Hands on video tour of Windows Phone 8 Update 3

Earlier today, Microsoft surprised the Windows Phone community by not only announcing all the new features in GDR3, but by announcing the Developer Preview Program. That just announced program allows developers and enthusiasts to download the latest operating system updates from Microsoft. In fact it was just a few hours after those announcements that the Preview for Developers app went live allowing everyone to download GDR3, which Microsoft is calling Update 3. Let’s check it out those features in Update 3 for Windows Phone 8.

First off, if you’ve been following the leaks and rumors from the past few months around GDR3 you should know this wasn’t going to be a monumental update. You’re going to need to wait for Windows Phone 8.1 (a.k.a. Blue) if you want to have your socks knocked off. Instead, GDR3 was an incremental update, one that’s giving your current handsets some much welcomed features while at the same time preparing for the next wave of Windows Phone devices – those in the 5 and 6-inch range. Let’s first check out the features we get today on our current handsets.

Goodnight App

Windows Phone has had multi-tasking since the Windows Phone 7.5 “Mango” update. By holding the back button you can see your most recent running apps. It worked reasonably well, but closing apps was a bit of a pain. You’d need to hit your back button a bunch of times to close out any running apps, not the best but it worked. Update 3 for Windows Phone introduces a few changes to that card view. First you’ve got the app icon next to the name beneath the card of the running app. Second, we’ve got a giant ‘X’ in the top right hand corner of the app. Tap that and you’ll close the app out. Simple and it works great.

While Windows Phone manages memory efficiently throughout the system, some of the more OCD among us like having the ability to close an app manually. It’s here and while others would have liked a gesture based solution like on iOS or WebOS, this is what we’re working with. As far as we know, this is how closing apps will work on any near future versions of Windows Phone, no gestures in sight. Honestly? Its fine and we’re digging the ability. Apparent you are too, it’s the most voted feature in our poll from earlier.

Ringtone for you, ringtone for her, custom ringtones for everyone!

Update 3 finally brings a feature users have been requesting for nearly three years now on Windows Phone – the ability to set customs tones for text, IM, voicemail, email, and reminders. GDR3 does that with aplomb and gives you the ability to set custom tones per contact. Just edit a contacts info and you can select your different tones for when they call or text you. For everything else, head into the ringtone and sounds section in settings and twiddle with what tones you want for your various notifications.

It’s a feature everyone’s been wanting and we’re glad to see it here. For example, you can bet mother-in-laws will be set to the tune of The Imperial March.

Phone storage overhaul

The clouds parted, trumpets sounded, and the Windows Phone nation shouted together in happiness. Our Other Storage woes might just be a thing of the past. Update 3 brings improved storage management to Windows Phone. Check the video out above to see the process in action. The gist is that the phone storage section your settings has been overhauled. You’ll see a new graphical interface for how your storage is being utilized. Our favorite feature is scrolling down to the “temporary files” section, tapping it, and deleting all those files. Temporary files can accumulate on your phone over time and if you’re running out of space you can head there to quickly nuke them.

Don’t move

You’re lying in bed, browsing Twitter and click a link to a story you want to read. It opens in IE but the browser moves sideways. Wouldn’t it be nice if Windows Phone had an orientation lock to keep things from moving all over the place? It’s finally here, but it can be better.

Orientation lock is buried in the settings on your phone with Update 3. We would have preferred a faster way to lock or unlock our orientation. For example, placing an icon that you can toggle on and off in the volume controls would have been a nice touch. But at least it’s finally here. Hopefully they’ll listen to more of our feedback and improve functionality of this feature we’ve all been waiting for.

Driving mode, the most underrated feature in Update 3

Let’s first talk about Driving mode before I tell you why I think it’s usefulness is underrated. What’s Driving Mode? Check the video out above to see it in action, but basically you can have your phone ignore incoming calls and texts while you’re driving. While in Driving Mode, your phone can, as an option, sent pre-made messages to those trying to contact you. We’re big fans of NOT using our smartphones while driving, but we’re human and slip up from time to time. By using Driving Mode we’ll be less tempted to use our phones while operating a thousand pound death trap. It’s pretty slick how it works too. Driving Mode is enabled anytime it connects to a pre-selected Bluetooth device, like your car’s audio system.

But the functionality of Driving Mode goes beyond just keeping you safe while driving. I think it can also be useful in niche situations where you want to use your phone for things like music, but don’t want to be distracted by incoming messages or calls.

Maybe you’re studying for a huge exam or getting swoll in the gym, Driving Mode can be used to keep you focused on your goals. Maybe the Windows Phone team should consider not just driving mode, but different profiles you can select for your phone based on location, connections to certain devices, or any other situation you manually put your phone. That idea has some potential.

Various Update 3 knickknacks

New status icons layout in GDR3

Those things listed above are the main features of GDR3/Update 3 that we’re most stoked about, but there are other various things in the update that are useful. For example, you can now connect to Wi-Fi in the out-of-box-experience when you’re first setting up your phone. This is useful if you don’t have a SIM card in, but want to immediately get started with signing into your Microsoft Account on a new phone.

Update 3 also makes Windows Phone easier to use for those having a hard time hearing, seeing, and using Windows Phone. Various controls in the ease of access section of the settings have been improved for those needing them.

