14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has updated the Windows Insider app for phones to block the hack that allowed users to deploy the first Windows 10 for phones preview on non-supported Lumia devices, but that's not at all a bad thing. Not when looking at the number of phones that got bricked after applying the hack.
Microsoft has released Windows 10 for phones preview only to a handful of devices, so it's no surprise that many have turned to this hack to install the OS on non-supported Lumia devices.
But as the company said through the voice of some of its employees, applying this hack on your Windows Phone device just because you can't wait a few more weeks to get an official release is a very risky thing to do that could in the end break down your phone completely.
Gabe Aul, head of the Windows Insider program, said in several tweets that users should stay away from the hack because, if a single step goes wrong, the device could be bricked for ever.
That did happen and many users turned to Twitter to contact Microsoft through its support accounts and ask for help to recover their devices. The answer was pretty much the same in all of the cases, “we do not offer support for phones that applied the hack.”
Trying to prevent more phones from getting bricked
While some people think that Microsoft did this because it does not want more people to try out Windows 10 for phones preview on their phones, this isn't true.
The company actually decided to do this as it doesn't want more phones to get bricked just because users couldn't wait a little bit longer to get the official build on their devices. Letting users hack their phones is a double-edged sword.
Sure, more people try out the preview and share feedback, but those who break down their phones come back to Microsoft, blast the company for not providing support for fixing them and the criticism for keeping the preview available on a limited number of Lumia models grows bigger.
That's clearly the thing that Microsoft wants to avoid, and by blocking the hack in the Windows Insider app, it actually made a step to make sure that its users are fully protected.
More phones to be supported starting March
OK, so the hack is now blocked, but when is Microsoft planning to release support for more phones in Windows 10?
Microsoft has adopted a monthly release cycle, so the company is very likely to debut an updated build in March. And yes, support for more phones will be there.
We're hearing that, following the waves of criticism that the company had to deal with after the launch of the Windows 10 for phones preview earlier this month, the company has sped up work on adding more devices to the compatibility list. Flagships are a priority, and both the Lumia 930 and 1520 are very likely to be supported in the next release.
Of course, that could also change overnight in case something goes wrong, but there's no doubt that Microsoft wants to make Windows 10 for phones preview available to more users in the shortest possible time.
In the meantime, the Windows 10 for phones preview hack still works if you do not update the Windows Insider app on your Lumia, but again, you're highly recommended to stay away from it.
@ShaunKait Sorry, only thing I can suggest is the reset tool: http://t.co/QcgOG2pc5b I've been trying to warn everyone the XDA hack is risky
— Gabriel Aul (@GabeAul) February 17, 2015
