14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has rolled out Windows 10 build 14393.5 to the Release Preview ring, and with this change, the company is once and for all abandoning Windows Phone devices that aren’t getting the full upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile.
Back in March, when Microsoft announced the new Windows 10 Mobile devices, the company decided to make it available only for some models that were part of its existing lineup, as it wanted to offer the best possible experience on the new operating system.
The only way for unsupported Windows Phone device owners to run Windows 10 Mobile was to enroll in the Windows Insider program and get new builds as part of the Release Preview ring. This particular ring was getting 10586 builds, as they were compatible with unsupported models, while Anniversary Preview builds were listed as incompatible.
Goodbye, Windows 10 Mobile
Today, when the Release Preview ring update took place, Microsoft made it impossible for these unsupported devices to get new updates, and in an announcement today, the company confirms the following changes:
“As stated before, unsupported devices will not receive any builds or updates newer than 10586.x. Unsupported devices will not be able to select any Windows Insider Preview rings in the Windows Insider app. Updates to apps and services may not be available for unsupported devices and in some cases may limit certain experiences.”
The recommendation is to use the Windows Device Recovery Tool to make the switch back to Windows Phone 8.1, but once this happens, no other Windows 10 Mobile build will be available. Starting today, 10586 builds are no longer pushed to unsupported phones through the Release Preview ring, so once you go back, you can never return to Windows 10 Mobile.
Certainly, this is one of those decisions that can cause more criticism for Microsoft, but Windows Phone fans have kind of get used to being left behind, even by the software giant itself. The company has promised more cool things for phones in 2017, but the wait is undoubtedly painful.