Internet sharing picks up some new features. You can now pair your Windows Phone with Update 3 to a Windows 8.1 device over Bluetooth, after that just select the network name and you’re connected. Easy as pie. We tried it out and love it on our Lumia 925 and Surface Pro, both running the latest software from Microsoft.

GDR3 for today and tomorrow

GDR3 works on all Windows Phone 8 devices available right now and is important for enabling the next big change in hardware for Windows Phone. None of the handsets have it yet, but GDR3 enables support for 1080p displays. That’s Full HD and a resolution that’s expected to come to rumored devices like the Lumia 1520 and 929/1320. We’ll probably be seeing those next week in Abu Dhabi, but in the meantime GDR3 is what’s going to make those possible. Those large displays with 1080p will have the ability to display up to 6 Live tiles in a row, assuming you’re using the smallest Live tile.

Those new devices are going to need some new processing power, which is what GDR3 is also enabling. Windows Phone devices have always been powered by some type of silicon from Qualcomm in the Snapdragon family of Systems on a chip (Soc). The latest and greatest will be supported on Windows Phone because of GDR3. The Snapdragon 800 processor can currently be found on phones like the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and LG G2, but starting next week we’ll probably be seeing it inside the Lumia 1520. Specifically the MSM8974 model number, which is a quad-core processor. Bonkers.

That’s the future, one we’ll seeing next week in Abu Dhabi. We’ll be live from the Middle East to bring you the latest and greatest from Nokia and Microsoft.

That’s your look at Update 3 for Windows Phone 8. Sound off with your impressions below!

Have more questions? Need answers? Check out our dedicated forums on this topic! forums.wpcentral.com/windows-phone-gdr3-preview

315 Comments

Nice features..
They're alright really, WP8 is catching up at the moment. I'd really like to see a better music player or at least better metadata input/music matching. I'd also like to see Wi-Fi Direct support and Miracast support (this is a big one). integrated File Manager, all the features of PC are currently, and only possible in Android.....THIS IS WINDOWS, IT HAS TO change. Microsoft has to get this in their head "shoot to thrill, play to kill"
I agree about the music player, Zune was better than what is currently on wp8. When they updated to 8, the player lost some functions. And agree on a file manager.
Owh there're so much more functional we are lacking on our phones. Which makes every small thing feel like happiness. :) Player could be way better i agree. A file manager, there was a program on my Nokia n97 called "explore" it was the greatest app in the world i spent so much time in it. Wish something like that would be introduced in wp. Or may be soon some sort of jailbreak could let the app like that be on this beautiful phone.
And where is the possibility to pin 6 small tiles on lumia 920? Or they will bring it with bittersweet shimmer? LOL now operation system is 2,4 Gb instead of 1.9 Gb. They've solved other folder problem;D
MS pulled on non 1080p screens I was really hoping for this on my 928. Hopefully they will revisit this in 8.1
Haha nice sarcasm. Just shift the other storage to a system files so nobody complains. But yeah i still have the other at 1.4 Gb anyway
Also about 6 tiles was the experimental anyway of course it would be nice to have it like in settings just flick a switch to use 2 mis tiles or 3 coz some of us(not me) would still like to have big sized tiles.
Any one having the issue with clearing temp. files?
It says "Deleting temp files.." but no space is recovered for me.
Same here
Haha, why am I not surprised.
It says its a background process, so its not designed for immediate feedback.
I would imagine that right after installing Update 3, your temp wouldn't be that high.
Have you read the description? It is a background process, it takes some time and there is no guarantee it gets entirely or even mostly deleted.
Yes I hit it hours ago and my temporary storage is still the same... It can't possibly take that long to clear the files...
Hey my temp dropped 50 mb approx in about a min (rechecked)
Mine gained 28MB -__-
Maybe try a soft reset? On my 820 it deleted 400mb ish of files in less than a minute
same here too
Did you even bother to read the article above?! Give it a try, it´ll prevent useless questions.
I just like the fact that you'll get updates without having to wait for carriers.
This
Really nice features, so looking forward to the "mother of all windows phone" announcement next week. The next major update for Microsoft must be a revamp/update to the windows store both in design and quality. Apple, Google & Amazon stores outshine WP Store. We need a one-stop-shop for music, books, movies, tv shows, magazines, apps & games all within the store.
I found two new options under the cellular heading in the settings menu. They have to do with controlling and/or restricting background data use. Hadn't seen any mention of them on here, so I thought I'd shed some light on them...everybody enjoy! I am pumped about getting the update as soon as it was announced after having to wait for at&t to release the last one. I updated my 920, and then I did my girls 520 also, and they are both working perfectly!!
I see nothing new under "Cellular".
Maybe it came with the gdr2 update, I'm not sure since three came immediately afterwards, but my girlfriends 520 didn't have the two new check boxes under cellular unto after I put the 3rd update on it. Just trying to help, because they are most definitely there, and they weren't before I did there updates. I'm sure of it. I have a screenshot. I just haven't figured out how I can post it. No worries though! What matters is that we got our update in a timely manner. Everybody enjoy!
Any idea if music syncing has been improved?

