GDR2 update for Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 show up on Nokia’s servers, can be flashed now for the daring

For those of you who are super anxious to get Microsoft’s latest OS release, Windows Phone 8 build 10327 (GDR2) along with Nokia’s highly anticipated Amber firmware update, there’s some good news for you today.

Users in our forums and on other sites have noticed that the files are now available on Nokia’s servers for the Lumia 820 and Lumia 920. The files can be downloaded and you can flash your device directly. The bad news is you need to flash your device, which means wiping out your current data and starting fresh as you install this new ROM. That’s opposed to the carrier-sanctioned method that will preserve your data. In addition, you are likely going to miss any custom firmware for your carrier, including possibly Data Sense, should you go down this route. [Note: checking under Settings > Phone Update won't yield any results]

Because of those reasons, we don’t really advocate you go ahead and try this method. It requires some instruction following and some software installation, but we know some of you are tinkerers who don’t mind losing all your saved games and app settings. If that’s the case, head into our forums to get started or follow the instructions on the fan site Nokia Views, who have links to the ROMs for the Lumia 820 and Lumia 920 (no other devices are available yet).

Windows Phone 10327 (GDR2) is a minor OS update that brings FM radio, some enhancements to Xbox Music, WAV file playback for voicemail, fixed Other storage, and other minor bug fixes in addition to enabling the new hardware found in the Lumia 1020. Nokia’s corresponding Amber update, which is what is causing the delays for release, allows the new Glance screen, flip to silence, Lumia Color Profile and an improved camera experience, making the combo of an update quite interesting for consumers.

Carriers are expected to release the update in August directly to customers, which will also feature custom firmware for that carrier, enabling such things as Data Sense in select markets. Now that we know that the final base OS and firmware package is on Nokia’s servers, it’s a safe bet that the update is nigh, though as previous experience has taught us, the update will be staggered.

Thanks, willysocks2222 and Vincent G., for the tips and vinumathew, for the screenshots

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and wearable tech. He has reviewed laptops for over 10 years and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, Arm64 processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, performed polysomnographs in NYC, and was a motion-picture operator for 17 years.