the screen is always brighter than before, even when set to off and at low setting....weird.
  • Way to go Nokia Team! Thank you for your amazing support of the Lumia line and Wp8!
  • This is awesome. But at first, I thought this was a color wheel for tiles! Got excited as hell! But this is good too.
  • I hope there are fixes for my 920 constantly crashing and requiring a soft reset a couple times day! That's after I got it back from Nokia (being fixed for locking up during a hard reset).
  • Sounds like an app issue
  • If you have a windows phone and its not with Nokia, you're really missing out! Nokia doing it big!!
  • Yes clearly apps like this are the best use of Nokia's man hours. People are crying out for this stuff. Sales will rocket.
  • I should of got a Nokia WP :/ dumn you and your beauty 8x
  • In last two years I had Samsung Omnia 7 on Orange UK and never got any updates after 7.5. I was again going for Samsung i.e. Ativ S due to SD card but then I bought Lumia 920 because of Nokia's excellent support. Now I am extremely happy and feel for those who don't have this amazing phone and support of Nokia.
     
    +10000000000 for Nokia
  • IS THIS FOR TITLES OR NO?
  • Everything is coming to 920, how about 620?
  • Nice!  Cannot wait to try it!
  • I've just received the update but this new option is still missing...
  • Me too :(
  • Huaaa... Where i can find lumia color profile??? I cant found them in display+touch :(
  • umm didnt the article say it would be opened up in a bigger update? meaning this current update was to just get the phones ready for it?
  • Got an update too, but dont see the options.
    However, to be honest, I dont need it. I am totally fine with the current settings...
  • I have a newer version, but it's not like this. I have two new options, battery saver and reading in high light, but i cant turn them on.
  • I'm using 1308 build and with new Disply and Touch, but didn't have this option.
  • WTF. How about fixing the freeze and reboot bugs before adding new functionality????
  • how to get lumia color profile ?? now i use firmware 1232.5957.1308.0022.
    but i can't lumia color profile at display&touch menu ??
  • I updated my phone to that firmware through the Nokia Software Updater for Retail 2.0.6, but I still don't have the Lumia Colour Profile option on the Display+Touch menu...anyone know why this could be?
  • New update for Lumia 920, 820 check it out!  http://www.technovert.in/2013/03/nokia-lumia-920-to-get-fm-radio-double....
  • my problem is even more worst :( i had lost my front camera icon after update to 1308 firmware, now there is no front camera function in my 920 ^^""" anyone face tis problem? is there any solution?
  • Just updated to 1232.5957.1308.0008 but no option about this is available. :(
  • More lies?
  • perhaps this will come with GDR2 (which, i believe, is preinstalled on the Lumia 925)???
  • I'm VERY surprised no one has mentioned anything about the color temperature.
    See in the day time, COOL is a great one to pick, but with indoor lights on, WARM will look MUCH more natureal at night, if you want to see something blue, go get a camera and adjust the white balance to your room
    then look at the phone - you will see how BLUE it is, this blue light will keep you awake and can mess up your sleep cycle, to prevent this, try using the warm color temp and see how you like that, when you use the phone late at night, I'd be interested to know what everyone here thinks about this, because it seems like an extremely overlooked feature!
  • It would be nice to have the option to choose what color i want for a particular Tile, currenlty all system tiles are of the same color, no matter what theme you choose all default applications gets the same color...
    adding the capability to choose color for each tile would actually be fulling the Lumia marketing punch "putting colors in your pocket"
     
    Hope to see this in my 8.1 update..