Microsoft frustrates its base by breaking Calendar app for Windows Phone 8.1

In Windows Phone 8.1 certain core services have changed in that they can be updated dynamically, bypassing the requirement for a full-fledged OS update. In theory, that should allow Microsoft to respond to the rapidly changing market by delivering faster paced, piecemeal updates. In reality, it also increases the chances that something may go wrong, and that is exactly what has happened.

Last night Microsoft pushed out a rare update for the calendar app, which was disentangled from the OS in 8.1, much like Xbox Music. The update brought the version number to 1.0.14127.246 and there was no changelog. Although it is exasperating to users to have to update an app without knowing what changed – or improved, it is even more vexing when that update breaks something.

Immediately following the update, people in comments started to complain that the attempting to create or edit an appointment caused the calendar app to crash. We have tested the update on various devices, including the Lumia 630 with the Lumia Cyan firmware, and they all have the same problem, rendering the calendar app a view-only tool.

Currently, there are over 500 comments left in the original article, most of which vouch for the instability that the update has caused.

One temporary work-around is to use Cortana, who can add appointments directly to the OS, or to use one of the many third-party calendar apps found on the Store. However, Cortana is currently a US-based system, only accessible by changing regions on the device.

Combined with the ongoing disappointment with Xbox Music, Microsoft seems to be turning allies into enemies with these snafus. Although I expect Microsoft to put out a rapid fix for the calendar, it does not sit well with the base that something as obvious as this bug went unnoticed during testing. This crash is not some rare, hard to replicate issue and frankly they should be embarrassed. Windows Phone 8.1 is just starting to be pushed out for over-the-air updates or is already being sold on devices like the Lumia 635, just announced today for T-Mobile. This screw-up is a bad headline at the wrong time.

We've reached out Microsoft for comment on the situation. Since a few hours ago, the offending calendar app has been hidden in the Store to prevent others from updating.

Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, 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 for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

409 Comments
  • is that 630 in the second photo ? my Lumia 630 has a white traingle all the time and looks smaller 
  • White triangle is normally when you're on roaming network
  • Roaming is turned off....
  • I've got that also. I think it's because your Mobile Company is a Virtual Mobile Operator (I think it's called that), and like the phone connects to the real network from the company your company is virtualized on, it thinks it's a romaing network.
  • Yeah maybe, but do the big companies do that too ? i'm using Three (Drei) and it's a known operator here in Austria
  • Maybe if they don't have their own Network in your area. My operator is ONO, from Spain, and it's got optical fiber almost everywhere, but lacks the mobile infraestructure, so they rent Movistar's.
  • I am from Austria too and use three/drei as well. And yes, it's virtualized for 2 ranges: It uses the T-Mobile Network for 2G (I guess) and A1 for 4G. Well, something like this, to be fair ;-)
  • Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO)
  • A white triangle means you are roaming. Simple.
  • Roaming is off..
  • Even when it is off, the triangle is there. Same with me on my Lumia 1020 with a foreign SIM, with roaming set to off.
  • Well, i'm using Three (Drei) sim in the same country i bought it from (Austria)
  • Then contact Nokia, I guess.
  • The even when roaming is turned off, it only turns off data roaming. Your phone will still connect to the network, hence the white triangle.
  • What the hell was wrong with the native calendar, that prompted them to think they should change it? Damn Microsoft makes it really hard to stay loyal
  • Not that they were "changing" it. Lilley killing a few device or scenario specific bugs. Shit happens... I'm sure it week be fixed soon enough.
  • I don't see what's wrong with it being tied into the OS like before. Microsoft is the world's largest software company ya know. Apple rolls out mini iOS updates and bug fixes all the time, plus not to mention the problems with the previous Calendar & Music app was minuscule and trivial. Now not so much.
  • Your comment, not so much. WP has a small market share, MS were late to the game and can't just roll out updates over the heads of the carriers like Apple can. Plus they have a lot more devices to support - and will soon have way more with lots of new OEMs coming out with 8.1 devices. So it makes complete sense to decouple as much as possible. The new calendar is much improved over the one in WP8; this is just an unfortunate bug which i'm sure will be fixed soon and on the whole is mostly affecting people beta testing (dev preview) so few customers under warranty will be affected by this. Storm in a teaspoon.
  • Apple had the ability to push updates directly since day 1, MS both with PDAs first and Smartphones after never flexed its muscle in favor of users of its mobile OS.
    The bug is affecting WP 8.1 OS which is not in Beta, it is a RTMed OS installed on devices sold to the public.
    In your opinion is a storm in a teapot, as a MS shareholder I strongly hope that the company high echelon do not float in the same state of denial.
  • Fritz. Apple had an advantage in that it was selling high volume, high margin devices at a time with 0 competition. Carriers would have tongued Steve Jobs dry to get the iPhone and signed up to whatever Apple wanted. MS don't have that sway with carriers, the phones are lower value and the carriers couldn't care if MS never sell another phone. (Short sighted yes, stupid yes - as choice feeds the eco system and helps them obfuscate the tarrifs which they want [hint: they don't want you to make a simple A/B price comparison as the cheapest will win, see?]] So don't blame MS for the stupidity of carriers. MS cmae last and faced an uphill stuggle, still do. Giving the OS away for free is a start, the OS is now fully feature rich and Apps are available. If they make the tools, the SDK* better more native apps will come. As someone who just tried to move to a Universal app from an ol*d* 8.0 I can tell you its *not simple! But their motive is 1 codebase, multiple platform targets.
  • Yes Apple had Steve Jobs who, apparently, was someone able to obtain everything but.. when Apple launched the iPhone the device was a big if: the company had no previous experience with smartphones, it used a completely new way to interact with the device which, at the time, was untested and customer embracing was a big gamble. MS on the other hands has plenty of experience with smartphones: without going back even farther the first MS powered smartphone was the Motorola MPX 200, which I had, and the so much vituperated WM OS reached, before MS let it stagnate it and offered a window of opportunity to Apple and Android, almost 50% penetration of the smartphone market.
  • Exactly! I mean it at least looked better!
  • Are you guys still on topic?
  • no, i don't think so
    are you ?
  • Well then dont start a thread which is not related.
  • I saw the first photo, asked a simple quesiton and now it's a thread, what can i do ?
  • That triangle means you are on roaming. Even if you may not be experiencing any extra usage charges, mobile networks have agreements between them. Its usually, in my case, when my operator, Reliance 3G doesn't have a strong signal reception in any certain area, for the user's ease, it automatically switches to Aircel, which Reliance has partnered with (And it also sometimes switches to Vodafone IN or Tata Docomo). So there may be an agreement between your operators for provision of better service and they might be availing intra circle roaming to provide you services free of extra charges because the partnered network also does the same. And there is no need for a network to be MVNO to enter into roaming (or network sharing practically).
  • Ohhh you explained it well, Faddy bhai :P
  • I don't know what MSFT is trying to do. If the company doesn't care about WP we must learn that. I don't want to tell something more....
  • A friendly reminder: WP 8.1 is in developer preview mode (aka BETA).   It could be that the Lumia 630's being shipped to TMobile and friends have newer 8.1 OS bits then the developer preview is at, and maybe this bug doesn't happen on those newer bits...  Either way, a comment from Microsoft on the matter would be appreciated.
  • MS's Developer Preview is NOT Beta.
  • No its more of a release candidate. Anyone remember when they used to release those for windows
  • It is actually RTM ( Dev preview). It just doesn't have device or carrier specific firmware additions.
  • Having been there in the past, a "Preview" is NOT "Gold Code", nor is it the final version, even when it's a "Developer" preview. To quote the documentation:   "Windows Phone Preview for Developers gives registered developers access to prerelease Windows Phone operating system updates for their development phone, directly from Microsoft." "Non-Commercial Quality. The Deliverables may be prerelease and may not be compatible or work as well as a commercial, retail offering. The Deliverables may not work correctly and are not intended as a substitute for your primary means of telecommunications." I see nowhere where this is listed as RTM code anywhere or stated that it is RTM quality as far as versions obrained through the Preview for Developers app.   With all that said though, the Calendar app never should have hit the store with this bug. This is BASIC functionality and should have been on a "pre flight check" as a required function multiple test engineers should have checked and flagged as a showstopper.  
