14 DAY TRIAL // With the Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview already available for download for all Windows Phone 8 devices out there, many enthusiasts have already rushed to grab it and many more will do the same shortly, that’s for sure.
The platform is aimed at developers, though all those interested in getting a taste of it can have it, as long as they sign up with Microsoft for that. The process is completely free via the App Studio website, as explained in our WP8.1 Developer Preview download guide.
Despite the fact that it is labeled a preview, the new OS release comes with almost the entire suite of features and enhancements that Microsoft has unveiled for it in early April during the BUILD conference, including Cortana, the new digital personal assistant.
One thing that users living outside the US will see after installing Windows Phone 8.1 on their handsets, however, is the fact that Cortana is not available for them.
Microsoft has already announced that things will be this way in the beginning, though the company also said that it was working hard on making the feature available outside the country before the end of the year.
In the meantime, however, you can still get Cortana on your Windows Phone 8.1 devices, though you’ll have to trick the OS into thinking that you’re living in the United States.
This can be done quite easily through heading to Settings and will require changing your region to the US, among other modifications.
First, you’ll need to change the language settings to English (United States). For that, you’ll need to go to Settings > Language and add it as a new entry. You’ll also need to make sure that the language is active to move to the next step, though this might require a reboot of the device.
Next, you’ll have to head to Settings > Region and change your location to the United States. You’ll also have to ensure that the “regional format” and the phone language match, which might require a reboot as well.
As soon as the phone is online once again, Cortana should appear in the app list. However, you might need to restart the device once more if that does not happen.
When firing up Cortana for the first time, you’ll have to get through a setup process, but you’ll be good to go as soon as that is completed.
However, you should keep in mind the fact that the digital personal assistant will work only with the language and country/region settings set to English (United States) and US, respectively. Should you change them in any way, the feature will disappear from the handset.
As WPCentral notes, changing the settings as mentioned above in order to get Cortana could result in losing access to the Windows Phone Store on some devices. Those who will get through with this guide should keep in mind that not all things might go as well as expected.
However, with Cortana being the main enhancement that Microsoft has included in Windows Phone 8.1, we’re pretty sure that there will be many enthusiasts willing to take that risk in order to get a glimpse at the feature.