Microsoft will supposedly update Windows Phone 8.1 Preview to fix 80188309 error

So far, the Preview for Developers program with Windows Phone 8.1 is going very well for Microsoft and those interested in getting an early look at the next OS. The preview, however, is not completely optimized for individual devices, and they still need new firmware to be complete. Once “official” updates rollout with OEM firmware, we expect things to be even better for consumers.

Still, Microsoft is in a ‘pay attention to the customer’ mode, reacting very quickly to user feedback. That’s why we’re excited to hear, at least via Microsoft’s Community forums, that an update to the Windows Phone 8.1 Preview will be forthcoming.

The news comes from moderator ‘Eli A.’ who gave a fairly concise response on the matter noting:

“The notification has stopped for all devices that have not yet taken the first update, however, those that have taken the first update and are waiting for the second update to the current 8.1 build will continue to occur.”“We will continue to work on getting you this update but it will not be as fast as you would like.  I know a lot of you would like a better timeline on when it will be available, and at this time I cannot commit to a date.  I will, however, commit to updating you next Thursday April 24th, 2014 with any additional news.  If I have any news or details before then, I will of course update you at that time.”

We should caution, however, that although Eli speaks for Microsoft in the forums, it’s not necessarily official or guaranteed. The situation is very much in motion, so things are likely to change. However, it is a good sign and we'll revisit the matter next Thursday.

What for?

One error we’ve heard about is ‘80188309’, which prevents a handful of users from actually installing the 8.1 Preview. This error spans over numerous devices, and it has affected only a small handful of users who receive the first update, but not the second OS update for the actual 8.1 OS. (The Preview installs two updates, with the second failing for some users).

The OS is already feature-locked so there will no new additions, just under the hood fixes or tweaks. It's also not clear if this will be a new build of the OS, or just a fix for devices experiencing the 80188309 error.

But when?

If you're experiencing the 80188309 error, you definitely should not start hammering Microsoft’s servers with update requests. As noted in the Microsoft Community forums, this update is not due today, this weekend or probably even next week. Microsoft will likely take some time to amalgamate data and feedback before acting on an OS update to 8.1, prior to commercialization.

As mentioned above, it's also not clear if current users of the 8.1 Preview will get an update.

General availability of Windows Phone 8.1

We’ve heard from a few sources that Windows Phone 8.1 general availability will begin May 31, which is when we expect to see the rollout of the official update commence. It will, however, be the usual weeks to months before carriers approve the update and begin pushing it out. Because of that, we're likely to see official OEM 8.1 updates with new firmware throughout June, July and August.

Source: Microsoft Community Forums (opens in new tab); Thanks, Mohammad D., for the tip

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.

271 Comments
  • Don't fix Preivew!! xD
  • Wtf is 80880881 error?????
  • The article explains it. Please re-read, thank you.
  • Sorry, I kinda skipped it.
  • Had this issue since I tried updating my 920 to Black... Microsoft and Nokia have not done anything to offer support. Why should I lose all my app data because they cant be bothered to fix things. I'm moving ever closer to ditching WP, at least Apple fix things when they get them wrong, my Lumia has supposedly been ready for Black for some 6 months now, but alas I'm still stuck in the olden days. Thanks Microsoft....
  • I've had WiFi issues on my work iPhones since ios 4 so I wouldn't put all your faith in the fruity ones.
  • Gets a beta and expects it to work perfectly within a week. Compares it to an OS that isn't in beta. Gotta love the crazies.
  • Erm, perhaps you need to learn to read... moron! I've been having the same issue for 6 MONTHS with NOKIA BLACK/GDR3 - which are not in BETA. I have no interest in the developers preview, because my Lumia 920 is my daily driver... but IM NOT TRYING TO UPDATE TO A BETA, IM TRYING TO TO UPDATE TO A COMMERCIAL RELEASE, THAT NOKIA AND MICROSOFT BETWEEN THEM SCREWED UP, AND SO FAR DON'T WANT TO FIX!!!!!!
  • Have you tried a soft reset? I've read something before about this fixing the error.
  • I've done many soft resets, and just done a hard reset. Guess what, it doesn't work! Thanks Nokia, thanks for the all Muppets on here telling me just do a hard reset, lost a ton of data and still a hopeless point. Time to ditch WP, far too many bugs, not enough support from Microsoft, Nokia no long interested since the acquisition.
  • If a hard reset didn't fix it the only other thing I could find was this http://www.lumiamine.com/2014/01/lumia-black-update-error-80188309-solut...
  • If it doesn't work by the end of this week, I'll unfortunately be jumping to iOS, I've reset the device, a lot of app-data has now been lost, not prepared to put up with more Microsoft shenaningans and codswallop, may as wel take the opportunity to jump to a platform backed by a company that actually gives a damn about its users (all the Nokia Care store said, was they can send device to Nokia which takes 4 weeks, and may come back without any data at all on it). At least in the Apple store, they'd give me a new device on the spot. Will be very sad to leave the WP scene after generally enjoying so many years with them, from a 7Pro onwards, but it seems Microsoft are just not interested any more, too many times we've been lead to believe WP [insert version number here] will be the one that addresses the issues and sets the world alight, and still the platform is on the backfoot. If I'm honest, the only thing I'm going to miss, is the camera ability, but having a device that works, that's all I want!!
  • Nokia sent a new 920 to me not long ago due to Bluetooth dropping in and out... It took a whole 15 minutes for them to say... Hmm ok... Well we should have a new device out to you before the end of the week! ...2days later it was on my doorstep... This device was 6 months out of warranty as well... So you can keep your bad views of Ms and Nokia... Maybe you were talking to them in caps when you spoke to them? Idk..
  • You state this has been going on for six months.  You also state that you have "just done a hard reset".  Unless "just done" means something else in dufus speak, you have apparently only now decided to try to do a hard reset after six months time. You report the hard reset did not work.  Perhaps.    A WPC user has posted a potential fix to the issue from January of this year.   Did you try that as well?    So pjs312 has done due dilligence for you, that you could have tried three months ago. Your experience as reported is still striking me as super cheesy.   So again if you want to get yourself an Apple phone, bon appétit. Bye!!!
     