  • Proof 1: Here's Paul Thurrot calling it RTM with post-RTM updates ( http://winsupersite.com/windows-phone/windows-phone-81-developer-preview-gets-third-post-rtm-update )
    Proof 2: The update is labeled Preview but is extensively tested and is at least a RTM candidate. This is not a beta program (http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/winphone/wiki/wp8-wpupdate/developer-preview-program-faq-get-windows-phone-81/b5582eed-7095-4d5a-b118-e33164454499)
  • The DP is the RTM code (RTM means it's been sent to OEMs for firmware updating), this has been confirmed by many people with more knowledge of the inner workings of MS than you or I. It makes zero logistical sense for MS to maintain two branches of the OS code. Nothing you boldfaced disproves this, they're just caveats because the OS we're running excludes driver updates and the like from the OEMs that are needed to ensure proper functionality. The bottom line is it is NOT Beta. They would not send Beta code to OEMs or to the carriers for testing. Anyway, it is pretty shocking that a bug like this would get out the door
  • Stop being a Microsoft apologist. It crashes on all devices with the preview and normal firmware, which I'm running.
  • Not crashing on my 1520
  • Normally I'd agree with you, but they are actually rolling this software out to people now, several regions have received the Lumia Cyan update already. They'll fix this quickly, because they simply have to, but it should have easily been caught in testing, it's a core user story
  • My guess is they still are internally testing but accidently flagged it for all 8.1 users
  • I don't understand why they haven't rolled back the update for the app instantly, because that's easily possible and would have stopped these thousands of people complaining and prevent them tarnishing their brand image even more. I think Microsoft has a few Trojan horses in the company, I think someone pushed out this bad app on purpose.
  • +120
  • That would be crazy, I don't think there's any need to look for conspiracy theories here. It's just disappointing that something as key in testing as "check all the appBar buttons work" was missed
  • You're correct that MS needs to comment. It would also be helpful for other people on these threads to post the work arounds instead of just complaining. *** To add an event, use Cortana or manually enter it in the "day" view by tapping on a time slot. For WPC to say "...rendering the calendar app a view-only tool." is also not going to help anyone find a temporary work around.  If people think of WPC as some sort of authority on the matter, they may give up looking for work arounds when they read that statement. MS did mess up big time on this.
  • Doesn't really bother me. All of my calendar items come from Facebook for scheduled gaming events that I participate in and through Exchange because of my job. I rarely ever add something manually, so luckily I haven't had to deal with this.
  • Well done you then.  Here have a prize for using your calendar in a way which most people DON'T and then claiming this means there isn't a problem. Stupid tool.
  • Pretty sure I never said there wasn't a problem with the app. Just saying it doesn't affect me because all of my scheduling is, for all intents and purposes, automated. You're not really good at reading and comprehension are you?
  • I don't even use the calendar on my 1020 so couldn't care less.
  • I don't use the calendar either, but this QA issue is making me wary of my recent 2-year commitment to my Icon. Like Daniel said, this isn't exactly an obscure bug that requires specific steps to replicate it.
  • What❔❔❔❔❔❔❔❔❔
  • I basically live one day to the next and hate the idea of having my life planned out for me on a calendar. Similarly, I can't fathom why some people keep diaries to record what they have been up to that day for future reference.
  • Me too. I put the World Cup dates in it from Sky and the odd dentist and that's it. All my appointments/scheduling is for work and I can't sync with my laptop.
  • You're weird in the sense that you can't perceive how people are different.....
    ........
    Well, looks like I am too if I think you're weird... Oh well, you still are... Lol❕
  • Wow.  Crashes for me!  Would this qualify as a debacle?
  • Unbelievable... Shame MS!
  • Really only a shame for 630 owners,,, one device... Us preview guys phones don't count.
  • It DOES count to those who need it :-/
  • I'm sure if they are aware of this they are already working on a fix. I remember once when the music app was broken and brought to their notice they fixed it in less than 24 hrs. Lets hope the Calender app gets the same kind of treatment. ;)
  • I'm sure they will. Doesn't excuse it though, not this late in the game.
  • Are there any insights to the MS app updates coming up? Xbox music was brought up for updates every two weeks, but haven't heard boo about giving the features folks really need (side from performance) including the calendar app.
  • Dan, If Joe Belfiore happens to read your article I'm sure he's going to yell at the testing team who tested the app and released it. ;)
  • Daniel is there any type of petition we all could sign and send to Microsoft about this? This unraveling of the OS's features into apps is ruining the whole platform, Xbox music being another example.
  • You Sir... Are silly... Go home.
  • Lost cause, dude... Separate apps are here to stay.
  • I don't understand why they can't have the apps separate/updateable, but still using the fast internal APIs that the built in apps used too. Apple has used private APIs in their first party app store apps...
  • Start menu anyone? If issues like this and the monumental fuckup that is xbox music are anything to go by then we can and will get these core apps back where they belong.
  • No.. Not the same thing.... XBM was obviously developed by a toddler, but that has nothing to do with the decision to remove the start screen, and just because a very, very small amount of WP users with the official WP8.1 have a broken Calendar app doesn't mean that MS is going to give up on separate apps that easy,, especially when they can just patch the app, and be done with it... The decision to bring back the start menu is a whole other story, and that was influenced by Millions... Not even relevant in this case... That's a feature, this is not..
  • The music app still has many problems though.. :-)
  • The Music App works, but is not,fixed, things like duplicates and laggy as well as other issues mentioned by many. Why update something if the update is broken??
  • Zune>Xbox music hub > Xbox music app. Its just a crappy app they pushed out
  • I'm keeping hold of my Zune HD and WP7 devices for media, simply because the wp8/8.1 units with the new media app are hopeless for media consumption.
  • I'm sure Microsoft will roll out a fix soon enough, this issue along with other issues aren't the end of the world but we all have to grin and bare it until a fix is released.
  • Oh I hope they are preparing to update it soon
  • Bad days are coming!!!!
  • Dan sounds mad.
  • Yep. With all right.
  • ...and nothing is left.
  • Someone get Dan a beer, NOW!!!
  • I don't understand why MS developers seem unable to keep any of their apps or services good. First Xbox Music, now this. They better fix this.
  • The interesting thing is they've moved to having to use the same tools the rest of us have to use with these apps, and now they're seeing a few of the gaps and oddities that exist. The one positive is that this will lead to them finding these issues and improving the developer tools for everyone
  • Daniel, could you please tell me which firmware number Lumia 630 is?
  • 12359
  • 3051.12359 ?
  • Daniel, I guess you gave the OS version. Well, mine has OS version 12397 and firmware revision number 14235.
  • I don't understand why they keep pushing out the update, just pull it back from the store and fix it. Unfortunately a lot of user are already affected but why spread the problem to everyone?
  • That's why they pulled it...
  • For a company that is trying to sell devs on how easy it is to program for the platform, how can they not get it right themselves? Get your sh*t together msft!
  • This has nothing todo with bad coding, just with missing Unit-Tests and a baaaad testing group...
  • Serious question - Are these types of issues common with Android or iOS? I came to WP directly from webOS so I have nothing to compare to. And yes, I still miss webOS.
  • Broken apps is quite common , 
  • But apps as vital as Music and Calendar. These are basic apps and 2 examples of Microsoft crippling them.
  • I don't but all android devices have scroll lag. Even including their nexsus device. Touch scrolling is awful,on all devices specially samsung
  • Windows phone does too. But mostly in Xbox music
  • No scroll lag on my device. Soooooo? Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • Yes, this is a common problems on ALL OSs.  Apple had their share of mishaps and so did Android.  As someone stated above, it's not bad coding, its bad testing.  These guys should have caught this before the update was released.  Someone wasn't doing their job and it presented as a bad face for Microsoft.  Someone will lose their job over this one, I'm sure.