Or does it still automatically mess up album info and cover art?
Not sure, but I have definitely seen improvements to the Music app. Songs load instantly, whereas before there was a bit of lag (because of the extreme size of my collection).
Back door bragger :)
Need to know info.
I think you Connect With Xbox Music option on , that what messes up the album info & cover art.
Alot of these things get solved with windows 8.1
I finally got my music semi-straightened out with no duplicate music (or pictures). I'm afraid to sync my phone or copy music to it from the pc. Luckily, I have Xbox Music so I can download whatever songs I want over WiFi which is about the same speed. Still, it would be nice to know if I can safely sync with my computer again.
Lol upload while the east coast sleeps huh?
Man, loving my phone more and more. Don't know what I'll feel when I get 8.1. Go MSFT!!!
excitement, duh. :P

Though, multitasking could have been improved better (a small x, really? it should have been swype to dismiss like webOS or android) but that's nitpicking at this point.
But you know what, I absolutely love this feature. I don't have to mash my back key to get out of a web browsing session. This was such an issue for me since I had to use the website for my bank. If you hit the back it tries to reload data that is no longer valid. It's even worst if you just start web surfing. You have to back out of every page you went to. So you just have to keep mashing the back button to get out of the ap. I think this above all the other new stuff is the best new feature in GDR3.
Really?! Why the hell should it be the same as webOS or android?!
MSFT is not a copycat like Android and IOS.
Will I get bittersweet shimmer OTA since I flashed my 920 to a French ROM to get amber and updated to gdr3 today?
Yes! Don't worry!
I did the same, very mad at at&t
At&t bothers me as well. When I get time I will throw gdr3 on my 920.
Gdr3 is still in preview and we are at least a month till we get nokias update.
Unfortunately, it's in AT&T's best interest to not update there phones so that people upgrade more often.
black mamba!
That's a nice name for a phone haha
now wondering if sam supports lakers
Kid's Corner is not the same. Daniel said it was in the video. It no longer takes on the password of your phone therefore it can be accessed without a password now!
That's unchanged. I never had a password set for my Kid's Corner, but "my" side always has.
That will make life alot easier!!!
Mine still takes on the password
It still needs a password on mine - and there's no where to set it seperately.
It won't prompt for a password if it hasn't gone over the timeout limit - but as soon as the main lockscreen needs a password, so does Kids Corner
Kid's Corner still works the same. My phone is unlocked, i hit the power key to turn off the screen, hit it again to turn it on, I swipe to Kid's Corner, kids play, kids hit power button and try to login 5 seconds later and are greeted by my lock screen password. Works like a charm. And my password lock is ser for 30 minutes.
What about notification center? :S
That's a 8.1 feature. It wasn't supposed to come in GDR3 ;)
I think that's a good idea. A way for them to polish it up, keep us happy, and ensure continued drooling.
Or they are out of ideas and want to give us notifications with bigger release just to "wow" us even though it was probably ready before GDR2.
Btw, Sony's Xperia Z1, Z1f and the upcoming Z2 (the real competitors to Nokias 1320 and 1520) also have the Snapdragon 800;) And I have a feeling the Nokia 1320 will also have it.
I hope they reuse the 920 design with a 5-inch screen. That would be too sweet!
Yup. I love the 920 design over all. The 928 is slick tho.
Don't get me wrong I love my 920, but its a tank... If they keep this design, it has to get ligther.
It is not a tank. You are a wimp...
Lol, the L920 is light as a feather can easily use it one handed. Also if my little nephew that is 2 yrs old is able to hold it without complaining lol. Though not a big fan of pacifying kids with phones and tablets, my uncle pesters me for my phone when i visit as he is reluctant to give him his iphone. Kids corner for the win!.
Do I have to have wpsdk 8.0 to u lock my device?
No, you only need to be registered developer.
What's MS/Nokia doing about File Manager?
WP8.1
+100
I kind of don't get the histery about file manager - what will it be good for on Windows Phone? You cannot access OS files, you cannot access apps' files, only pictures, music and docs are accessible. And for those you already have an app.
It'll be more organized
I agree with overall organization. But WP will allow your apps to open their associated files. For instance, I have vba8 and it takes roms. As soon as I downloaded the rom via ie it automatically showed up in the vba8 app.
What if I want to download a file onto my phone, and then email it to a friend? I can't unless its a picture. Please show me how I can save documents to my phone and then email them to people? I can't work that out. :/
Word docs? Go into office and share via email.
1. Open Office
2. Tap phone
3. Hold down on the file you want to send
4. Select email account
5. The rest is simple
Or
3. Open file you want to send
4. Tap 3 dots
5. Tap share
6. Select email account
7 The rest is simple
No profit?
Lol, 6. Profit!!
And
8. Profit!!
Profit?
It didn't change