  • I've done a hard reset because I'm sick of getting update notifications, and everyone on here seemed to suggest the hard reset would fix things. It didn't. At least now I can cut my losses, downloading NSR tool now, if it doesn't work, the Lumia can become the phone I use for nights out, I'll grab a 5s from my network for £34 a month, since they've been trying to get me to upgrade handset for a while now. I was waiting for a 1030, such a shame.
  • Alas, Nokia Software Recovery doesn't detect the phone... yet the Phone and WP software shows up ay okay in Windows. Amazing! Seems like it's not only phone software that Microsoft/Nokia cannot get working as it should! Really at my wits end with this phone now :(
  • In the comments on http://www.wpcentral.com/nokia-software-recovery-tool-available it says a couple soft resets fixes that. Specifically here http://www.wpcentral.com/comment/728621#comment-728621 but I wouldn't recommend it after reading that.
  • You are one of those people looking for excuses to move to iOS
    I would request you to switch to iOS cos feels as if you fooling yourself since last 6 months! (~_~)
  • Insulting the ones trying to help you isn't going to solve your issue. If you think problems like this don't happen at Apple or Google, you're delusional. Show some respect, and you will get respect.
  • Since you already hard reset your phone, I recomend you to use the nokia recovery tool (or something like that) Its the app you use to fix your phone if you have the spining cog problem, that should install the newest available version. Thats the way I update to Lumia Black mi 920 because Telcel said it was available but never got the notification to update OTA. Hope this helps   Whoops just read you already try it x( 
  • You might want to try this. I went rolled back from 8.1 preview back to 8 using this tool.http://www.nokia.com/us-en/support/software-recovery/
  • Please go get an iphone, and can I have your old phone?  I'll have that thing fixed in a week, even if I have to put the developer preview on it, as a last resort.
  • It's not a beta. It is the real deal. "Preview" is the name of the early access program, not the name of the update.
  • So while you hold that a hard reset may fix the problem, you don't want to lose your app data in order to do so.   To my understanding the main data lost would be saved games.   This issue has been troubling you for months, and you say that you have not had a resolution of the issue through normal channels. Your stated solution is that you will solve the issue by potentially moving to Apple or Android.   This will of course entail that you lose your app data. If I had come to the same conclusion you have, and I hold out that I may have solved the issue via other methods; I would have hard reset my phone months ago and been done with it. Personally I love my 920 with 8.1. Have a good time with iOS or Android.  Don't forget to check in with Android Central or iMore.   Bye!!!
  • Perhaps your device is not your daily driver, or it's not used for business - losing all in-app data is a piss-poor showing by Microsoft. I've chosen to wait for Microsoft and Nokia to correc their mistakes, but they are not interested, despite the problem causing uproar across their own community forums. I'd never move to Android because of the support levels even less than Microsoft, but Apple is clearly an option, they get things wrong from time to time, but guess what, they fix them in a few months, and don't just forget the issues exists. People on here may just use phones for a bit of fun, to show off etc, but my app data is incredibly important to me, I didn't realise Microsoft, who remember brought us the sidekick and etc, forerunners of cloud phones we have today, we're so backwards in how app and game data is stored. The fact that Xbox Live games also lose their data, shows how bad an OS platform Microsoft are creating for corporate - forget that it's games, just remember Microsoft own the full Xbox Live platform, and yet they still don't have the intelligence to realise phones break/get robbed etc, and app data is then wiped out and lost forever, thanks to Microsoft's shortcomings and lack of forsight. Bring back Bill Gates now, Microsoft clearly need a leader who understands what software and devices should be doing, and a visionary who can see past the end of the present day.
  • sigh... Yes my phone is my daily driver.   No I am not using it for business, however I hold that you should be able to save the majority of your data to One Drive.    There's some settings you would need to redo and yes, you would lose your game saves.   Losing game saves is not great and one would think that at some point in time that issue will be resolved. However I still question your decision to hold off an attempt to update and your apparent continued willingness to complain about the issue ad naseum in the meantime. If you wish to specify particular app data (other than games) that would be lost by a hard reset, I expect some people may be interested.  I expect most of that "data" is simply settings that would need to be redone.   Given this issue has been ongoing for months for you, I really question your judgement in decision making.
  • stop talking stupid shit and go to apple or android!!!
  • I love these types of posts, user has an issue with Windows Phone, so everyone in the community (fanbois) tell them to go to Apple. WP market share is pitiful, if you want it to succeed (get these apps you fanbois keep complaining about) then you really should be helping to support users, not telling them to leave the platform. But then, Microsoft and Nokia lead by example. No wonder Samsung, HTC et al are disillusioned with WP, Microsoft couldn't care less about the platform... the fact we keep seeing Microsoft services and apps hitting competitor platforms first, show the lack of faith MS have in their own platform...
  • Your decision making process sounds problematic to me. Your rhetorical style is overwrought and questionable; "Microsoft couldn't care less about the platform". Your conclusions are equally problematic; "the fact we keep seeing Microsoft services and apps hitting competitor platforms first, show the lack of faith MS have in their own platform..." You've threatened leaving the platform.    Ok... I don't have to be a fanboy in order to be unimpressed by what you are exhibiting.
  • Please, for the love of god go over to iOS or Android. WP Share isn't great, apparently you're terrible at researching platform before joining in.  I don't think anybody joined WP's market share expecting equal to iOS (although it's pretty much a third of iOS at this point). As far as supporting you. I know plenty of 920 users who haven't had any problems. There is zero incentive to me to help you out other than you simply have the same Phone OS I have.  I probably could help you, but you seem like a whiney twit and I'd be happy to see you post whiney posts on other sites.  GTFO TYVM.
  • First of all, not using a phone for business doesn't mean it is used to show off. I'm sure that almost everyone here has important and personal data on their phones, so please stop acting like Mr. My-Data-Is-More-Important-Than-Your-Stupid-Games. Second. Unless you tell which data you would lose besides games achievements, I will believe you're talking bullshit. There's literally NOTHING you can't save to OneDrive and even if there was, you can always plug the device to a PC via USB and transfer whatever you need to backup. That takes just a few minutes, Mr. I-Lost-Six-Months. Third. The kind of error you're talking about, most of the times occurs because of user's misuse and wrong settings of the device. In simple words, people drive a phone "crazy" by making it go beyond its limits and moving settings they don't even know what they're for. I'm guessing that's your case because of all the bullshit you've said. So why would Nokia and Microsoft try to fix a so-called "bug" that doesn't even exist? The solution was already provided by them: hard reset your phone. That should set everything in order again which should allow you to install Black update. Finally, I know at least three people who owned an iPhone 5 and they had three different problems: One of them couldn't set an alarm. The other couldn't install apps. And the other couldn't take photos. The only solution Apple gave these people was a device replacement which none of them wanted for different reasons. Well, guess what. It's been waaaaaaaaaaaaay longer than six months and Apple just forgot the issues ;)
  • Hard reset hasn't worked. So quit talking bullshit, and explain that.
  • I'm perplexed by the fact that you think anybody would want to help you.  Seriously, "explain that" and I'll consider helping you out... are you expecting some sort of Mobile OS comradary to compell us to help out some whiney twit?
  • There are 17 minutes between my message and yours. You want us to believe you backed-up all your precious data, performed a hard reset, set the phone up, downloaded Black update and tried to install it in that time? You're such a liar. So full of BULLSHIT. Get out of here iSheep.
     