  • yes it does happen. when my G2 was upgraded it broke email for me for months until kitkat came to it. that was just one more reason that i left for my icon. 
  • webOS was the absolute best.  It is an absolute travesty what happened with it.
  • Yes it was great.
  • I am an android user, and yes, they have the same types of issues. Currently, if I accept a calendar invite, my calendar crashes. Google maps crashes about every 30 minutes when using turn-by-turn navigation. There are others, but these are the two most frustrating for me each day. Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • Completeing destroying core apps is not common on iOS or Android, despite what any Windows Phone fanboy will tell you. I'm not a huge fan of either OS, but with Android, what borks them (re: music at least) is the carrier syncing garbage. HTC Sync Manager, Android File Transfer, Sony... all finnicky ways of handling media. HTC Sync Manager and Sony in particular are just garbage.
  • Crashing on my Rogers 1020
  • Simply crazy, wtf. I'm really thinking of leaving MS on the phone side... But they make more money off Android, and iPhones are too simple and small... Ugh.
  • And this is why I keep using Chronos Calendar.
  • Not an option if you use Exchange though....
  • Really? Breaks on many users devices, on two of mine. No overreaction, a calendar is hugely important to many many people.
  • Nobody is overreacting. That's great it works fine for you, but you seem to be in the small minority
  • just had to say love your avatar
  • dude, just force update the app, and you will 'join' in our cause. Mine does crash too.
  • Yeah you're in the minority bro. This app update really is busted
  • working on mine too with no issues :)
  • Think i'm going to get an iPhone 6 if there is one over 5 inches. I will still hang on to my Windows Phone... but I would like a phone that works now, with fully functional apps :(
  • Get a better pc.
  • ...what?  
  • You should have stayed with WP8 and not installed the 8.1 Dev Preview then.
  • How do you know he's not running a Lumia 630?  Europe is buzzing with angry people waving their shiny new L630s and demanding to know why the calendar is broken.
  • Fair point.  I'm sure it sucks for them.  However lets keep this in context.  The new calendar app is way better than the calendar app on the iPhone. This update was a step backwards for sure.  But I'd guess that it will be fixed in a day or two.  Is that worth jumping to another platform over? Don't see it.
  • This is just another straw on the camel's back for me personally. I have stated neumerous times my issues with WP and the reasons i would move to iOS: http://forums.wpcentral.com/apple-ios/292000-2.htm http://forums.wpcentral.com/windows-phone-8-1-preview-developers/290651-not-receiving-notifications.html Im at the point of sacrificing the benefits of WP for an OS that "works" (iOS).
  • I think I'm going to buy a stick of gum, if I can find some trident.
  • Broken......
    How??
    Why??
  • The amount of "woe, the sky is falling" in this article / comments is staggering. Cuz an app update has never gone awry before right?
  • I give a lot of slack to Microsoft, but this was a stupid thing to pass over. You tap the '+' sign and the app exits. That's like the core function of the calendar app, which is not some frivolous addon. It's not just this, but a run up of similar issues with their software (and don't get me started on the 'resume' screens).
  • You only get one chance to impress too. My wife is giving WP8.1 on her 920 a shot but if it doesn't impress her she's dropping it for Android.  Which makes sense since the transition from Windows 7.5 (Zune based) to WP8 left her music collection in horrible disarry due to the shitty syncing options. I won several converts to Windows Phone, they've all pretty much left in the last few months or are getting reading to leave as soon as an upgrade becomes available on their wireless contract. This type of thing only futhers that problem.
  • I must admit, that with the os issues, poor quality apps (compared with the other OSs) and Google finally updating and standardizing their UI, I may be getting the next Nexus device in November when my contract is up. 3 years with Windows Phone, but I don't feel we've progressed very far in that time.
  • Exactly. It looks horrendous for the platform as a whole. Music, Calendar, Video, etc., those sorts of apps should be virtually flawless. There are things that your platform should be expected to perform without any hiccups (and loading screens). Music, Calendar, and Video are 3 of them.   I've moved beyond apologizing for MSFT's serious lack of polish and finesse and have begun my decent into tacit abandonment.
  • I can't stand them resume screens.
  • Could you elaborate what you have to say about the resuming? Nice to see you criticize MS for a change :) :)
  • Resuming on apps for 2 seconds or so is tolerable. But why the heck should it resume on start screen? Can't it be open always?
  • Yea it seems like there is no progress in speed. Even the calendar app has a loading screen now, ridiculous.
  • Totally agree. I'm not sure if its an issue for 512mb devices but if I play a game for around 20 mins, pause it and tap the start screen button, it shows "resuming..." This is frustrating and intolerable.
  • They have increased the cap how much memory apps can use, thus if you play a game, it might run a little better, but stop the starts screen which also uses quite some memory with all those live tiles.
  • Have to say, most times I don't agree with you especially with the defending of Microsoft everytime but you on the money here. This is not just bizarre, but also revealing. The team at Windows Phone is incompetent. Yes. I said it. Incompetent. Why can't they get simple things right? Basics even. The system is one I'm totally unwilling to leave but it's architects are totally off the mark. The calendar app is still rubbish and I updated with anticipation only to be typically let down. It's worrisome because it's happening all the time. Music app is the worst so they now trying to get other apps to take the prize
  • Yea you should think, that over years you could build monster music apps, I mean Jesus christ, they are invented and worked out in every detail in all corners of all music applications in the last 10 years. But they can't get past a crappy app that can do maybe 6 things. Instead of adding things, they remove.
  • It works fine if you enter appointment directly in the calendar. Plus icon crashes.
  • Do the higher end win-phones also have these resume screens? I have a 620 , I thought it was a symptom of the low ram and if I upgraded it would be okay. Skype is the worst. It tells the first line of the message in the notifications tray and then takes like 20 seconds before I can actually see the message in the app. (And then the text disapears behing the keyboard as I type *off-topic-sigh*)  
  • Yes, this should have been caught before release.  However I don't think the sky is falling. There are two easy to use work-arounds. I'm sure this will be fixed before 8.1 comes out of Dev Preview.
  • Honestly it's not that bad. I'm not going to jump OSs because of it. Most of uus sit on a computer all day, add it to your Outlook or Outlook.com calendar. I might never have notices it if weren't for the article.
  • MS . Hire me among ur test team!
  • Yes, they need to roll back or fix ASAP
  • Also back button doesnt close or exit the app. It runs in the background untill u manually do iy
  • That's normal. It's always been like that on 8.1
  • Yeah but I thought MS did that knowingly :/
  • That's actually a feature of 8.1 for apps that enable it. It's to prevent people accidentally closing apps.
  • That's an 8.1 feature. All 8.1 apps do this by default!
  • Something important like a calender app should come first in Beta ( like Facebook) before mass rollout. I hope they learn this for next time. 
  • The least they should do is get a backup of the previous version, up the version number and pump that out to us because this is a very bad move for people who organise their lives using their phones like this.
  • Half baked employees
  • This is absolutely ridiculous and shouldn't be happening from Microsoft. People will accept these sort of problems from Google or Apple but there isn't enough good will for MSFT to get away with it.
  • Surely they are working on a fix, but is really incredible that they don't test the app before publish the update
  • Probably just a small mistake. They have a lot on their plate right now. I guess they'll fix it soon
  • my live tile is not working either, is that the case too? att920
  • Same here. Calendar live tile not working anymore. Lumia 520.
  • Soft reset worked.
    Another issue, I just entered a new appointment using Cortana, but now trying to edit it from calendar causes the app to crash, so can't edit it.
  • Try going into daily view and tapping on a time to add an appointment. This worked for me, even though using the plus button or edit crashes the app.
  • Microsoft, test before you release updates!
  • +520
  • +520
  • Remember that we are using a Dev Build. I agree, its something that should have been spotted right away but the best thing to do is use the diagnostic app to send the debug information to Microsoft. The issue almost feels like the add calendar item button is being used as a software home key. Wasn't Microsoft making devices with no physical keys and onscreen keys only.
  • Which we've been on for ages. They take too long to release things. Although not a calendar update ironically.