Though you are currently limited to attaching one document per email (i don't have update 3 installed to check if different), as if you try to attach another the folder defaults to the pictures hub. Have to use something like skydrive to get around that.
How I wish the 6 tiles will be available for 480x800 res phones
Eww
I don't think it is going to be cool..
I think it should be REALLY small and not funcion at all
Only in 1080p mode!
Hey, you guys at WPC had mentioned attaching different file types in emails. Any clue if that really will be available?
Is available, use the office hub to share the file
That's available in WP 7.8 too. What I mean is can you attach multiple Office files in an email and from the email app, especially when replying to a mail.
AFAIK no, clicking "attachment" only gives you the option to attach a photo/image. That's kind of disappionting... :-( But maybe I am missing something?
WPC had reported that attaching office documents would be available in gdr3. I wanted to know if it is available in the preview. If not, then is there any information on whether this will be available any time soon.
Its not in this preview. I am hoping that and ability to use custom tones for apps too, comes in a final version!
It probably will made be available in the future update(s) for the preview, because for example the storage manager doesn't show installed apps management even though the description is there. So I assume there are going to be some additional updates before final version.
I have a feeling that this is what we will get. Keep in mind that GDR3 is being released with the new 1080p phones. That means it has to be ready before the devices complete the manufacturing process. The new phones are rumored to be available in November, so they have to complete the first batch and have them shipped to the stores before they are available for sale. I doubt there is enough time to distribute a new release and still allow all that to happen on time.
Another tiny but welcome addition is the fact that if you have "phone" as a filter on the song list, your phone will only add music downloaded on your phone to the now playing playlist . A good tweak for those like me who want to shuffle through music without worrying about the data associated with streaming.
10+
Good spot
A little check box for better hands free goodness over by as well. Anyone notice it actually helping?
+10 Yes!
What feature is this cant seem to understand you
Must mean the advanced BT options.
Ok thank you
I am really happy about the screen rotation lock! Haha, I use to have it on my Nokia N8, I wonder if at a later stage MS would release an update so you can turn it on or off for certain apps only? That would be really awesome :)
Sad thing is, Microsoft baked that feature from wp7. For some reason they didn't released it. So we all had that feature, Microsoft didn't allow it. Only Venue Pro had rotation lock in the history of windows phone before gdr3 came along.
Apps already have the individual ability to set rotation lock.
Oh, how do you do that? Without changing the settings in the app?
99% of the times I have been swearing over the before non existing rotation lock has been navigating the OS, not apps.
Some apps force it and some dont.
Only a handful of them do. So far, after 12 months of use, I noticed 2.
I might actually use Driving Mode if it wasn't bluetooth only. I wonder why they didn't implement a "if plugged into the AUX port" as well like they have for voice texting.
Probably because there would be no way to identify a pair of headphones vs an aux port on a car stereo. Bluetooth has unique identifiers.
No, but it can read that something is plugged in. So when something gets plugged in then you can kick on driving mode. Cause it doesn't have to be just AUX, I'd like it for when I'm mowing the lawn and listening to my music.
I am so with you! I hate the audible notifications when listening to music!!!!!!!!!!
I guess it will turn your alerts off now if you're in a taxi or on the bus, and message callers that you are driving. :)
I agree with you that it's a valid point, but I can see why they made it bluetooth only.
However, I have two solutions for you:
1. Pin driving mode to your start screen and manually enable (bleh)
2. Buy a Blackberry Music Gateway, pair it to your phone, and stop plugging your phone into a cable. The gateway can be found on http://store.wpcentral.com/blackberry-music-gateway/9A172A11438.htm
For $50 you won't regret it. I have one and love it. Likely the only blackberry product I'll ever own.
what about cortana voice assistant?
and
what about media sharing directly from gallery for chat apps?
WP8.1
Media sharing works now...
u mean we can now send music and videos via whatsapp?
No what's app doesn't utilize this feature... I have done this several times with kik
no even kik doesnt allow in my windows 8 lumia 820. it only allows to record audio/video and sent. doesnt allow selecting the same from music player/gallery. ur kik allows now after gdr3 or since the gdr1?
https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=4049170ae183d19c&id=4049170AE183D19C%2128...
this option comes only when i try to send a photo. this option wont come if i try to share video or audio clip.
You can share directly from the photo gallery now to chat apps. I share images from the gallery with WhatsApp. For some reason I can't with videos, but I think that has to do with WhatsApp and not the OS.
