Windows Phone 8.1
| A version of the Windows Phone operating system | |
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A customized Windows Phone 8.1 Start Screen
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| Developer | Microsoft Corporation in association with Nokia |
|---|---|
| Written in | C++, C |
| Source model | Closed-source |
| Released to manufacturing |
April 14, 2014 |
| General availability |
July 15, 2014 |
| Latest preview | 8.10.15116.125 / April 10, 2015 |
| Update method | Firmware over the air and via Windows Phone Store |
| Platforms | 32-bit ARM architecture |
| Kernel type | Hybrid (NT kernel) |
| License | Commercial proprietary software |
| Preceded by | Windows Phone 8 (2012) |
| Succeeded by | Windows 10 Mobile (2015) |
| Official website | www |
| Support status | |
| Mainstream support until 11 July 2017. | |
Windows Phone 8.1, rolled out at Microsoft's Build Conference in San Francisco, California, on April 2, 2014, is the third generation of Microsoft's Windows Phone mobile operating system, succeeding Windows Phone 8. It was released in final form to Windows Phone developers on April 14, 2014 and reached general availability on July 15, 2014. All Windows Phones running Windows Phone 8 can be upgraded to Windows Phone 8.1, with release dependent on carrier rollout dates.
Windows Phone 8.1 is also the last version that uses the Windows Phone brand name as it was succeeded by Windows 10 Mobile. Some Windows Phone 8.1 devices are capable of being upgraded to Windows 10 Mobile. Microsoft delayed the upgrade and reduced the supported device list from their initial promise.
Windows Phone 8.1 was first rumored to be Windows Phone Blue, a series of updates to Microsoft's mobile operating system that would coincide with the release of Windows 8.1. Although Microsoft had originally planned to release WP8.1 in late 2013, shortly after the release of its PC counterpart, general distribution of the new operating system was pushed back until early 2014.
Instead of waiting over a year to add new features to Windows Phone 8, Microsoft opted to release three incremental updates to its existing mobile OS. These updates are delivered with corresponding firmware updates for the specific devices. The updates included GDR2 (Lumia Amber), which introduced features such as "Data Sense", and GDR3 (Lumia Black), which brought support for quad-core processors, 1080p high-definition screens of up to six inches, the addition of a "Driving Mode," and extra rows of live tiles for larger "phablet" devices.
The updated operating system's final name was leaked to the public when Microsoft released the Windows Phone 8.1 SDK to developers on February 10, 2014, but it wasn't until Microsoft's Build conference keynote on April 2, 2014 when Windows Phone 8.1 was officially announced, alongside the Windows 8.1 Update. The final shipping code was released to registered users of the "Preview for Developers" program on April 14, 2014, and to the general public in subsequent months, the actual release date being determined by the devices' wireless carriers and accompanied with firmware updates, including Lumia Cyan.
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Wikipedia