  • My Lumia 630 is not a dev build. The people who received Lumia Cyan last week are not a dev build.
  • Let's not go overboard. They will fix this problem quickly. The sky isn't falling.
  • No, it's not. But it doesn't instill confidence, that's the point.
  • it seems like calendar has been pulled out from the store. May be they are working on it.
  • Yep, thankfully I was one of those that didn't update. I do think people are overreacting though, I remember all the complaints about Xbox Music, Games and Videos being removed from the core OS but look at it this way it means the issue with the Calendar can be fixed without a whole new OS update.
  • And Android fanboys may already be giggling at this :(
  • Shouldn't erode confidence either.  With the app being broken out from the OS it probably didn't go through the same scrutiny.  I'm sure this will be a learning experience for MS.  They will put the processes and procedures in place going forward.
  • Why is it taking them so long to put the old version back in the store?! Great that WPcentral sends out a clear signal!!
  • The update has been pulled already, presumably because they are fixing it.
  • Microsoft - Breaking Windows Phone 8.1 since before Windows Phone 8.1 is released to the public.
  • So true !! They make it so hard to stay loyal 
  • Unfortunately for Calendar app it was Downdate
  • Nothing like a good old fashioned Microsoft gripe fest... =/
  • Very well said, Daniel. It's inexcusable to make these kinds of errors, not in a so aggressive market as this is. Microsoft should be very ashamed of this and the ever growing Xbox Music fiasco.
  • Such an embarrassment.
  • The update has also broken simple calendar and I would suspect all third party calendars in the US a fix is very much needed although Cortana does work and supposedly outlook.com.
  • So people outside the US don't need a working calendar?
  • My phone crashes at time when I download a new app from store. It hangs for morethen 5mins and ask me for sd card error fixing message.
    Secondly, whenever I have received mubtiple notifications from various apps, at that time, the notification drop down crashes to the half screen. I don't know weather its my phone having such problem or its because preview, that's why!
    Dose anybody have such issues? Apart from this there are various problems where this microsoft has to spread out. And they are lethargic in such cases, where they are not taking it seriously.
  • I think you'll get a faster reply in the forums.
  • This is terrible and embarrassing, how can this have escaped testing. It would have been understandable if this a mistake by an indie developer but this is a core app from MS....
  • When they were announcing W8.0 to develorers, they were bragging that all core metro apps (Music, Mail, People, etc) were written by students, telling them that to develop an app for metro is VERY easy. I did'n liked it back then as a W8 preview user. It looks like it became a tradition for W8+ development.
  • The Calendar app team screwed up. Reading more than that into this is unwarranted. It may be that MS is stretched a bit for app developers, but inferences beyond that are just wild speculation.
  • Applications are made by humans. Humans make mistakes. Shit happens, end of story. Too much fuzz about nothing really.
  • Humans make mistakes and that's why testing processes are devised - to compensate for the fact that mistakes are inevitable.  To have an update go out that breaks an app's primary function indicates that proper testing procedures are not correctly in place.  And the length of time its taking them to release a fix is just demonstrative of why younger, more agile companies ice these dinosaurs.
  • Length of time? Like 20 hours by now. Wow, get real man. oO I agree that their quality/testing or whatever department made an epic fail here, but like I said, humans make mistakes. And it's just a darn app, no deal breaker ay all as there are tons of alternatives available.
  • Yes exactly, and because of this we have something called testing teams. To check for human errors.
  • And even they make mistakes. I tend to believe that what got published is not what got tested. My take on this is that accidentally the wrong branch was deployed.
  • Windows Phone 8.1. Ready for enterprise adoption....oh wait.
  • Winter is coming !!!
  • About time they sorted out the cyan update for the uk and it gets to me why they dont give us a date its not like we dont know that it is due out   
  • A bug such as this is unacceptable by Microsoft. Shame on you MSFT
  • Xbox music is accepted as well :D
  • They just don't test things like the average person does. They have "programming minds".
  • Chronos calendar.....
  • Not here, doesn't crash at all.
  • Crashes whenever I hit "+" in calendar app. 920/wp8.1 dev preview. Better fix this quick or this can turn out to be a huge embarrassment if it's not already one.
  • Ok, it's official. I test my apps better than MS does.
  • Lol and I can't even get Cortana here (Argentina) or my friends since we can't set English US as language xD. How fun is that. I used to love windows phone, but instead of changing for good exponentially just grew baby steps and still does things like this.
  • Lumia 920 and having problems + battery drain
  • din't they test it before releasing it ?  even if they were rushing this is a core feature of the calendar   major fail
  • Please, have patience. Shit happens. MS has been nothing but awesome in listening to us. Give a break. Usually issues like these are easy to fix and probably getting tested right now.... Chill
  • I noticed the battery settings app crash earlier after this update too
  • To support the guy that said it was a beta. Yes, it's actually a preview, but this isn't rolled out to all phones officially. We should let MS know it's broken so that the bigger rollout has these problems fixed. However, release notes would be nice.
  • L630 has the final version, not a preview...
  • L630 has the final version, not a preview...
    A friend of mine in IT in Europe has a fleet of L630s with WP 8.1 that have broken calendars -- for a sales team that needs functioning calendars.  Microsoft has done nothing other than say "we're aware of the issue."  No ETA, no fix, not even rolling back to the prior calendar (which wasn't broken). He is being very badly burnt by his choice to support Microsoft right now, and I suspect they're going to be chucking the Lumias in the next day or two if a fix isn't out.  They cannot stop their business and wait for Microsoft to get their acts together. 
  • Adding the appointment through Cortana is a temporary workaround until this gets fixed. Just thought I'd let you all know.
  • What will happen is that MS will ask users to add this "feature request" to User Voice and have users vote on which "features" they want "added" first.  That's what they're doing on the XBox Music app, so why not this app right?  
  • Whoa, people need to relax lol. It's just a simple bug that they didn't expect to happen. You don't have to boycott or reach out to Microsoft for anything. They'll fix it soon.
  • This
  • "Soon" doesn't make my mission-critical business calendar work.  "Soon" isn't good enough for my friend in European IT who just deployed dozens of Lumia 630s to sales staff who now cannot set up appointments (and thus cannot do their jobs). "Soon" isn't good enough. This is a new low in Windows Phone incompetence, and that's saying something.
  • Cortana doesn't give you the option of which calendar though, she uses her own.
  • Not so, TechnoTim. I can even instruct Cortana to add an event to my daughter's calendar (shared with me and visible on my WP) just by telling her which calendar.
  • Can you instruct Cortana to start a new task? Whenever I say " new task" it either Cortana open a Onenote page called "Task" or a web page listing links to tasks...
    I am quite frustrated and missing Tellme.
  • Well Daniel, reaching Microsoft for a comment should be more often :)
  • Microsoft has pulled the Calendar app from the windows phone store. Hopefully a fix is in the works. 
  • Seems fas....
  • They should fix this asap! We should not have to rely on third party apps anymore
  • It's crash when try to create event on my Lumia 1020.
  • Calendar events added via Outlook or Gmail work
  • It looks like you can add an appointment through the family room. While not ideal for all situations, we can at least add some appointments to the calendar with our phones while we wait for MS to update or roll back the calendar app.
  • Thx! It works!
  • Good article!
  • We wanted app culture, this is what we get. I for one am not surprised.
  • One little thing and people freak out lmao
  • Tell that to people who work in corporate environments and relying on their phone to function.
  • Some people need Calendar for business related tasks.....
  • I also run a business and the last thing I rely on is the damn calendar app on a beta OS.
  • Broken on my Lumia 920. I agree that this issue should have been caught in testing. There is no excuse for this type of consistent error on a very standard use case test. Highly unusual for Microsoft.
  • I don't seem to have issues with it. But this is an inexcusable bug that basically defeats 30% of a Smartphone's purpose. Hope they fix ASAP!!
  • Calendar is not available in the store.
  • & people said making them individual apps for updates was a good idea...  Xbox music broken, Calendar broken, wonder what else the bad boys at MS are gonna break....  Its these things that make me feel glad that I'm still on WP8 
  • The article says to use third-party calendar apps as a workaround. However, for me, both Simple Calendar and Cal crash, just like the native app.