  • What network are you with Matt?
  • Three UK, but the device is actually a SIM-free handset, CVUK.
  • If you want to backup data, use OneDrive.
  • Remove the panties a take a soft & if you really want it, a hard reset...of your phone...and try to upgrade to BLACK/GDR3. If that doesn't work get a refurb/new Lumia.
  • Hard reset hasn't worked. Microsoft are absolute load of shit. They're throwing 8.1 and yet people are still stuck on GDR2... Walk before you can run anyone??
  • Here's how to solved your problem. Just go and switch to iOS. Really... just switch to iOS and dump Windows Phone. Stop your long winded whining over here. It'll be a win-win situation for everyone.
  • You're the only one I've heard of with this problem. From the attitude you've shown here, I suspect the problem has something to do with your smashing the phone on the table repeatedly at high velocity. Bad customers will drag a platform down just as quick as bad service. By all means, switch to Google or Apple. Please.
  • I cant update my apple device to 7.1 it has been ready for months now but it always shows an error and apple also has not done anything about it so don't get your hopes up
  • This is my vote for hillarious post of the day!!! Apple "fixes" things? Are you kidding me?! Thats why i switched to WP. Be patient. At the very least we wont get an email stating its USER error, like holding the phone wrong etc. At least windows phone 7 devices werent stuck with the 8 update rendering the phones so slow they would be usless. A cApple staple when it comes to updates. I dont think any of our devices will end up forcing us to upgrade due to a buggy crappy update. Be patient and communicate with Microsoft. This is a DEV only update. Its expected to be buggy thus DEVs being the ONLY ones who should be updating. Dont blame MS for being impatient and not waiting til June/July like the general public.
  • Anyone else check out the new Chiodos record?
  • I've forgotten what the original post was about.
  • Lol me too. Reading this guy comment repeatly shitting nokia & ms.
  • Haha is there any option to throw a user out from wpcentral....let kick him out..
  • All is fine for me. Actually push notification much better after update to wp 8.1
  • The phone crash issue of also there in wp. Battery issue too. Hope they fox it b4 to gain food impression when cyan update is released. Im not whining but if they do its very good. Microsoft has won my heart with regular updates. I love them.
  • Quick question for everybody, does WP8.1 put WP on par with iOS and Android?
  • Dude, really...quick question? Take it to the forums, please.
  • The quick question was in relation to this 8.1 update. Sorry bro.
  • There is a 40 pages long thread in the forum where users have answered the quick question. How about joining the discussion there?
  • If you want a good answer to your "quick question", then you're not looking for a "quick answer". Therefore, this isn't quick at all. There are threads everywhere in the forums and comments in previous more related articles that discussed this, and you choose to ask this in a "article that deals with 8.1 bug fixes"? Man. I'm confused by your logic.
  • I'll answer this.  We've finally matched Android for bugginess.  Hugest major victory for WP8 yet! /joke  Seriously though... forums are a better place.  There is no simple answer to your question. 
  • It does bring it to same level if not beyond. Even wp8 was as good as android or iOS for me.
  • As long asit doesnt load apps like my Nexus, its not on pair.. I do hope so fpr this!
  • I mean im like Oh my Awesome Windows Phone, lets open Viber to reply *click* Loading..Loading..Loading..App Whatever Error.. *Grabs Nexus*
  • All opinions, man. To me, no. We're still forced into using a poor browser. (IE) which still doesn't have proper download managing, a night mode, save for later, ect. That being said, it's way more open than iOS is.
  • Unless ios and android can open any embedded video then its on par.
  • IE11 doesn't allow for OneNote? Can't turn your brightness down? You really download hundreds of files? It's attitudes like this that fosters aggravation and fuels trolls worldwide!
  • IE 11 is a poor browser? Folks don't even know why they hate IE anymore, they just do
  • +925 trudat. I used to avoid IE in favor of Firefox. Then IE actually got good, and I started to get update fatigue with Firefox.
  • +1020
  • Yes I want back and forward button and thousand of other features we can find on other browsers :D
  • Just swipe forward or backward, we talked about that a few times.
  • Aaaaah thanks man! Better than I wanted :)
  • Daniel, you are fighting a loosing battle with some of these people. My dear Mother use to tell me that it's a priveledge to be stupid but a lot of people abuse the priveledge. She was right.
  • Your mother is a very wise person. I should put that on a t-shirt or something.
  • What are you talking about.. I'm here like all the time and read everything, weird that I've missed out on this.. No big deal, nice comment by the way :D
  • Quick answer: Yes
  • Yes, it is now a laggy bug ridden mess of horrific design decisions done by drunken interns under threat of nuclear wedgies.
  • Just... Stop... Lol
  • Lol, what?
  • In many ways, it's better.
  • +925 I second that!
  • Quick answer: iOS is delusional. Android is a cesspool.
  • In some ways yes, others no.
  • A shit ton more secure than IOS and Android, if used for business purposes. A shit ton easier to develop for if used for creation. A shit ton more user friendly if used for... Well general purposes.
  • Hopefully it'll let us developers debug apps with visual studio again.