im talking about videos and musix only which even I cant share. Photo sharing is allowed I know.
Joe Belfiore mentioned on twitter in response to Dr Pizza that making a rotation lock tile should be possible for developers. He said he was 90% sure.
+1
Does that mean it will toggle direct from the tile or is it just a shortcut to the settings?
Usually a shortcut. I have an app with a bunch of toggles but they're all shortcuts.
can't wait :)
For WP8.1
Im very pleased of how Windows Phone has been doing, but damn! I was really hoping to be able to customize the notification sounds! Its a bit frustrating to hear the same sound when you get a message from WhatsApp, IM+, Twitter, Facebook, 6tagram, and any other apps that uses the notification service. Next update, perhaps? :)
WP8.1
I think Microsoft only implements 30% of the stuff where you write "WP8.1". Don't tease people.
Apps will be able to have custom sounds for toast notifications, but they will need to update the app to support that.
I haven't seen that mentioned anywhere, particularly, not in dev docs.
Has anyone tried this on Lumia 1020?
http://forums.wpcentral.com/windows-phone-gdr3-preview/
Yes , working fine
Nice write up of the features. Driving mode profiles is a good idea.
I don't know if this was present in GDR2 but in system settings > Cellular. You can tell apps running in back to turn off when roaming. I never roam but could be helpful.
Yes you can turn off roaming data in GDR2!
That was available since WP 7.5
Update 3 allows you to limit background data but retain initiated data while roaming. This is different.
Ah, I see. Thanks!
What about Glance, can it display the missed calls, incoming text, etc.. ?
No, that's firmware that is coming from Nokia later on. This is an OS update.
Only Nokia?
Oh Yeah, sorry, my mistake, I forgott that this is just MS update...
What's that band on the finger on your left hand? Not some injury hope?
In the phone update settings, the option for notifying about new updates is gone.
Really?
Yeah i just checked but i dont understand??why have they done this
It's forced ON, since you may not get to know when preview updates will be released, but you MUST want to know that for testing you apps :)
My phone us called Black Mamba too #spooky
LOL
Rotation lock is. The. Best. Thing. Ever! Seriously, been waiting 2+ years for it... Also wanted to use Driving Mode as a "night mode" so that only calls notify me while sleeping...unfortunately it seems to REQUIRE a Bluetooth device. a) don't have one, b) no option to manually toggle driving mode on while not connected to said BT device? I realize it's a preview...but I have a feeling that won't change with GDR3's official release...back to manually turning off vibrate, text sounds, email sounds, & "all other notification" sounds each night and re-enabling each morning :(
Why don't you use flight mode during the night???
because then it would block emergency calls.
agreed, night mode is really needed. why do i remeber having it before? was it in wp7?
Thanks folks at WPCentral! I'm loving the update; closing apps is a lot easier now! And having a Zelda ringtone for my texts makes me happy! Yay!
Zelda text and email tones were the first things I added after updating haha
lol, thats funny because I've been waiting to do the same thing. My old HTC Kaiser was Zelda themed. Custom colors, sounds, backgrounds, etc. Love those damn games.
How?
You have to find all of the pieces of the Triforce and defeat Gannon first.
Hahahaha
I wonder, will any future update be able to allow me to share pics with an android device through NFC? Or will it only ever be from WP to WP?
You always could share photos through NFC! You have to turn it on both phone's! Android need's a app called beam download it and try.
I do it with my ATIV S (GDR3) to Galaxy S3 (Android 4.3) to ATIV S (GDR3) all the time!
Thanks, I'll give that a try.
Microsoft to show the Microsoft Surface Phone Lumia @CES 2014 ....to be the first Windows Phone 8.1 device showed till WMC 2014 in February along with LG & Sony again. Surface Mini & Pro Mini For now be happy with GDR3!
Windows Phone 8.1 should be equal to Android 4.4 & iOS7.1 this February 2014! Apple will fall in 6 months to #3 spot!! ...WP8.1 #2
We would love that, but not going to be the reality.
Why not? Windows Phone @7% market share iPhone @12% market share There is only 5% market share difference now! iOS7 is falling and in February WP8.1 coming to destroy iOS7.1 with in 6 months! @10% in 3Q 2014.
Android @80%
BlackBerry @1% Forgot to add :)
WP @ 7%?
No.
iOS7 is not falling to 3rd for the next 3-4 years.
I have been waiting for custom SMS tone .I'm going to cry tears of joy.....WINDOWS PHONE FOR THE WIN !!
Black Mamba
LOL
Ok Nokia we all need to test BSS so now its your turn.... Nokia dev preview
I wonder what makes MS think WP8 is a business phone?
Probably the businesses that are adopting WP.
They know it is not, but neither is Android or Apple OS (I refuse to call it iOS as IOS is for Cisco). Blackberry is the only remaining business mobile OS after WM was killed off. The consumerization of IT is almost complete as Blackberry draws its final breath. Yay touch screens, social media, videos and games!...
I think after WP 8.1 and the Enterprise Service Pack, WP will be a viable business phone.
I've installed GDR3 on my Lumia 920.
Actually there are not so many interesting changes.
For me the most interesting one is the ability to close apps.