  • Totally absurd!
  • This is a major FAIL for Microsoft, a patch needs to be out within days....... WOW
  • No, a patch must be released in the next few hours. Otherwise, Microsoft's reputation will be impacted.
  • Exactly because this is so pathetic, Microsoft built this OD and can't even freaking make an app for there own OS....
  • @Daniel_Rubino I found another workaround. Using my family's "ROOM" within the people tile/hub. When I add and edit events through there...it doesn't crash for some reason.
  • Works for me
  • We get it that the OS which we are running is still a BETA version! But just think about the new 630 owners! What a bad reputation MS is making!... How did they even release an update without testing it properly!!!
  • This is indeed ludicrous. A company as big as Microsoft trying to break into such a closed market should do better QA. That also goes for Xbox Music and Video. If it's being sold on the market, it's no longer beta. There's no excuse for such big screw ups. Microsoft has got to up its game or iOS and Android (maybe even Amazon or Ubuntu) will win the race and we'll be left with yet another great potential but abandonned product by Microsoft. 
  • Why do people complain so much? Microsoft isn't the only company who makes mistakes by tomorrow the app will be fixed
  • Because it's indicative of a larger problem? It's something that should have been caught? For people who are already frustrated, this can be the one thing that turns them off. You have to have faith in the company, if not...
  • Just remember technology will never, ever be perfect
  • I'd like to point out that digital calendars have been a thing since basically the advent of computing. This shouldn't have happened. Period.
  • 100% agree. I feel like I defend MSFT a lot, much like you, Daniel, but now this is just getting ridiculous. I feel like MSFT is being careless with the loyalty of their userbase. Sure, a lot of us are invested in terms of how much money we spend on the platform and are therefor trapped, to some extent, but this has me looking to jump ship.
  • Companies make mistake and their reputation get teinted no matter what company it is. Remember Apple Maps? Siri even? The difference here is that Microsoft is fighting to get into the big league and has very little lalitutde. Given that the calendar (and Xbox Music but this is off-topic for now) is a basic app and such a stupid easy to find bug, it should have never been pushed in the store or at least been corrected and released in the following hour, not day(s).
  • This is exactly it. Everyone that's apologizing for MSFT is saying "give them a break," or "it was an honest mistake." How many breaks are we supposed to give them? I am beyond giving them breaks. Xbox music, resuming screens, now this? It's like that couple where one is treated like trash becuase the better-looking one knows he'll always stick around. He'll wise up one day though. I think for me that day might be today.
  • It's a shame too because it's a great OS but with this they're screwing things up. And people going "it's a beta" it's not! The thing is released and sold right now. Maybe not worldwide but it still is. Which means that, other than devs, people are actually paying for a buggy OS.  This is something that Microsoft has done before, release buggy software and sell it (Windows ME, Windows Vista). Nowadays I doubt people will have as much patience with so many options out there. In other words, we pay for on par or better software, can we just have it?
  • Companies make mistake
    Sure.  A couple mistakes here and there. When it comes to Windows Phone, Microsoft has made hundreds of mistakes, which have compounded into the general failure of the platform.  Now it is releasing "updates" through QA and to production that break basic and necessary business functionality (one mistake) -- without any ETA for when a fix is coming (a second mistake) -- and without rolling back to the prior calendar that actually worked (a third mistake).  There's only so much profound incompetence a user can take, especially after the cascade of errors that Windows Phone users have endured since adopting the platform at its launch in 2010.  At this point, the only thing keeping WP going is its loyal fanbase, and now even they are getting burned by Microsoft's carelessness and neglect.
  • I complain because this is MICROSOFT, I'm not saying I can do better but this is an extremely large company that has so much potential and recently all they do is break stuff
  • First- this is the FIRST update the app has received since it was released as a standalone app they haven't had time to test it on a mass market, second if everyone is "beyond done giving them breaks" then why dont you go beyond done giving goolgle or APPLE breaks who is ALSO a huge company and STILL hasn't fixed imaps and google who is also a HUGE company who still hasn't fixed its crappy laggy android who even with kit at cant run as smoothly as WP (all these are software)
  • Wow, imagine if General Motors used that sort of excuse. "Sure, the brakes fail and kill hundreds of people in hundreds of accidents, but this was the first version of this new standalone model, and we didn't have time to test it on a mass market." Hell, even Google at its drunkest wouldn't release a calendar app for a business-oriented phone that crashed when you attempted to create or edit an appointment.  That would get you flunked out of basic programming class, let alone fired from a major tech company.
  • Testing what? The app is broken, period. It is not an obscure bug that happens under specific, rare circumstances. WP is a OS that runs on limited specific circumstances, it is not Windows. The app has not been tested at all... period.
    As for other companies... I use Windows because I am use, I expect, and pay, to get such standards. I do not use Apple or Google but I remember the comments about iMaps and the comparison with MS higher quality standard etc. Well, now it is MS that have been caught with its pants down.
  • I don't bother with the native calendar app anyway, greatly prefer Super Calendar. And since WP8.1 my lock screen calendar notices (from the native calendar app) have been erratic - picking notices from days or weeks in the future or past.
  • And just like that, Microsoft has pulled the app. . Looks like the headline grabbed their attention.
  • Can create new appts via the "Day" view mode *BUT* and this is a BIG BUT, you still can't edit the appt outside of the default info you are allowed to provide. If you tap "Edit" - FAIL!   Best suggestion? Use your Live/Outlook account online to create new appts and wait for the sync...but this needs to be fixed ASAP...ugh...   Gotta love our first-world problems...
  • When i follow the link to the store to show the calender App it says that it isn't available for my device....
  • They did the same thing to my Xbox Video app(less of an issue for me). I use that calendar app constantly.
  • Hope they fix it soon, im sure they will pump out a fix in the next day or two tho. Need my calendar for work appointments and I use daily so... Thankfully Cortana still gets the job done for me on my TMobile Lumia 925.
  • Was thinking on leaving WP and this made easier to decide going for Android. Too bad, I really liked WP.
  • Now the calendar app can only be used to see dates , nothing more.. So MS is actually downgrading the os.. They spoiled the music app ,video app, now calendar.
  • Can Microsoft pull an update that hasn't been installed yet but shows on your list? When I read the first article on this, I stopped auto updating of apps so that I wouldn't have a problem. My download list showed the calendar app but now it's gone. I did check updates to make sure it didn't get downloaded by accident and it doesn't show.
  • It was in my downloads list but when I checked the Store page it just had "Not available for your device", when I checked for updates again it was gone from the downloads list.
  • Microsoft is the first company ever to screw up the music player. Period.
  • I've seen how such things can slip and get out like this before, but the slow response kills me here. I hope this is fixed quickly as I live off my Calendar app.
  • Calendar app pulled out from the store!
  • Native apps should be left alone. I'm ok with waiting until full OS updates. They messed up music and turned photos into a uninspiring Android clone app.
  • In addition to Cortana, it still works to add appointments via Outlook (web and office client). Just thought I would point that out.
  • Thanks
  • I would have done a better job at testing the app
  • Works fine for me. L920. No Cortana.
  • I always hear people complain about the Xbox music app and now the calendar; what about the games app? Am I the only one who for 90% of the time it doesn't get past the updating splash screen?
  • Came back to the article to say "me too" :P using Lumia 720
  • They should have sent out a fallback immediately.
  • Absolutely
  • Didn't DL the update once I saw the original article, glad I didn't
  • Is it that hard to code apps for windows phone?
  • It took WhatsApp at least two whole weeks (!) of close cooperation with Microsoft to sort out issues with notification. So yes, it must actually be rocket science!
  • Nothing is more frustrating then Xbox Music on WP8.1 tho, especially when you're a Music Pass subscriber.
  • I had a bit of an issue with my calendar after the update.  I could never get back to the home screen.  What I did to resolve it was to switch tasks, then restart my phone.  Calender works great now.  Lumia 920,
  • Try to add test and app crashed after update but when add it via Cortana it work perfectly fine.
