Yesterday, April 14th, Microsoft started sending Windows update Phone 8.1 to all developers. Below I will tell you how to become a developer in 3 steps and all the pros and cons of the update that I have noticed.

How to become a developer in 3 steps

All smartphones with Windows Phone 8 can upgrade to Windows Phone 8.1
To do this, you will need a phone directly, a Microsoft account to which you were registered when you first launched your smartphone, the Preview for Developers application.

• Download the application written above and install it.
• If you did a student unlock, then go to the next. paragraph. Go to this site. Sign in with your Microsoft account, the one on which the smartphone is registered. Allow to use your account, agree to the rules. When there is a greeting - congratulations, you did everything successfully.
• Open the Preview for Developers downloaded above. If the application asks to enter data, then enter the data that you used on this site. Click Next, agree to all terms. In the next step, check the "Enable Preview for Developers" checkbox. If everything went well, you will see a window that says "Success".
• Go to Settings-Phone update-check the update. You must download 2 updates, 2 of which are Windows Phone 8.1

Pros and cons of Windows Phone 8.1

Below I will write my observations.

Pros:

1. Applications can be transferred to a memory card
2. A notification curtain has appeared (see above in the picture)
3. Improved keyboard supporting swype technology
4. Ability to set backgrounds for tiles on home screen
5. Ability to activate 3 rows of tiles on all Windows Phone 8.1 devices
6. Added "Do not disturb" mode
7. Renovated store
8. Cortana for English speaking users
9. In-depth volume control: separate for apps and games, separate for calls and notifications

Minuses:

1. Minor bugs in the developer version
2. Added "Maps" - an absolutely unnecessary thing, because Here Maps, which are supported on Windows Phone 8.1, are much better and have more features.

I advise everyone to upgrade. The pros close the cons. One "most important" minus is that the store is not working, but you can also install applications via a computer from the official website. Perhaps I will write later how to do this if people are interested in this in the comments.

Phone firmware is sometimes the only option to restore its stable operation without the need to contact service center or to private craftsmen.

Let's say your smartphone starts to freeze, does not turn on, does not respond to commands, cannot update, cannot find a network, etc. In such cases, it is not necessary to immediately contact the specialists, you can try to reboot first, do a factory reset, or, in extreme cases, reflash it official utility Windows Device Recovery Tool.

If you are looking for information on how to independently flash your Nokia, Microsoft Lumiya or any other smartphone based on Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile at home, then this guide will help you with this.

Flashing a smartphone on Windows Phone 8, 8.1, 10 via a computer

Important! Before you start flashing the device, do backup data as all files and documents will be deleted. After the procedure, you will receive a completely clean phone. How to backup data via Windows interface 10 Mobile read. You can just transfer all the files to your computer.

What is required for the firmware

1. PC or laptop with installed Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10;
2. Serviceable USB cable and port;
3. Program for firmware;
4. The victim herself, whose battery must be charged at least 50% (preferably fully).

Downloading and Installing Windows Device Recovery Tool

This program is specially designed to update the software of smartphones. You can download it for free from the official Microsoft website at.

1. Loading setup file;
2. Install the utility;
3. We launch it and connect the phone to the computer.

Step-by-step process of flashing

Important! Before you start, keep in mind that you cannot turn off the device during the procedure. It is also forbidden to close the program, turn off the computer, etc. Otherwise, instead of a smartphone, you will receive a lifeless brick.

So, we launched the program and connected the smartphone. This window will open:

Click on the image with the device, after which we see information about the available firmware version. We select "Reinstall software".

We press "Continue".

In the next window, you can leave nothing to check and select "Continue without filling".

and then installing it.

After some time, the firmware of the phone will be completed, click "Finish".

In such a simple and official way, we have updated software your smartphone. After that, the device will reboot several times and you will need to configure it before the first launch.

First launch after flashing

After the smartphone starts up, you need to select the language and continue the setup by accepting the terms of use.

In the next step, you can select the type of settings - recommended or custom. If the latter, then I advise you to uncheck all the boxes, except for the first two and the last two points. After that, you need to configure the region and time: we set the country, time zone, exact date and time.

This method firmware is suitable for all phones (for example, models 520, 535 Dual sim, 800, 920, 710, 610, 925, 620, 914, 630, 510, 525, 1020, 620, 625, 635, 820, 900, 830, 430, 435, 1520, 930, 640 XL, 550, 735 and etc.).

Also, this utility can be used to flash wines from other manufacturers, such as LG, BLU, Alcatel, Acer, HTC (One M8 and 8X), VAIO, UniStrong, HP.

If you have a Nokia and it does not work on Windows Phone, then for the firmware there is Nokia program Software Recovery Tool, which can be downloaded from

After an unsuccessful update or a system failure of the operating system, the owner of the smartphone may have a question about how to reflash Windows Phone. Thanks to the efforts of Microsoft engineers and programmers, even an inexperienced user who has not previously encountered such situations can do this.