  • Dude, you could always do that, since WP 7
  • Well that's good news I guess.
  • Finally Microsoft is working very hard and the results are starting to show... Personally I hate the bugs in IE11... I can't use it anymore
  • +520, IE11 is very buggy. Need to be fixed
  • And they are....
  • I haven't seen any bugs IE, so what yall talkin bout
  • For me , desktop view for most sites not working. For example i cant open account.live.com
  • Same, no bugs yet
  • What kinda bugs?  Just curious.
  • Some pages almost never load entirely, for example MLB game day... And I need to go to uc browser which makes the job done
  • Some bugs while playing videos..just open a video and rotate the screen..there occur few hiccups. and lags..any one else experiencing that?
  • I actually love IE11 now! No issues on my 1520!
  • I'm in China. When I use IE11 on WP8.1 login weibo. It just jumping into ucweb or the other web browser. And also have problem to the PC version website
  • Have you done a hard reset yet?
  • It's all in their head.
  • What makes you say that? The update issues (widely reported on Microsoft and Nokia forums 6 months ago) with regards Lumia Black have still to be resolved... Microsoft have effectively told users you have to reset your phone and then see if it works (no guarantees), Nokia deny there is an issue at all! Both of them have shit on their customers, and don't give a damn about that. They've gone backwards, I'm now stuck on GDR2 for the rest of eternity because Microsoft refuse to fix bugs.
  • That bug has an easy fix. Do a hard reset. Sucks but with most things in the cloud these days it's not that big a deal, to me anyways.
  • Nice idea, but Microsoft's idea of cloud backup and mine, are somewhat different. All they store is a list of apps (not even your homescreen) so they can be re-installed, calendar, photos, music and some videos if you're lucky. What bugs like this provde, is that Microsoft and Windows Phone, are clearly not ready/suitable for corporate usage as yet. Because my device is a daily driver, and not I'm told to delete everything off it to fix a bug that has been created by Microsoft. Add to this, all my app data will be gone, and it's a shambles! Pi$$ poor if you ask me.
  • Did a hard reset yesterday. It saved my apps, settings, music, homescreen, sms's, calender, pics and videos. Took about an hour give or take to get everything back the way it was. Dude is it not better to just do a hard reset and see if it solves your problem then switching platform and losing your data anyway? Your choice man. Hope you solve your problem :)
  • Homescreen? You're clearly not on GDR2 then... Homescreen came in with 8.1 IIRC! Also, apps are useless when the data within them is lost.
  • By home screen you mean the start tiles, or the start background
  • Yes sorry I meant the start tiles and how they were placed. I am using a lumia 620 with Lumia Black and 8.1 developers preview. Happy Easter guys.
  • I understand your frustration. But honestly, living with such angst for over 6 months should have been hell. If I were you, as I see there is no other solution, I would have given my phone to Nokia Care. And after the phone is fixed, I would have spent a few days turning things around. I would have had a pleasant six months. Just my opinion.
  • http://mobile.pcmag.com i can't do anything with this site in ie 11, no move... hmm ie why!!!
  • Have you considered that maybe the websites are at fault because they're not coded to IE11's W3C's compliance standards?
  • Sounds good haven't had too many problems on my att Lumia 1020 but patches are always welcomed.
  • Hm... may 31st :v
  • Notifications are actually better after the wp8.1 update
  • They're referring to notifications for the OS Update, not for app notifications ;)
  • When data on/off option will come @action center @ Daniel Rubino sir
  • I hope they enhance vpn with pptp and other protocols.
  • OS is feature locked, so very doubtful. That's something for GDR1 or 2.
  • Thanx
  • I can't select words on IE...
  • I can on a webpage, but not while editing stuff in a textbox.
  • I am truly in love with WP8.1 its perfect for me!
  • It would be awesome if they'd fix the mother effing ding-ding-dings in my ear when I'm on a call and get a notification. Thanks for alerting me, but please-- just once will suffice! (And this has existed since WP8 was launched.)
  • This!!!! ^^^^
  • ++1
  • Just turn on quiet hours
  • To take a phone call?
  • I have updated to windows8.1 as preview for developer on my Lumia 1520 and its sometime give problem like hanging and all so pls fix it toooo
  • It's a preview, not meant to be perfect for all devices. Hard reset should fix must of these pseudo bugs.
  • It is a developer preview not a beta test. Actually it should work perfect. Or should developers learn from ma and release buggy programs?
  • "developer preview" is another way of saying "beta test". You can examine the update against whatever benchmark you want, but fyi that's what you signed up for.
  • Not trying to be negative here, but isn't Microsoft alluding here to the two updates it took to get to 8.1? Please prove me wrong :)
  • Who cares...
  • @b4rtw No, I think you're right and I re-worded the article to make that more clear (it's why I had the error number in the headline; sorry for the confusion)
  • No problem on my 1520
  • And get Cortana fast in India and navigation bar too on other Lumia devices
  • Will take time Indian accents differ very much from person to person as we have diversity here.
  • So true...way too difficult..