  • Meh
  • Any tweets about this from Joe B?
  • WP team is a joke. Starting to turn me off, and I've been hardcore since WP7. I can't be the only one.
  • Your not. This epic fail amazes me. On top of the boring Android clone photos, and the music, games and video hubs gone and new apps broken, this is extremely embarrassing and shoddy :'(
  • Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me the fifth time, and, well... Until Microsoft makes a commitment from the top down to excellence in Windows Phone, this is going to be par for the course, and the OS will simply die.
  • I get it that it's annoying and I noticed this very problem on my 820 this morning... BUT... We all know that WP8.1 is a BETA. We all should be aware that things like this can happen (remember that battery bug?). Yes, Microsoft fucked up, but still -- people shouldn't bitch that much.
  • L630 has the final version, not a beta of WP 8.1.
  • You're wrong, it's NOT a beta. Once it's available at retail (Lumia 630 and 635), its a release.
  • Same happening on my 920... Sucks that we cannot do something so basic without the app crashing... I use this everyday... I hope we get an update soon.
  • As a workaround, I've used Cortana to add calendar events.
  • The updated Calendar works just fine if you use Cortana to add appointments, though.  I never realized there was an issue until I saw the reports since I use Cortana a LOT to interface w/my Lumia 1020.
  • People are all over their support twitter. This is all they say on each post: Hi! We are reviewing and working to update the Calendar app as soon as possible. Thanks for bringing this issue to our attention! I was going to tweet them but saw that everyone else seems to be blowing it up.
  • My music app works fine. I download music, say "shuffle music" and it plays. Is it supposed to do more?
  • This sucks!  I didn't notice I couldn't add/edit a calendar event until now.  Hope they fix this soon.
  • Between this and Xbox Music I may have finally had enough.l
  • wat da shame
  • Way to go. I really hope, that MS will fix their apps when WP 8.1 is officially rolled out, everything else would be kinda (dunno the last word - lol)
  • Some days it really terrifies me that the Windows Phone team is now in charge of Windows...
  • Lol....
  • Since last three months, I have not seen any Lumia devices in any Shopping Mall except recently announced Lumia 630. MS is not just late in game, its still playing late. Third class market strategy from a giant software company. Microsoft will be soon a historical thing I guess.
  • Well, according to your screenshot you knew they had it scheduled for 10am, so I don't know why you are complaining. :-P
  • Like why?? I mean its Microsoft, my goodness. 1. Why is it taking them so long and 2. Why the crap do they break stuff??? They must try really hard with all that power they got over there.
  • ENoughs enough Windows 8/8.1 - mega fail with Start button, business still on Windows 7 Surface Pro 2 - Mega fail with Wifi and bluetooth at same time and keyboard touchpad and releasing accesories to non US markets Surface Pro 3 - Stupid positioning of windows button and wifi issues yet again!!!! Lumia phones - Battery issues, bugs, crashes and always playing catchup to the other 2, just when I think its nearly there......APPS.... Music - FA I L Calendar - F A I L Satya brandishes the word ubiquitous a lot,  right back atya MS - ubiquitous failures! To think I wanted to install this crap for all my staff to increase productivity! - shame...damn shame.  I (like many) am contemplating ways to ditch WP - I need calendar, email, music and apps - what does MS lack? what do Apple excel at?  As MUCH AS I HATE APPLE - its fast becoing an option as MS keep screwing it up again...and again...and again...I dont need my Rolex to keep time anymore, I can use the MS screwups!.....Satya, someone needs to grab you by the shoulders and shake you....wake up and fix the process's. 
  • Dont be harsh dude...cheese itz, I'm mad about this too but Microsoft has always been better than Apple, look at all there failures.
  • Its my hard earned money that they want, yours too.  Apple and Google also want our hard earned cash, in return they offer us hardware and software and thier marketing departments tell us our lives will be much easier if we buy thier crap.  With all 3 doing the same thing its up to each of us to compare and decide whats right for us.  I was all in with Apple, I ditched them as it makes no sense to use MS at work (no choice) and apple for my personal life.  Android is a no go as Google just wants everyones data so they can shove adverts at every opportunity, no thanks.  So MS is left..the logical choice...ive been all in with MS since Windows 8 and WP8 launched, ive waited, ive sighed, ive mumbled, ive laughed, iive shouted and now im near the point of no return...not there yet but near.    They have 120,000 staff, they outsource a LOT of work to the likes of TCS (Tata Consultancy Services) as well as many other partners.  There is quite frankly NO EXCUSE to releasing something that my dead goldfish could test and conclude its broken!  Seriously - this is beyond amatuer, its laughable, in fact im laughing right now!.....then I look at Apple and Android and I want to cry! Stuck between a rock and hard place!
  • I'm 100% with you. I've never wanted to jump ship as badly as I do right now.
  • Yep.  Microsoft only gets so many chances from users before they throw up their hands and say "I've had it." It's going to be a nice day at the Apple Store, I suspect.
  • Crashes on Lumia 1020
  • Not on mine
  • Wow..wp only gets better huh?
  • That calendar event screenshot, epic "break calendar app" lol
  • At least it got an update unlike the decoupled podcast app!
  • I'm stoked he's out saving the world and all, but you can damn well bet that if Gates were still in charge shit would work WAY better than it does.
  • You would think they would open the damage control playbook to page 1 and have Joe Belfiore (not an anonymous windows phone support twitter account) acknowledge the issue, give a timeframe to fix, and put the old version in the store if the fix is not available tout de suite.
  • Absolutely, and this inability to run the damage control show is concerning as well.
  • lol early adopters!
  • Thnx WPC for the heads up. I managed to turn auto updates off before it downloaded.
  • Honestly: Gameloft can make a multi-langual complicated game faster than Microsoft can make some stupid calander spp
  • Yup calender is broke .Fix it MS
  • My Nokia 3210 had a better calendar. Dam
  • This is sloppy, no doubt. And no, the problem isn't that it's an app now, or at least it better not be. If the public API isn't up to snuff for making a decent calendar (or music) app, then WP is completely screwed. Given the time it's taking to push out a fix for those who've already been upgraded, even just pushing out the previous version with a bumped version number until a real fix can be made, I'm starting to wonder if the calendar guy/gal/team pushed out an update and then took off for a long 4th of July holiday.
  • Its incredible that my top 2 most hated apps is Xbox Music and Skype. All made by MS. And now this? Thank God Cortana can do calendar tasks.Grrrr.
  • And if you can't code 24H support, don't bother releasing it.
  • Did anybody notice that if you go to the Tasks part of the Calendar app and add a task, it doesn't crash and will still work. I figured that out and decided to share it. Also, my 822 crashes when I try the New Event button on the main screen.
  • MSFT's apps often work better on other platforms than WP, they are usually given priority for releases, the music app is terrible and now they break the calendar. I'm sure they will update it soon but why must we feel deprioritised so often? Unfortunately, live tiles are not a good enough reason to stay with so many compromises and a half baked ecosystem
  • Something interesting: I'm running the preview for devs on my Lumia 822. I have installed the update and it crashed just like everybody else's. However, when I go to view the calendar app in the store it comes up as unavailable, much like if I were to view it on an 8.0 device. Maybe this is a sign MSFT is in the process of remedying the issue?
  • It worked on my 822
  • Same here. Taping add crashes the app.
  • fortunately still have 8.0 running on my 1020. smooth as butter
  • One thing I can say:
    A lot of times, things do slip through testing. Granted, this is a basic point of functionality and should have been a showstopper preventing the update hitting the store. But with that said, again having some insights here:
    How does MS know which bugs are bugs and which are one-offs if something does make it into the wild like this one did? Customer feedback. If an issue gets only 2 users frustrated, and another issue gets 10,000 users frustrated, the one with 10,000 gets priority. Don't get me wrong. I still fault MS for letting such a basic part of the calendar app being broken making it out into the store. Basic funationality must be tested before it's given the all-clear to publish/release, but they depend on user feedback once it is out in the wild as well. As someone else said: Humans are imperfect and therefore make mistakes. Testing is meant to compensate, but since the testing is also created by humans, sometimes things happen. So when you see it, give feedback directly to MS through proper channels. The more who do means the more likely it will get addressed, and done so quickly. I almsot wonder if that's why it took so long for them to pull it to begin with. :/
  • They have 120,000 employees - im sure they can test it on a percentage of thier own staff.
