Microsoft updates list of phones that can get Insider builds of Windows 10 Mobile

By John Callaham
published

Lumia 950 XL
Lumia 950 XL (Image credit: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central)

While the Windows 10 Mobile over-the-air update is currently rolling out to a select number of older Windows Phones, many owners can get preview builds of the OS right now via the Windows Insider program. Today, Microsoft announced it has updated the list of phones that can get Windows 10 Mobile Insider preview builds.

Here's the refreshed list:

  • Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL
  • BLU Win HD W510U
  • BLU Win HD LTE X150Q
  • Lumia 430
  • Lumia 435
  • Lumia 532
  • Lumia 535
  • Lumia 540
  • Lumia 550
  • Lumia 635 (1GB)
  • Lumia 636 (1GB)
  • Lumia 638 (1GB)
  • Lumia 640
  • Lumia 640 XL
  • Lumia 650
  • Lumia 730
  • Lumia 735
  • Lumia 830
  • Lumia 930
  • Lumia 950
  • Lumia 950 XL
  • Lumia 1520
  • MCJ Madosma Q501
  • Xiaomi Mi4

As Microsoft previously said, some older Windows Phones that were able to download Insider builds in the past were not "able to successfully upgrade without an impact on the customer experience".

250 Comments
  • Where is the HTC one m8
  • I understand that my HTC 8X is abandoned but M8? It should be there from day 1.
  • It already gets preview builds but it isn't on any lists
  • Have you tried it? My girlfriend wants it but I haven't seen any success stories so I have been weary of doing it for her.
  • Win10 runs better on my M8 then it does on my 950XL.... Lol.
  • remember this is just list going out now
  • Its not on the but i can confirm that you can certainly put W10 via the Insiders app othe M8. I have it on my wife's phone
  • I have the Insider build on my M8 also... but from the MS blog, it sounds like I won't be getting any new updates via Insider, and am also not in line for getting the standard W10 upgrade. Which is ludicrous, given the phone's specs.
  • That's what I'm worried about too, I don't want to wait until the hp elite x3
  • I'll be honest... if I have to buy a new phone anyway, I will probably just switch ecosystems entirely.
  • I'll end up sticking with win 10M for the foreseeable future because I just like the ui and productivity features too much
  • Productivity features? What does Windows phones have that the other platforms don't do better? Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • Almost all of them... Word for free is better than gdocs, the mail app is the best for quick organization, integration with win 10 and Cortana(undeniably better than gnow and Siri), most of all skype on windows phone is more complete because of integrated messaging. There are many more which are important for power users.
  • All those apps are available on the other platforms and many of them are better and more frequently updated there. Even Cortana is available. Split screen apps and active stylus are also available on Android, so it is kinda tough to say Windows is better for power users. When you also look at all the missing apps, especially bank apps, it really doesn't make Windows a more productive mobile platform.
  • You really don't understand do you, ask of those you have to pay for on other devices or are far behind on features
  • I certainly don't understand what you just said!
  • Sadly you are rigth... I just switch to android and... damn... really miss the UI.. but all the apps even MS's apps are years away from what I had in WM
  • Microsoft even has its own launcher for Android and it is interesting and actually pretty good. I think it is called Arrow Launcher or something.
  • I'm thinking it means we are going to be stuck on 10586.164 for the foreseeable future.
  • Per Gabe's followup tweets, this appears to be the case.
  • I think you should ignore it. Microsoft has made a series of stupid errors in their announcements lately. So only believe this if your phone stops getting new insider build. Ps: I don't think it will
  • What about Lumia icon???
  • I'm starting to think that icon and m8 will be in a second wave
  • what second wave?
  • People speculate there will be another wave of supported devices
  • While the 930 (virtually identical hardware) made the list, the fact the MS and Verizon don't seem to be working effectively together might be the holdup.
  • Understood that Verizon isn't playing nice with OTA updates. I can't see a technical reason why the 930 can support this and the Icon can't since they are identical phones with the only difference being the antenna. So if there isn't a second wave and/or Verizon decides not to support a second wave, what are our options for getting W10M on the Icon and how easy is it to do?
  • The only option is to Go to windows insider slow now and stay there forever
  • Well from what I read on xda there are leaked tools that can be used
  • Verizon also wouldn't certify the new 950/950XLs for use on their network, unless Microsoft jumped thru additional hoops.  Unlike GSM, where you can just pop in a carrier's SIM card, CDMA networks (or at least Verizon's) requires specific carrier authorization.  The 950/950XL have all of the hardware to be Verizon phones, but are just missing the permission component (so MS disabled CDMA communications in the OS, so that users wouldn't think they were connecting and having problems; if the permission is ever granted, MS can just push an update to enable the network on the existing phones).
  • Well its a surprise htc/lg were able in the 1st place
  • wonder where L920 went