In my opinion MS should urgently clean up the settings menu:
It's really a pain to search for a specific setting there.
They should group it in the way it's done under iOS and Android.

And there are much-needed improvements to be implemented regarding IE (store passwords, sync with W8.1) and the music player!

I don't get why they introduce 'unimportant' stuff like the 'driving mode' first...
Anyone can tell if auto answer is available through Bluetooth or any other way?
Okay this is confusing I thought Nokia was the one adding features to WP and such.
What is their "bittersweet shimmer" update going to have ?
Nokia phone specific improvements and additions.
That's just still not good enough. These features should have been implemented since wp8 released
Gtfo!
^^^This
And sadly, most android and apple users would just be shocked how these basic functions only exist now
Actually most Android and Apple users don't even realize they have settings beyond putting up a background picture and maybe setting a ringtone for their loved ones. Maybe. Joe Schmoe doesn't realize their phone does more than connect to social networks, email, games, and play media.
Which are probably the same users surveyed - given Paul Thurrot from winsupersite was told most users use the home button to switch between apps by going to the home screen via the home key. Hence why the back button was going to be retired.
I am now running GDR2+Amber on my L920, and I'm a developer from DreamSpark, I wanted to update to GDR3, but then can I still receive OEM updates in the future? Can I still update regularly as if I'm still running Amber?
Yes, you can.
One tiny but awesome detail I noticed: now, when you tap and hold the back button for the open apps, try tapping the app next to the one you're currently in. It seems as if the animation was sped up!! :D
True lol :D
What about file attachment in email?
Cannot find it anywhere. Anyone?
Lumia 925 /Svein
So there's no 6 row of small tile for 768 devices? I thought there'll be soe for 92x and 1020 devices also.
Rumors aren't always right :)
I've added a few .mp3 files for custom tones... But some don't show up. No reason I can see, they are just cbr 128s.
For Nokia Ringtone maker: no DRM mp3 allowed. Except call ringtone, try for 5 seconds trim mp3, even usual ringtone length is allowed. Make the genre as [ringtone] for device to recognise if not using Nokia Ringtone Maker.
These things are not updates....,these are the part of OS and should have been there from the beginning..., i fear if MS would one day say you had enough updates and no more updates to old WP8'S when the real updates come.
I say gtfo
MS is making fool of you nerds...,hahaha
And your talking out of your ass.
And I bet you are smelling it and glad enjoying it....lol
can't wait to touch wp 8.1, hope it will finally give WP what it takes to compete with other OS.
I have a feeling we'll be able to get a developer preview for bittersweet shimmer also ^ ^
That would be sweet.
And a little bit bitter.
:) jejeje
I don't get any new ease of access settings on my 925 UK. All i get is text size, screen magnifier and contrast, nothing else.
Same on my 8X.
I can't believe no one mentioned this yet... But what the hell happened to separate volume controls!!! The simplest yet most essential thing! I appreciate what Microsoft is doing but they introduce driving mode and they don't put separate volume controls? So frustrating!
Agreed, I am surprised this wasn't included. I hope it will at least be in the next release.
Agreed
I love the way they have said "these files make your phone work. you don't want to delete them. Trust us." :) when you head into system option in phone storage.
Yea, I chucked when I saw that. jejeje
Aw. Has some bugs while using LINE messengger after updating to GDR3. Try it, you'll hardly to see what you text in portrait, but it fixed in landscape.
And 1, wifi, bluetooth, and location icon at status bar, is moving to left. And location icon is moving to right. Try it.
#sorry for my bad english
Nice little update but... Couldn't they finally add separate volume controls? This is simple yet essential. I rarely used the volume buttons on my previous phones and need to adjust the volume 100 times a day with wp8, this is absurd. How can one think it OK to decrease/increase the ringer volume just because you're listening to a music with your headphones?
One more feature: You can now sync or add txt docs. You can share them too.
For me, the feature that I was eagerly looking for was the ability to attach Office documents while replying to emails. How can an email client not have this functionality.
How can WP8 be right for business without this basic feature.
WP OS not provide all support for all windows phone.They develop updates that they are missing and it take long time to develop that updates but we look there are not fully update all function in one OS they make different updates in different OS. if we see
1)wp 7 -they solve live tiles problem
2) wp 8- they added some new function dual core processors and latest added function
3)WP blue -what they missing in developing that add and nothing different than any OS or no new features.
they 2-3 features and said that new updates and no new updates come.
then apps developers confused about apps support about old WP OS and they don't develops apps for old device.
What in the world did you just say
LOL
who knows...
I would love to see AT&T and Nokia do a trade-in offer of my old older phones to be credited to buying the L1520. Also, instead of being called a "phablet", I prefer to call it a "handphone" now that it's bigger than the L920.
Will ATT be able to block internet sharing here or do we finally have a functional solution for tethering???
Tether-X?
At least I can say that I had it with Spain keyboard method and worked fine I restored my phone a couple of days ago and yesterday installed gdr3 today I installed Spain keyboard again cause I wiped my 920 clean and it doesn't work..
Do i need to register for the free app studio on the website or will it register when i go through the app (preview for developer) and than its still free right?
so whqat happened to the notification center i thought that was coming with this update?

also i like that we can close apps now but i would of though that the way windows 8 does it would of fit better. io7 does it that way so why has ms done it this way?
VPN i need it VPN! call+SMS filter need whitelist and blacklist. and everything is now all right:
WP8 still doesn't have true multitasking. You can't load or run apps simultaneously, they pause each time you switch. This was my main disappointment with WP8 since they made such a big deal of it using the same kernel as Windows 8
Thing is, part of the reason why WP runs as smoothly as it does is because of tombstone-ing. Old Windows Mobile ran apps simultaneously and it slows your phone down. Same on Android.
yes, it has true multitasking, but limited to file transfers.
Do you really want to drain the battery in 5 hours by running useless code?
WARNING: There is a new feature added in the ease of access settings, 'mobile accessibility' which will read out anything on your screen if enabled. Don't enable this with a lock screen password, you may have to reset your device to get back in - has a lot of glitches.
Still no automatic quiet time for most notifications. Driving mode sounds interesting, i think it should be expanded to incorporate a quiet time as well.
I also think, in keeping with the windows 8 theme, rather than having an (X) in the corner to close apps, should have allowed swipe down option as well. Just shows that these unintuitive ideas haven't even penetrated microsoft though.
Hmm, but I already have my husband set to the Imperial Death March. ;-)
Some info on the forums but wanted an official analysis and comparison of any battery life improvements (or the opposite) after GDR3 update. Would be great, thanks.
Has anyone tested this on the Lumia 520 yet?
Who ol vil get d update.....n....when....???
Ease of access features shown on the video were on the previous version, not sure but I think they been there from gdr2. I can recall I have them before installing gdr3
Mobile accessibility is the only new thing in ease of access
Will I be able to update to bittersweet the normal way(from update phone settings page) after doing gdr3 developer preview update? I mean, this thing(developers preview app) might be working such that it changes update mirros to special mirrors for developers preview releases where the phone probes to check updates, in that case it wont get OEM firmware updates? may be? just guessing.
Unable to mobilize?
anyone else find it amusing that articles from Windows Phone Central do not display on Windows Phone? Funny.
Lumia 1020 enabled finally. Just cost me £17.00 but i have 4 Lumina's
Can someone confirm ring + vibrate works correctly with this update? They need to work simultaneously.
NOT
vibrate(3 times)>>>ring>>>vibrate>>>ring Who came up with this idea?...so stupid
I like it that way.
It offers a silent warning that a call is coming in before ringing.
Very convenient for me, and not "stupid" at all.
Hello all,