  • Just tried to enter new entry on my 920, works good as always.
  • Yeah, Calendar in my 925 is screwy thanks to this update. After reading the thread in the forums, I immediately turned on my 810 and cancelled the download to the Calendar on it. Don't need this bug affected BOTH my phones running 8.1.
  • One function I would love in WP.
    The ability to roll back to the previous version of an app if something doesn't work like expected.
  • Build 2011, Steven Sinosfky, "colledge interns building metro apps". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86-TNu_I28Y This was a fateful announcment.
  • Things like this make me want to switch... I've had Windows phone since the HTC surround... Actually since 6.5 with the HTC pure. And I'm trying to stay positive but I'm starting to lose faith in Windows phone.
  • I came in with the focus flash, and have mostly loved the WP experience (still miss my BB physical keyboard at times), but screwups like this are really getting me frustrated. these fuckups turn off current and potential users and hurts the entire WP ecosystem. If there were a better alternative, I'd be gone. Sadly, there's just no good alternative.
  • Those which become individual apps turns worst in 8.1...music hub
    ,videos fb chat, calendar...huh...
  • I have found a little 'work around' for placing events, appointments, etc on the calender. if you have set up a 'Family Room' or any 'room' for that fact, you can add appointments etc through those 'rooms' using the + icon in the calender screen. Tried it out on my 'Family Room' and it updated in the calender fine. Hope Microsoft brings out a 'bug fix' soon though
  • Can still schedule through Cortana and view via calender
  • Pretty bad when my wife finds your bugs Microsoft, time to call out quits and run JVM on Windows phone
  • Again, love the OS hate the fucking music crAPP.
  • Anyone able to get Chronos to add a calendar event after this update? I can't with dp8.1 on L928
  • This fiasco is yet another example, in a long line of examples, of why the D-team that Microsoft has running Windows Phone will lead to the demise of Windows Phone. Calendars are a base business functionality, on par with e-mail, phone, and IM.  Microsoft advertises Windows Phone 8.1 as "industrial strength, productivity focused." Not only is the calendar COMPLETELY broken, but if you try to edit any of your existing appointments, respond to someone else's invitation, or make any changes to your Exchange Server calendar settings, the app also crashes.  If you have multiple calendars (such as a personal and a work calendar), the Cortana "workaround" doesn't work. It's as though your shiny new business phone can't receive LTE and HSPA reception due to a faulty update.  True, jaw-dropping incompetence that is now the hallmark of Windows Phone. The individuals in QA responsible should be fired, but they won't be.  Ditto the devs and the release coordinator. A friend of mine in Europe is now sweating bullets, because he just deployed several dozen Lumia 630s to his sales staff (he's in IT), and they're all FURIOUS that their calendars don't work.  They literally cannot do their jobs, and several are demanding their old, disconnected BlackBerry handsets back.  It could cost him a reprimand or even his job, as the guy in charge of tech. The best part is that the old incompetent Windows Phone Team Cone of Silence has descended. They tweeted that they're "aware of the issue" -- the same response they're giving my bud over in Europe -- but they have no ETA. An A-team (or hell, even a C-team) would have rolled back to the prior, unbroken version, apologized profusely, and done everything to get this essential function back up and running again.  But this is the Windows Phone team, which has broken Windows Phone a half dozen times -- from the Zune player discontinuation fiasco that made it impossible to remove handsets from a profile, to the WP 7 to 8 fiasco, and so on.  There have been no consequences or significant changes, despite all that incompetence and its resulting marketplace failure, to date. Why would it change now, when silence, incompetence, and a lack of regard for user experience is easy and has no consequences for the team?
  • Heres the thread on the official Microsoft website, feel free to let them know how you feel!   http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/winphone/forum/wp8-wpemail/calendar-crashes-when-trying-to-editcreate-event/c2d02f1e-c6e8-4c34-85df-8aa89ae05d49?page=3
  • Hurry
  • Any other mobile OS team worth their salt, even the old crew that ran Symbian at Nokia, would have simply reverted, as an INSTANT fix, to the previous working calendar. Calendar is a CORE function of any smartphone OS; if it remains broken for longer than a day or so, it'll get real embarrassing, real fast for Microsoft, as the news filters out to the tech press and blogs. So, a broken calendar now, that's completely useless, and a buggy, terrible music app.
  • Par for the course for the D-listers on the Windows Phone team. It all started back when they discontinued Zune desktop, but kept popping up error messages on the device that could only be solved using the now-dead Zune desktop.  They ended up finally fixing the missing functionality, months later, in a web portal update -- long after all the people burnt by the problem had left. This is just more of the same.
  • I'll just use my wife's Icon and update my appointments via Rooms.
  • If only that was an option for IT departments hehe
  • After reading this article I was thinking this is bull and there's no way it could be this serious. Then I went into the calendar app on my Lumia Icon in the U.S. running the developer preview. I tapped the plus icon to add an appointment and sure enough the app closed.
  • Running DP 8.1 on Lumia Icon (929).  I saw this and immediately went to calendar.  I'm able to add new event, edit any event, delete event, anything I would want to do and app does not crash.  Obviously some are having problems, but it is really sad just how fast some are ready to throw MS under the bus.  So they released an app update with a bug in it.  It happens.  How fast we forget the total mess Android was when first released, how slow and laggy it was.  Have we forgotten all the problems Apples has had and still has.  One of the biggest grips about WP is the lack of apps.  Perhaps in an effort to close the gap between WP and iOS and Android, they push one out too fast once in a while. Should this have happened no and in a perfect world it wouldn't.  I've had or have equipment that runs all 3 OS and to be honest, WP 8.1 is the best around, even with the occassional bug in an app.   
  • This is just too incompetent to believe. Now I'm relying on my calendar and can't use it. Xbox music is still crap. Facebook integration is crap now. My Ativ S was perfect in WP8.0 now it has lags, crashes and bugs. I love WP but if MS doesn't act quickly on these issues, I'll be leaving for Android.
  • You and nearly everyone else i think!
  • Ironic that it wasn't Google or Apple that killed Windows Phone -- but the Windows Phone team's incompetence.
  • ooooo... that sux.   Lumia 1020 Unlocked ATT running on T-Mo USA IS effected by this :( I can open up the day view tap and enter an appointment at least; but trying enter with the "+" or trying to edit crashes it.
  • I can't believe they did this I live by my calendar as many do and can't use it!!! I'm not sure what test process they went through but it has some holes in it. It will be interesting to see how fast an update is released.
  • Totally pissed off!
  • Boy this calendar app issue didn't help me. I use my calendar every day for making spots. Cortana week do temporarily but need a fix asap. Plus a search is much needed....
  • Separating the core apps from the OS and using the same tools 3rd party devs use to develop their apps makes you wonder if the platform is mature and capable enough to support high end, well performing apps. While it may be easy to develop relatively simple apps for WP, I'm starting to get the feeling this is not the case with developing complex apps. We hear devs talking about performance issues on the platform, and if MSFT is having difficulties releasing apps that perform well, what are 3rd party devs supposed to think about developing for the platform? If right before 8.1 is reaching users, these are the type of "quality" apps we're getting, I'm starting to wonder if 8.1 is ready to successfully compete and lure devs from other platforms.