  • I heard cortana will come in india by 2015. She works fine but not perfectly , she hear's and displays the words correctly and perform some different task. It might be due a accent or it could be becaus she is in BETA version. Earlier she wasnt able to display nearest kfc or mc'D, i used to just get web page but today when i quered i didnt get nearest KFC detail along direction.
  • I received a new 925 yesterday and got the 80188309 error yesterday trying to patch up to 8.1.  I noticed I wasn't receiving the necessary firmware update (Lumia Black) prior to trying to patch up to 8.1 software update.  I used the Nokia Recovery Software to get the Black update, then the error went away and it was smooth sailing from there. Hope this helps anyone grabbing a new phone to try 8.1 out.
  • I'm sure that is very useful information for those with a similar issue. Great root cause analysis.
  • I just want to know how to get that translucent lock screen!  So far Bing/Google no help...
  • Take screenshot > install Blur > blur photo of screenshot > set as lockscreen. It's not translucent.
    I made my own version ( to remove status bar ) in GIMP:
    https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=EC56E1E80D1CBA53!17046&authkey=!AOtUElnfp-dL03M&v=3&ithint=photo%2c.jpg
  • Thanks!  I actually found Blur a few minutes after I posted, and used it.  Looking closer, I see the lockscreen above is using a blurred image after all.  But I would really like true translucency.  Wonder if it's possible without a change to the OS...
  • Rudy Huyn helped the Windows Phone team develop a new lockscreen API (I suppose that's what it is) that allows developers to not only display content for the background, but also use widgets and alter the fonts etc. Perhaps there's a way to hook into the Start screen, but I don't think it's possible to create a translucent lockscreen with current dev tools.
  • I think it could be an interesting addition so I'll mention it on UserVoice.
  • It's one of the things Apple did right (copied from Ubuntu Dash), but they overdone it a bit. It fits well on a lock screen, especially on Windows Phone c:
  • It would be cool to have various "window" types for a translucent lock screen: frosted, stained glass, screened, patterned, etc.
  • Daniel wrote a full article about it just yesterday => http://www.wpcentral.com/coolest-lockscreen-your-windows-phone-4-easy-steps
  • I'm going back to 8 until lags and battery drains are fixed...
  • Good luck with going back...
  • Are you saying I can't get back?? ;)
  • Oh come on Daniel, Nokia software recovery tool makes it easy
  • Only firmware update can fix that so answer is June or July.
  • If you have a Nokia, you could try the Nokia Care Suite or Nokia Software Recovery Tool! I'm not an expert on that, Daniel might know though!
  • Try a hard reset. It won't take you back to 8.0, but it may resolve some of your issues.
  • I tried a hard reset but it didn't help...
  • Hahahaha, good job reading the *very explicitly advertised* terms of the dev OS preview program. Good game, better luck next time.
  • Nokia Rexovery Tool works just fine :). There's even a guide on the WP 8.1 forum I believe.
  • I found one issue with either 6tag or instagram beta that will lock up your phone and you have to soft reboot it, if you leave it running.
  • at least put more options like 2g/3g at the notification center. or should we wait again for nokia to fix microsoft's incompetence?
  • Thank god for carriers having zero control over customers in Denmark.
  • Yeah, and fix the ME tile so I can post to all of my social accounts simultaneously again. It's a sin that u broke it.
  • It's not going to happen. However the still soon be a clever developer who will fill the hole where you can update all networks by an app.
  • It's a sin that you haven't downloaded the SDK and written your own version yet.
  • June /july......shld i wait that long?
  • June is when you get real thing. Right now it's only a preview. So there is no comparison.
  • Works well on my Huawei Ascend W1-U00 after flashing that Russian ROM people posted early on in the forums!
    How would you force check for updates though?
  • Windows phone team needs its own "major nelson". A public figure who can keep us abreast on official internal windows phone news. Hell I nominate Daniel Rubino. Give that man a paycheck Microsoft
  • He'll have to enlist first, so he can be called "Major Rubino." :D
  • If he does enlist, I'll push for him to be promoted to Colonel. He can't be a Major because our community is bigger and more dynamic than the Xbox community :D
  • I hope they will fix the battery life issues ....
  • Amen
  • Sorry, but I´m a little confused now. So I have already downloaded the update and Its working just fine. Are people able anymore to update their devices to 8.1 or not? Thanks for any answers! PS: I love the 8.1 : D
  • I updated my wife's phone this morning so still seems to be working for (at least some) devices...
  • Does it possible to update WP8.1 manually?
  • OMG thats good news we get official wp8.1 in june/july in India on Lumia 720, waiting for that as I am not trying developer preview program (little bit afraid)  
  • I advise you not to update, I updated my 720 and I kinda regret it...
  • @LTTG i m saying I will update my phone from wp8.0 to wp8.1 official OTA which will be available through carrier updates with Lumia Cyan Update which will available in June/July in India on Lumia 720. As I know wp8.1 official will be almost bug free as compare to developer preveiw update.
  • Yes, I know what you mean, I just don't advise you to update as of now, I'm getting back to 8 soon because I can't stand those bugs...