Only me that can´t set custom ringtones?
You have to have some first
Sweet!
Hilarious! I got the update as soon as it was available. The first thing I did after the update was set my mother in laws tone to the imperial march. Great minds think alike. Lol
After the update, my back button disappeared.
Sounded like someone farted at 2:08.
Hows other storage ? That part is on the storage check part of the settings not phone storage .can we now delete other storage files?
Ha I can send a ringtone in a text message woo!
The first thing I did after update was trying to resize my titles. They could give the option to 3 columns. Beside this, my L920 seems to be faster. The X button is great to, not beautiful, but it's a great improvement.
Aren't we all just a pissy bunch. I started lusting after Windows Phone when it was introduced. Have we forgotten NoDo? The wait for Mango? The promise that Apollo would be just another upgrade?

Well, things changed. Windows Phone 8 brought lots to the table, Surface was introd. Updates to fix problems with Windows Phone 8. Hardly any features in 7.8. But we were all rabid to get these.

And now. We have had two significant (call it what you will, but GDR3 is important in laying the groundwork for the next wave of handsets to be introduced this week and next) updates just weeks apart. We also see the glimmer of hope that there will be no more waiting for carriers to deliver the goods on basic upgrades to the OS. This must have been an experiment to see how well OTA worked for this update. I am hoping that "Blue" will find its way to us in a similar fashion - unencumbered by the politics of carriers vs. new models, etc.
^5
I don't see what's the big deal here. Everything on gdr3 and propably on wp8.1 should've been on the first build of wp8. I, atleast, am seriously thinking about changing back to android. I don't understand why the phone can't vibrate and ring at the same time, why the clock can't be visible at all times if I so chose....
From what I've been reading in the comments the multi tasking should work, when i bought my Ativ S I was under the assumption that wp8 had real multi tasking. But the apps just go to stand by or some such when not active/on the screen.
I'll give these new updates a go, but I'm not too excited. Custom ring tones...what is this 1998?
Don't let the door hit ya.
I won't, because I'm taking the whole frame with me! :)
And where is the possibility to pi 6 small tiles on lumia 920? Or they will bring it with bittersweet shimmer? LOL now operation system is 2,4 Gb instead of 1.9 Gb. They've solved other folder problem;D
Love the video but it is hard to look at when the phone is tilted at an angle to the camera :/
Is it just me or has everything become smoother on GDR3
Most useful feature was the one added and then taken away one day after the Gdr2 update...... Glance screen notifications. Unbelievable.
That's a Nokia update, and you never actually had notifications on Glance.
Supposedly it will be added with Nokia's 'bittersweet shimmer'.
Where is the email document attachment or I am missing something ?
Cannot find it either!
Inside Office.
I have updated a Lumia 925 - no problem - all announced functions worked afterwards.
Then I updated a colleagues Lumia 920, and guess what: Driving Mode and Rotation lock cannot be opened? Any ideas?

/Svein
I'm avoiding this on my HTC 8X until the official release. The initial GDR2 update had aids and the volume and vibrate is slightly lower in loudness on my unlocked 8X vs. my friends 8X on T-Mobile. The beats audio integration is possibly another woe. Has anyone else gone ahead and updated their 8X and what are the results?
Updated my 8xt with beats. Still no downside that I've noticed.
works like a charm in my htc 8x.
Double tapping back button closes the current app:D
Yes people, I've finally seen windows phone being talked about on NBC's Today Show.
cool maybe the video clip will be available on the NBC Today app?
Maybe but it was very short, they just talked briefly about the drive mode on window phone.
Looking forward to trying the driving mode out on my way home today. Downloaded this last night on my 8xt when I got off the train.
Runs well and closing apps is a big deal. I found after GDR2 that the double click to close was not consistent through apps. Maybe that was just me, but there were times when I had too many open and it compromised my battery life and the phone obvkiously ran slower, though with WP8 that is not necessarily significant.