  • They are at the final stage to shut down W10M, that's why x20 removed.
  • Uh... What? Sent from my Windows 10 PC.
  • God! Dont you have a life? You're on every article always trolling people. If you don't , get one.
  • U hv a problem?
  • Yes I do. I have a problem with trolls making it their full-time job posting retarded things on every article just because they dont like something. Its an f-ing phone, if you don't like it, just move on and use something that you like. When someone posts comments like this on every article that you see, you are bound to speak up.If you dont believe me check for his comments on the articles from the past 2-3 days.He is on every one of them. Btw, posting these sort of things speaks volumes about the poster's mental condition.So, you don't need to be his knight in a shining armour.
  • Nice wall of text. Looks like you were trolled, mate.
  • You got trolled hard. You did this to yourself
  • Look people... you need to cut Kamesh some slack. He probably had an interview at Microsoft some time ago and was rejected... probably has some "daddy" issues.. He is just trying to find his way "home" as it were... You can't blame a child for acting like, well, a child... its in their nature, its all they know. While we, as mature adults have put away our childish way, Kamesh hangs on... and its OK! We need to try and accept him for who he is...
  • Sipneat, whatever Kamesh has said (I've not been following), making a childish post full of embarrassingly poor personal attacks in response is not going to help. Have you tried the ignore function?
  • How mad are you from 1-10?
  • 920 is in Wave 2
  • How can U confirm that .!! They have written specifically on blogs the phone that deemed fit for the win10 experience which can be enhanced are for the phone listed in their list
  • There is no Wave 2
  • I have the latest build on my 920 and sad to say it just isn't that great. On the 1520 it is very nice. The 920 gets hot and sometimes I have to attempt to open an app 3 or more times. And some apps take a long time just to open or get to the point I can use them.  I'm talking core apps and third party. I've did a reset and didn't take a backup for restore. So it's a clean install. The battery life just isn't that great either. with 8.1 I could go a full work day without needing to charge it until later that evening. Now I'm lucky to make it to lunch. As much as I wanted to hang on to my 920 I think it might be time to get a sim card for the 1520. Or look into a newer model. 
  • That's disappointing
  • I own a 925 and I am totally not disappointed. I was kind of worried that MS was going to force the inferior OS on my phone like they did on my convertible laptop. Now I can go on using the beautiful Windows Phone 8.1 till I decide to get a new phone instead of suffering Windows 10
  • It was just slow on my 920.  Can't really use it festively anymore with Windows 10.  Moved to an 830 and it runs good.  I'm thinking it needs the extra cores.
  • I'm trying to understand how the crappy 430, with dual cores, can get it but the 920 can't.
  • Ram
  • Both phones have 1 GB of RAM, and dual cores.  The difference is likely due to the 430 being a 3 year newer hardware design, which was released after the Win10M testing had already begun, so the hardware is probably better optimized for Win10M.  I used to have preview builds on my 920 and a 640 (released about the same time as the 430), and the 640 ran the preview builds smoother.  Also worth noting is that while all 920s tend to run hot, mine got much hotter when on the W10 preview builds, and actually overheated to the point one day that I could not hold it, and the electronics got fried (never ran again).  I then switched to the 640 for my daily driver until receiving my 950XL.
  • I'm sorry to hear that. I am running build 10586.164 on my Lumia 928 and it's very good. It was good on my Lumia 520 as well, but that got broken a while back. I think I'm just lucky with windows phones. That's why I'm not switching.
  • http://downloadmorecores.com/
  • The 925 is gone too. Glad I have my Fierce XL!!! Posted from Windows Central for Windows 10
    Using the Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL for Windows 10
  • So they removed off the x20 phones. Good.
  • Just commented in regards of the L920. I do think it's still eligible as my brother has one. Along with L925, my tester.
  • Add the Lumia Icon cause I'm installing it now. (hell most have frozen over for VerizonWireless to release this)
  • I got confirmation from Gabe that the Icon is not supported... were you on WP8 and are getting the update via the upgrade advisor?
  • I jumped the gun on this :(  I rolled back to 8.1 and installed the UpgradeAdvisor. The UpgradeAdvisor said my phone was eligable for the update but is dependent on the carrier.  OH BLOODY HELL!!!! Back to the insider release...
  • From this list and other news, it sounds like the Icon, 928, and 822 will no longer get Insider release.  At least the 735 is on the list.  If Verizon officially releases W10M for the 735, I might ditched my 928 for it.
  • Gabe response translates to that VZW doesn't want to participate.  If the 930 can recevie it along with the insider build I don't see why its not supported from Microsoft's point of view.
  • Are you sure? You are still on Verizon? Non - Insider? Please confirm.. Thanks.
  • The app says it isn't available for me yet, and nothing else has popped up. Without it being on the list, I expected Verizon had once again screwed Icon owners.  Hopefully I'll get it soon as well.  