  • I'm having too many problems. Cortana never understands me. She doesn't identify songs or always gets them wrong. When I delete ALL photos by clicking the camera roll circle on the camera app, it displays a black screen and I have to restart the app. Also the favorites button is weird. It doesn't work right. There are also numerous typos. In the games hub, Cortana, and Phone Update.
  • You may want to do a system reset. System Settings > About > Reset my phone. It will wipe it back to the default system state with 8.1. If you have cloud backup enabled, it should revert your device settings back to what there are now (for the most part). Full disclosure: This may or may not help address these issues. Device drivers and firmware may need to be optimized before your phone can run 8.1. That largely depends upon model, carrier, etc...
  • Does bluetooth still work in WP 8.1. Can I use a bluetooth keyboard now?
  • Tried using my Logitech k810. Not working...
  • 8.1 has been a relatively smooth experience for me on my 928. No glaring bugs so far.
  • Based on all the whining and complaining, I wouldn't be surprised if they lock this down to *real* developers in the future. If you are unable to troubleshoot issues on your phone that may result from device and system variances, you probably shouldn't install the preview.
  • I agree with you completely. MS gives their user base exactly what they want, and the users still whine and bitch. It's beta software, don't use it if you need stability.. PEBKAC.
  • Yes, RTM is typically released for OEM's to develop and test drivers (eg.. Firmware with drivers in this case) against a build that is nearly complete. It is a good time for developers and engineers to begin testing it against applications and systems. Everyone seems to be freaked out that the platform isn't *perfect* with legacy firmware but this should be expected. GA (General Availability) is considered to be the consumer release and it can include various bug fixes and updates that is based on OEM and developer feedback. Technically, it isn't a beta build but it isn't GA either.
  • Lag , bugs amd battery drainage : wellcome to WP ! :) Microsoft must hire better programmers .
  • Not any Windows Phone in my home.  But based on your name I'd assume you bought some ZTE piece of junk so maybe your experience is different...
  • Jesus, what a stupid thing to say..
  • my error, wrong comment
  • My experience with 8.1 on my 920 has been great.  I needed to go through the battery saver and stop a lot of the programs from updating in the background, just like I had done before with WP8.   After doing that I am not seeing any appreciable increase in battery drain.   There's a few choices that they made I would like to see corrected (games in main list, etc.) and some improvements in other areas, but overall I am SUPER happy with 8.1.
  • They have bought Nokia and have one of the best employees. Remember they have bought Nokia nothing else they need for new in context of employees
  • I have issue with wats app notifications.
  • Just not this error... Many error are needed to attended... But imp bring the main official cyan in
  • Had that error when in my initial attempt to install the second update after the 1st one installed successfully. It worked without a glitch in the 2nd attempt
  • After updating to 8.1 as preview of developer in extra info still its show Lumia black only
  • Dude... Its a "preview", not the entire update..
  • WP8.1 Dev Preview is an OS update, NOT a firmware update. Your phone still has Nokia's Lumia Black firmware.
    Keep in mind OS and firmware are two different things.
  • @daniel rubino  really this weekend is best ever on WPC from past 8-9months as too much posts on weekend & start of weekend is realy awesome.
  • jun, july, avgust.... daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn :D
  • There was a small update to 8.0 and then the big 8.1. What update are we talking about when they say "8.1 first update?"
  • So far I haven't had hardly any problems with the preview on my 928. Hope I didn't jinx myself.
  • I think to take a screenshot it should go back to power and home buttons, the way I hold my phone when I go to lock the phone I catch the volume up button, this I'd stupid.
  • Agree...
  • Try holding it with your left hand and press the camera button with middle finger and the volume up key with your pointer. I hope this helps :)
  • Seems faster
  • *slap* ;)
  • It's verifiably faster based on my own before and after benchmarking.
  • This person will be staying away from the comments section for awhile and enjoy this preview for what it is! Remain confident!
  • Cool! I like the new direction Microsoft is taking as of late. I've been a user since wp7 release, and its good to see them getting more "translucent". Updating users on progress made every Friday is a great idea, though development doesn't always move at a pace that will make those weekly updates necessarily action packed.
  • I wish they would make volume two finger pull down from top to pull up volume controls. That would be awesome
  • Update was smooth enough for me. No hard reset required after install. All features working well (atleast till now). An occassional lag here and there and ofcourse the battery drain. I have disabled IE sync as suggested by someone on Reddit. Will charge up the battery and see how it goes. Apart from that, pretty much smooth. Cortana can recognize Indian English accents pretty well although information can sometimes be very US centric for now.
  • Luckily both my 920 and 1020 updated fine.