So to answer - yes, I think it is running better. Now for Nokia to drop the B. Shimmer update. Next milestone on our way to WP 8.1
Wow I love the X to close an app, I wish it was slide down the app to close, imagine doing that on a 1520 WHOA its way up there, great improvement but still not enough for me to jump on this,
Still no notification hub.. Oh well i can wait.. Overall great additions!!
Still rocking 7.8
Updated my Lumia 920, so far loving the update, nice neat features, can't wait for Nokia update now :)
No problem in LUMIA 620, with a 5% of batery consumed...
nice
One thing i noticed is that Deleting Temporary Files takes a real long time to complete, i have 448,62 mb temp files been waiting for more than 20 min for it to delete it.
Cool on the "other" and memory management. I want an apology though, from Microsoft for telling me for over 10 years starting back with the original Zune, that I was nuts and there was no memory management problem even though I ram into it nonstop on every single mobile Microsoft device (Zune, Zune 80, Zune HD, Windows Phone 7, and now Windows Phone 8).
Does anyone know why enabling Internet Sharing automatically disables a Wi-Fi internet connection? It'd really be nice if we could hotspot through Wi-Fi and not eat through our data plan.
...because if their is a WiFi connection, why would you be tethering through your phone?
So, how do we download the updates?
I still want independent volume control. I don't want my music to be the same volume as my notifications. How driving mode was implemented before that is beyond me.
Exactly. It is beyond you.
Will.it void my warranty
What was Daniel talking about with experimenting with new resizing options for tiles? He refers to it without explanation on the video. Did I miss a memo?
He was talking about 6 tile rows on existing phones.
Has anybody got any good links for cool Notification tones?
Nokia should really bring over the Situations app from Symbian. The best app ever made. I imagine with all the features they have ported over to WP from Symbian, I would hope Situations would be one of them soon.
Come on, still no notification status...!
Im getting tired of going thru my cell, trying to figured out which app made the sound for notification , and always checking viber, fb,Skype,Nokia chat, weChat, to see if someone message me :-\.
This is a must!
Great style of writing. I love the use of examples to showcase the added benefit of a new feature. Clearly i'm old because the term "swoll" is new to me. It's not hard to figure out what it means but man it's obviously a new term. Gotta revisit the urban dictionary and to keep up with my peeps.
Ok, I took the bait and chomped...updated my 822 and my wife's new 928. Awesome, even though its just a bunch of little things with a couple of biggies ( the x for closing apps gives the user a greater sense of control, so its a biggie no matter what anyone says ), its great to be able to go out and get it without waiting for the provider to deem us worthy. However, some comments have me concerned, and I'd like to see full articles here to clarify a few things. Such as the warranty issue...how does getting an update this way affect our warranties, and what worst case scenarios could we be looking at if we do update? Does MS provide a reset option if the update bricks the phone? They should, if they get a mass of bricked phones at some time in the future from this or future updates, they're looking at a full scale revolt if they don't have a backup plan for their customers.
Has anyone noticed some of the latest update features not showing up on their phone? Such as the extra Bluetooth add on and a couple others? I had no problem with the update installation, and no error messages showed up. I have a 920 and until now the updates have installed just fine
Any ideas? thanks.
,
Button to close ALL apps, please.
Great stuff, but Microsoft really needs to organize all that stuff under settings. There's no reason why screen orientation should be it's own item. Why not stick it under display?
But there is no USB On The Go support :( C'mon Microsoft, Lumia 925 with 16G without MemoryCard Slot, pleaseeee, let us have some music, at least with external usb storage
The very much needed was "Screen lock rotation" ... :) finally it's here... but I think, it should be handy, like, it should be near "ringer" button when we turn up/down the volume....... :) i saw it in a concept/video .. I think MS is concentrating on wp 8.1 .... which might include proper multitasking and many features.. :)
Now I know the article says everyone can get it now, but when I download the app and try to sign in, it says I have to be a developer.
Wow! Really impressed that MS developers have turned out incredible features in just 1 year of updates.
So if I update my L925 to this, I'll keep my Amber stuff??? As I think I see in this video... Yes... No?
what calander app is that in the video?
What about WP7.x updates? D:
Can someone confirm the status of the (not-so) live tiles update frequency in GDR3? In GDR2 and earlier, if there is no internet connection on the phone (no 3G/4G and no Wifi either), tile updates are all suspended, regardless of the fact the app does not need any internet connection to update its tile. For example the battery apps are all broken because of this: if there is internet connectivity UP on the phone, the update hapens every 30 mins, if there is no internet connection, the live tile froze indefinitely and does not update until the phone connects to the internet again. This has been confirmed in one of the MSDN forums by MS developers nearly 1 year ago when WP8 was released, but the issue still persist in GDR2. I have a bad feeling this will never ever be fixed, and will be considered as a "by design" flaw.
Anybody running already GDR3, can have a look at it?
Is warrenty will void after dev. update??
Windows phone just keep getting better and better. Now push out those apps and you've got a winner.
I have some issues with my battery life :( it drains a lot faster than it did with Gddr 2 is anyone facing the same problem?
Hello guys, i've updated my L620 to GDR3 last night but dont know why my settings didn't. I have almost everything like it was before. Also, my L620 is TIM branded so Amber update came without Data Sense. I thought that with this update, Microsoft bypasses carriers and deliver a complete windows experience with all it's features. How can i update all settings from my phone? Thanks.
is custom ring tones something new? I have different ringtones for different people in my wp7, whats the new part?
What's about possibility of change saturation and colours temperature like in Lumia 1020?

Show more comments