  • I lost my Lumia 820 about 2 months ago and even though I'm a Microsoft fanboy for over 15 years, the progress made with Windows Phone over the past years was extremely slow and uninovative. I often think that the whole WP dev team is made of 200 employees tops. The facebook app (back in may) was so 2010 it was ridiculous honestly. The Skype app the same, Xbox Music/Video were one of the most retarded players I've ever used on a phone AND STILL Microsoft wants us to think that they're the future. If any Microsoft employee reads these comments, I really hope that by the time 8.1 is officially out they make some unexpected improvements because at this pace it won't be long before everybody gives up on your shitty product. WP 8.1 looks good and all, but Microsoft's apps... stupid, idiotic, buggy and retarded. There are independent devs that make a hell of a better job than you guys. Even though I hated Android and iOS long before WP was out, if these things don't change this summer I'm going to jump ship. 'Cloud first, mobile first.' LOL! Satya you should use your WP more often to see how lame the apps are.
  • Couldn't agree more. Been a fan since WP7 (L800) still love my 920. But the development has been ridiculous. Wp8.1 has been in DP for I don't know how long and the changes aren't even so significant. Cortana (US only), Notification center (renders their live tiles obsolete), wallpapers (finally). Skype still can't send a damn file (since WP7!)
    Not sure how long I can hold onto WP. Its all been about waiting, and still continues with a decline.
  • MS are looking for the good place and the right time to give up windows phone because they know they can not compete with Apple and Google. So they try to break their apps and OS to force WP users to leave.
  • Yeah Lumia 928 & 822 both have the same issue.. :-(
  • Oh grow most of you and stop moaning about a broken app even if it is an important as the calendar. The speed of development means that there will be an occasional gaff slipping through. I'd rather they maintain the tempo of development rather than slow down. Give them a day or two to sort it out. They won't be sitting on their laurels trust me, note that they know. It'll be an easy fix.
  • Microsoft simply cannot afford to make these types of mistakes. They're in a very distant third and need to nail every move perfectly if they want to gain market share. If you're in first you can have a fault here and there and still rebound. Microsoft can't rebound from the bottom.
  • There shouldn't be a mistake in the first place. Its a Calendar app. My decade old Sony P1 does a better job. Its ridiculous.
  • I only updated cuz WPCentral said there was an update. What a vicious circle.
  • First in OS(for now). First in business(for now). First in mobile(I don't think so).
  • I simply don't understand, why they cannot rollback to the old version. Microsoft should think about providing  this functionality in their store. Perhaps I'm missing something.
  • I have to say I am always impressed by the writing on wpcentral. They are fans but do not mince words. They speak their mind and call it like it is. Kudos!
  • What I don't understand is why Microsoft not including any kind of change log? They created a new field in the app store for developers to indicate the changes but they themselves refuse to add change logs. It's rather repulsive that they are disregarding their own guidelines.
  • SSDD for Microsoft .... Who the hell is in charge over there?
  • Everyone complaining here is a developer right? While it does look like a completely avoidable stuff up, it wasn't applied to the base of it is limited to what is still the 8.1 developer preview. Seems like a lot of people forgot about that. Microsoft need to get this fixed before release. If they don't then this article and comments will be valid.
  • Its 2014 and they can't get a Calendar to work.
  • Trolling aside, my point stands. The installed base is WP8, so this is misleading and a lot of the reactions are excessive.
  • Hm. It seems like my ten year old Motorola Razr flip was from the far future, because it actually had something Microsoft's mobile platform currently doesn't---------a *working calendar*.
  • WP 8.1 and Cyan are installed on devices sold in store. The OS is RTM status.
    I wonder if you are so " comprehensive" when the plumber leave, paid of course, and you toilet keep overflowing...
  • People rely on their calendars,to say stop moaning about it,shows how little they understand it's importance,and you sure as hell don't have to be a full fledged developer to complain
  • Thank god! I didn't update!!
  • Microsoft, how do I uninstall the calendar app? The struggle cntinues. Is this associated with the need bury the other name, somuch that you have lost all focus?! I my nokia l625 as my next modem and fm radio.
  • No file sharing on Skype (still a big WTF in 2014). Official WP8.1 update isn't available OVA yet. Even when it comes Cortana will probably still take a while to squirm out of the US. (2015) And now a simple Calendar app doesn't even work. In 2014.
    Might be the last nail on the coffin.
  • Last nail? The coffin's already in the ground, and they're shoveling the dirt on top.
  • Back to my Note 3. They also made Xbox music worse with the last update. You can only shuffle all songs in a collection, not shuffle an artist or album. If you try to, the music quality skips, stutters and pops. A reboot fixes the music quality but not the shuffle feature. Think I will pack my Icon away until Microsoft gets it right!
  • I've set my apps to update automatically on my 920. Fortunately, I didn't receive the update here in the UK and it's working fine. Lets hope they sort it out soon anyway.
  • Well...they did say that something ground shaking was coming...I guess this is it...
    All I can say is...whoever screwed the pooch with this clusterpuck is most likely going to be cleaning the latrines for a while
  • Relax people. Since everyone is facing the same bug, it will not be difficult for MS to solve. But that said, why no proper test was done before releasing the update? Is a shame that such big software company released such a buggy core app.
  • Removed from update list
  • Does it mean to say that the release of the the wp8.1 update worldwide is going to be late agin
  • The good news for me is that WPCentral published the story of MS's screw up and I was able to shut off auto app updates. THANKS WPC! The calendar update is sitting in the update list awaiting permission to install it which, of course, is not going to happen until WPC announces the calendar issue has been resolved.
  • Wow. Maybe they should start using their own products before we do.
  • It is this kind of attitude toward the customer base that put Blackberry exactly where they are.
  • While they're at it I hope they change the Tasks section of the calendar. It needs to be better integrated like it was in WP8 and earlier, or at least make it possible to pin the Tasks page to the Start screen!
  • Totally pissed, my calendar app is broken too! Where is the best place to complain?
  • Yep, crash, I live from my calendar so this is really putting me out.....I know that's the risk you fly running dev preview software on your daily driver I guess...but still be nice to get an ETA on when I can resume managing my life as every event I need to show up to etc goes in my calendar.
  • Days later, there is still no explanation nor a fix. shame MS, bad boy!
  • Days later?  1 day and fix was just anounced 5 minutes ago by Belifore via Twitter.
  • Crashes on my 920 when adding a calendar item
  • I am getting tired of all the issues 8.1 brings to my phone. Like the people hub is pointless now since you can't view posts or comment. That was one of the best things with windows phone. I am getting ready to say fuck you MS!
  • Don't even get me started on the shit podcast app. Doesn't even auto download unless you open the stupid app.
  • Yup, can't add or edit, crash crash crash!! Hiding the app in the store to prevent people from updating it? That's funny shit!  Can't they revert it back? Unless they let some newbies in chrage of doing some minor update, and they broke it...
  • I have a 1530 and for me the app updated yesterday. I am able to create and edit a entry on my calendar. I did have to do it differently though. First open the app, then touch the settings button and then touch tasks. Then hit the plus sign on the bottom and you get the add task screen. To edit do the same except touch the task you want to modify and you get the correct screen. Trying to open or modify a task the normal way just closes the app and you go to your start screen. Hope this helps someone.
  • Calendar app is working on my 1520 with 8.1 Dev Preview. I tried adding appointment on hotmail calendar and my office calendar as well. Tried to edit it as well. Did it 4/5 times and it did not crash at all.
  • Though i feel that after 3rd update of Dev Preview things got crappy. Games lag and i see screen loading sometimes on start screen. with 2nd update of Dev Preview i dint see these issues and games were not lagging as well. Hope these issues are fixed.
  • Update appears to be out, fixes the issue on my 920.
  • Broken on my L920
  • In reality, they just published The wrong version of the update. In the real update, the following us included:
    - calendar search
    - improved Live Tile showing more appointments
    - Agenda/list view
    - improved months view: when you tap on a date, you will be shown all the appointments you have that day (like in the week view)
    - Tasks
    - 5-day-week view (like in the Windows 8 Calendar App)
    - You can pin appointments to start and the Live Tile will show you how many days are left/have passed until/since the appointment takes/took place At least I hope so... ;D
  • New Update fixing the app is out! Everything is ok now like it should be!
  • I just updated the calendar app and its working perfectly. Can add and edit appointments without problems. Lumia 1520 by the way.
  • It's cute that people think this app was tested before release. It wasn't a bad test group; it was just pushed without any sort of checks and balances system in place.