  • I doubt that devices that already have 8.1 will get it. There is no reason to. Since the first update works and is supposed to prepare the phone for 8.1 the blame almost certainly lies with it. They will probably push a fixed version of the first update to phones that are stuck.
  • Nice
  • So happy that all is well on my end. I guess I'll wait before I update my gf's phone. She's already nervous about updates messing up things. On a side note,I'm so glad that Microsoft did/does the developer preview.. Carriers suck!!
  • Wpcentral, please push MS to also fix the annoying wifi issue we have with 8.1
  • WiFi issue? Maybe this has been covered in the forums but I think it is safe to say that issues will be addressed through the platform or in device firmware. Depending upon where the problem lies, it could be addressed in the next update or you may have to wait until firmware is released for your device.
  • So far so good in my L620, smoother than ever, except in ie, sometimes theres a little lag when closing tabs
  • L521 updated fine. No errors here, just a little lag here and there..
  • My 520 doesn't lag :)  
  • Ms to the rescue!
  • Only things need fixing id say is the battery app and notifications from facebook and wpcentral app just don't seem to get the toasts on my 1520
  • In Internet explorer browser some function cant work like when am I open flipkart application ,there isn't work brand,os..etc option..kindly help me for fix my problem
  • So your saying that a beta application doesn't work as expected with an RTM preview of the platform it's running on. I don't even know where to start with this.
  • Wats general availability? Cyan?
  • The only issue I have is my Onedrive app. it won't launch. I can't reinstall or uninstall it. It's not responsive.  
  • i went back to 8.0, i did like  8.1, but just found my self getting impatient with 8.1 at times, battery life, and other issues. 
  • I never got this error but one of my friends did. So yes it needs to be fixed I guess.
  • WP 8.1 and Cortana have lots of bugs that I hope they get fixed in the final release.
  • They will do it they have mentioned that in the article.
  • I wish they would fix the 8103010D error instead.
  • I jave one confusion about devloper preview update and official public update now i update my phon with 8.1 bt it is devloper account if official update is come with Minar changes little bugs changes i can update it again or not?
  • I'm happpy with the update. So far, the only bugs I found were: -No way to access advanced seetings on IE, so, no posibility to change search engine. -No way to change my phone's language to US English, so no Cortana for me :( Besides that, this is the most stable beta test I've been enrolled since Windows 7 and Office 2010.
  • IE > Settings > Scroll Down > Advanced > Scroll Down > Default Search Provider.
  • Yeah, I know that. The problem is that everytime I try to do it, IE hangs, and prompts me again to input a new web address. I should have been more specific :)
  • Maybe Cortana doesn't want you to use Google for your default search provider ;). If you didn't pick up on that, I can only assume that using Google for a default search provider is not compatible with Cortana. IE may not be able to apply the change as long as she is enabled. Try disabling Cortana and try again. Naturally, if you like using Cortana, using Bing as your default search provider is mandatory for all intents and purposes. Personally, I prefer Bing over Google but to each their own.
  • hahaha, that's the promblem. I can't use cortana nor change my default search engine, I'm not able to change my display language to English US, and that's mandatory to use Cortana. So, I thnk both are not related.
  • What would happen if you reset the phone without restoring app data and settings? Wouldn't you be able to select localization, region and IE defaults at that point?
  • Thanks for the advice. Tried it, but again no luck. No option to set my display language on English US on boot, and IE only giving me the option to use/not use SmartScreen.
  • Will Lumia Cyan fix stability issues (especially lags and battery drains)???
  • That's a pretty safe assumption.
  • That's probably my problem, even though I don't know what's e error 80188309 is. My update just basically missed a couple of system apps that's supposed to get revamped with 8.1.
  • The music and video app is whack
  • I haven't seen this error yet
  • I hope that the first coming update will fix more then that. I, for example, am seeing icons that should be in the notification bar. I'm sure there are more people out there with other issues. Also, is the fix they are coming with a fix for the first "preparation" update (and thus for 8.0), or for Windows Phone 8.1 itself?
  • So does it mean "Preview for Developer" is just a Beta version of "General Availability"? If the "General Availability was released by my carrier, Am I going to update into a whole OS update again?
  • Fix wifi connection and volume popping noise and I'm set.
  • My phone is getting worse. It's now overheating.
  • Option to automatically turn off WiFi when your screen turns off, which was major battery saving feature in WP8, doesn't exist in WP8.1 and that's the main cause of battery drain. WiFi is always ON unless you turn it off manually.
  • I get the error on my Lumia 620! I won't say I'm not angry because I can't update BUT I was relieved to read that they will be working on a fix not only for huawei but also for Lumia phones! Oh and I did reset my phone, so as of now the only way to get WP 8.1 is either flashing the phone or waiting till MS delivers the fix! I prefer the latter one!