  • Since Verizon EOL'd the Icon, it is highly doubtful we will ever receive a non-Insider build of W10M.
  • You may not see Insuider builds either.  That is what I am getting from this.  They stated if your phone is not on the list, it is no longer eligible for the Insider program.
  • Do insiders need to roll back and update again to get new windows 10 builds??? Someone answer please :3
  • Aren't you already on W10m? Sent from my Windows 10 PC.
  • Well.   I installed the Upgrade Advisor on a Lumia 830 running 10586.164 and it said "Your phone is up to date.  There are no updates to install." Then I went into Windows Insider and re-established myself in the "Fast Ring" and rebooted.  After reboot, check for updates and still says up to date. so maybe?  
  • You appear to already be running the most current build for phones which weren't factory installed with W10 (Threshold branch).  New phones with factory installed W10 (e.g. 950, 950XL, etc) are the only ones currently able to test the builds in the Redstone branch, for which the latest build is 14291.1001).  And if you were previously running a preview build, I don't know if the Upgrade Advisor would work anyway, as I believe is was setup for phones upgrading from WP8.1.
  • My question too.
  • No Lumia 925? Booo. I hoped to update for new owner as I bought L950 a month ago. Great phone, btw.. ☺
  • I have my L925 on the .164 insider build Posted from Windows Central for Windows 10
    Using the Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL for Windows 10
  • Wait. x20 series (excluding 1520) will not be able to download insider preview anymore???
  • Yep.
  • Does that means that the L930 will get Redstone insider update ?
  • Still no 822 :(
  • Lumia 820:)
  • More like: Never on 822. Sorry, that's sad :(
  • That's sad, for me it was the perfect phone, it wasn't big, it has 16gb of internal storage and even with 1gb on ram it run the last w10 insider build fine, now it's kinda dead, I'll have to stick to my 640 I guess.
  • So, they have removed Lumia 1320 from the list!?
  • So older Lumias can now be upgraded to redstone builds? Does it worth it? :D Are they stable? Man, I have so many questions today :D Posted from Windows Central for Windows 10, on HP 250 G1 notebook
  • I have switched to fast ring and no redstone on my Lumia 930.
  • I know now. It's "coming soon" for older Lumias :\ :D
  • Mine "BLU Win HD LTE X150E Grey" just missed by a letter.  How long will the next "SOON" be for my chance?
  • microsoft should also consider x150e version too. may be we will be getting in next few days. 
  • So its official then either be stuck at an unsupported version of preview build or dont have windows 10 at all if your handset is isn't on the list.
  • Unfortunately yes
  • Sigh was looking forward to windows 10 being supported on my 720. Anyway software development is not a joke, doing what they gotta do.
  • Where is my lumia 1320...?
  • What about Lumia 630
  • Finally someone mentions my 630
  • It seems MSFT has excluded Lumia devices having 512mb RAM, means won't get Win10M upgrade.
    Mine L630 includes too :(
  • And 635 512MB ram. Not supported anymore :(
  • Wat does it mean I'm ******* confused
  • Here in India...my phone is getting update L730 DS...
  • Still no 520
  • More like: Never on 520. Sorry...
  • Windows Mobile self destruction mode....
  • To the contrary, this is more like self-preservation: survival of the fittest. MS can't go on supporting old hardware for ever as it constantly expands it's product range year upon year. Limiting W10M so it can still run on hardware many years old is detrimental to it's progress. They have to cut devices from support at some point; some of the devices they've cut are four years old, they've done pretty well so far.
  • So that's what MS meant when they said upgrades would be supported for the 'life of the device', meaning they choose when to end-of-life your hardware. gotcha!
  • Oh yes, that's brilliant. My Samsung i9000 ran most new apps five years down the line. Now MS fragmented the little app library they've had. Very soon whatever was left at 8.1 will be abandoned in favour of 10, since it makes absolutely no sense to build for both.
  • Lol & PC OEMs are no different yet they divert from reference drivers
  • John, older phones CAN use the Insider Program to update to the TH2 build. That list is for RS1 builds (Fast Ring).
  • I wonder if someone is so damn crazy, to be using an unsupported insider build full of bugs, as a daily driver, for the rest of his device lifespan. Well, i don't think so...
  • Most Insiders do that actually Posted from Windows Central for Windows 10
    Using the Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL for Windows 10
  • I think insiders are using it for testing purposes and curiosity for new features. Using your main phone with an unstable OS and lots of bugs is pure madness. Sooner or later they will return to an older official version.
  • Going to hold off on the update till I read the reviews. I can't sacrifice OS stability for anything
  • Is this the first wave or the only wave?
  • What is the build??
  • Honestly I'm so confused right now, I don't get anymore if Lumia x20 phones wont get windows 10 at all, or they will get the update in the next update wave. Or we get W10M via insider app, but we can't get Redstone builds Posted from Windows Central for Windows 10
  • X20 Lumia will get official win 10 update in 2 nd wave
  • Oh thank you for letting me know
  • </