  • BTW seeing as many of you don't know it, the 8801309 (or the likes) error appears when someone wants to update to 8.1, meaning you won't be able to update. If you already have 8.1, you will never get the error.
  • The update for 8.1 might have been so compressed, and so it must be extracted. What's the free internal storage space you suggest I have before downloading the update? Because I did try to do the update already (twice), yet the update stopped and threw up an 80070008 error.
  • 1.5gb of free space
  • M using lumia 620 in india.. Trying to get 8.1... But i keep on getting 801882d1/d2 error... Tried 100 times to fix it.. Still the same... Please help me...
  • Sorry to hear that some people haven't been able to update to 8.1 etc. It will be fix soon just keep the faith. I love my windows phone before the I updated to 8.1. Never going back to apple nor android. True windowsphone fan.
  • I am using Lumia 920 i have a update error (80190193) please help to solve this problem thanks
  • Getting random reboots after 8.1, cortana location based services aren't working, IE11 seems more crash happy, spotify has stopped working, the app list has become sluggish after adding all the games, Cortana starts up randomly when I turn phone off, cortana insists on picking the closest store every time I try to tell her the name of a place with the word store in it. All in all could use some loving before mass market release. Also seem to be able to add reminders etc with Cortana but not able to remove them.
  • So I made the first update yet I don't get to receive the 8.1 even though it's stated in the article that users updated to the first one will still get the notification for the 8.1. Why is this so?
  •   @Daniel Rubino i have a Lumia 920 and would like to use Windows Phone 8.1 preview on my mobile. If I use this, will my Nokia warranty remain valid or not? plez replay soon
  • Is navigation bar come too like which is in Lumia 63 something model
  • Too bad it's feature locked.  The Outlook mail app desparately needs a fix to alert when email arrives in subfolders.  That's killer and a glaring ommission.
  • Pretty odd all of these "developers" are having problems with a beta software. What could the problem be?? :)
  • All went ok to me..I'm now enjoying the new OS update. Hope this can be corrected soon for the ones that got that scary message 80188309
  • please i keep getting this error, we are currently unable to check for updates (80072ef1) any solution....
  • you can update windows phone 8 to 8.1 by pc https://www.windowsphone.com/en-in/how-to/wp7/zune-software if  you are get error 80072ef1... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpm66SuTOgA
  • I received the same error.   When checked I had only 1.9G free space. Cleared some space and now My nokia lumia 520 is updated to 8.1
  • Is there anyone in Sri Lanka received 8.1 update yet? Because i am getting 8190193 error since the release of 8.1 developer preview i am using Lumia 920 please let me know if anyone managed to update successfully thanks
  • you can update windows phone 8 to 8.1 by pc https://www.windowsphone.com/en-in/how-to/wp7/zune-software if  you are get error 80072ef1... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpm66SuTOgA
  • Thanks mate i will try the method you have mentioned and will let you know
  • I have tried the methods you have mentioned Zune software only supports windows phone 7 so still no luck for me i think i have to wait until the official release thanks anyway
  • NOTIFICATON CENTER BUG! Hello I am having problem with my notification center on my Lumia 920, this really annoys me for almost a month after the last update which is the 8.1 preview for developers. Regarding the notification center it is so irritating because third party apps (facebook, twitter, instagram, etc.) doesn't have notification/doesn't notify on the notification center and what am I doing is that go through each apps to check updates. Please if somebody knows how to fix this tweet on me @im_sen this is a really big problem and to Microsoft please fix this bug. Also please bring back the deep integration for facebook and twitter.
  • Whein will I get general update in India for L625?
    Plz do reply
  • Kinda like this update just bug my notifications...
  • Ok,   I have a big issues that seems to be a reoccuring issue with Windows Phone. I am a strong supporter of the platform and I have always favored the interface and functionality. My issue is that every phone I have had (2 Nokia Lumia 900's and 2 Lumia 1020's) have had serious issues post update.   It all started when i installed the Amber update and lost my forward facing camera. ATT gladly gave me a new phone after all efforts to resolve were unsuccessful. I had a similar issue with the Black update, and now the Cyan. This time it is almost comical..... the phone with the amazing camera now has no camera.   ATT is sending me a new phone, but i really think someone needs to better test these updates... And i refuse to believe this is an issue with hardware... If you back date the firmware to 8.0 the camera works.... so clearly something is wrong with the upgrade and the ability to detect the camera, i can only imagine the frustration this would cause end users....   Ok, other than that rant, i really do like my 1020 with 8.1, even without the camera I am really liking Cortana and the reminder feature. I like the notification center as well.   Hopefully the next update does not kill my camera, and i hope they figure out a way to stop the camera from getting hot when you use navigation (no idea why it does that since im not using the camera)   Michael