Flash Windows Phone - easy and simple

So, to perform this procedure, you will need a smartphone, a USB cable for connecting to a computer and a program installed on the PC. Windows Phone Recovery Tool which can be downloaded from the official Microsoft website. Sequence of actions for flashing Windows Background next:

Step 1... Run the program " Windows Phone Recovery Tool»

Step 2... Connect your smartphone to your computer and wait for the application to recognize it

Step 3... Select the connected phone and view the available firmware versions for it.

Step 4... Depending on the availability of a fresh version of the firmware, the program will download it or offer to reinstall the OS on the smartphone.

Step 5... Confirming your intentions by clicking the button " Continue”, The user will start the process of flashing the device. It will take some time, and during this operation, it is forbidden to disconnect the device from the computer and press any buttons on it.

It's important to know: Reinstalling the operating system will remove all user settings and files from the smartphone. Therefore, before flashing the device, it is advisable to make a backup copy of important data.

Step 6... Upon completion of the flashing, the gadget will turn on and the user will be able to set all the necessary settings.

Conclusion

Operating room Windows system Mobile is designed with the hands-on experience in mind. Therefore, install custom firmware or another OS on a device running under Windows control, it will not work - you will have to be content with only official firmware.

Many users wonder how to reflash Windows Phone, which is often associated with system malfunctions or the need to switch to another OS. It is possible to flash a smartphone or tablet running Windows OS on Android, but you will certainly face certain difficulties.

First, you need to download the Rom-version of Android, a USB-cable for connecting to a PC and Root-rights on the gadget that you will be flashing. In addition, there is a special emulator program with which you can work with applications in the "apk" format. And if you are a fan of the Android interface, then you can download the corresponding launcher for free, which fully repeats the style of icons and many functions of the system. Now let's take a look, how to flash Windows Phone to Android and what difficulties you can face on the way to success.

Flashing Windows Phone to Android

Now technologies have gone so far that a modern phone is practically not inferior in its capabilities desktop computer and may even have additional functionality... The standard software is loaded by the manufacturer, but unfortunately it does not always suit users, and therefore it becomes topical issue how to flash Windows Phone to Android on one's own? You can even install a different one if you wish. operating system by downloading the appropriate firmware. But first, we recommend that you make a backup copy of the system, so that if something happens to be able to restore the device's performance. To do this, you can use the standard functionality of the device or use a third-party application.

We would recommend the Titanium Bekap program. If during the firmware something goes wrong or you have a desire to return old version system, then the copy will cope with this task. Reflash Windows Phone 10 can on their own, but it is important to act in full agreement with our instructions, otherwise you risk getting a brick.

Why is it important to back up your data?

During the flashing, all data stored in the device's memory is erased. With the help of a copy, they can be restored to an already flashed phone. Thus, you will save your photos, videos, pictures, documents and other files. To make sure you have backups, you need to go to the phone settings section and look at the "Backups" tab.

Question how to reflash Windows phone Phone sometimes it encounters certain difficulties, because there are many models on this operating system, but in general, the method of their firmware is the same. You have two options: install Android on the device's flash drive or run the installation file directly from Windows OS by installing it in the device's memory.

Launching Android OS on a Windows Phone flash drive

Users have a question every now and then is it possible to reflash Windows Phone and fortunately the answer will be yes. If you want the new OS to be available from a flash drive, you will need to copy all system folders Android to one of the root folders of the flash drive. The folder can be arbitrary. It is important to pay attention to the default.txt file as well as its contents. It contains all the data necessary for the normal start of the system.

When the Haret.exe file is enabled, the device reloads the operating system using the settings in the default.txt file. Let the OS be copied to a memory card, it will be possible to use native Windows only after restoring the smartphone from a backup. It will go back to the point when you created the backup file. Using this method installation may experience device reboots.

Instructions for flashing Windows Phone on Android

We get root-rights to the phone;

We format the USB flash drive, create a folder in it and give it the name andboot. In the firmware we find the androidinstall.tar and androidupdate.tar files, but the latter is not always available. Copy them to the folder you just created;

We connect the device to a computer without a USB flash drive. Create a folder on your PC and copy the Custom and the .nbh file into it .;

Turn on the application from the Custom RUU folder and follow the further instructions that will appear on the display;

We install a memory card into the device and simultaneously press the volume button "-" and the power key. We wait until the inscription "Hold down Volume Up or DPad center to launch installer" is displayed, then press "+" on the volume;

In the displayed menu, click Sys on NAND / Data on NAND. Below, select the Install System item and wait until the installation of the system is completed. If the androidupdate.tar file was copied to the USB flash drive, then click Install Update and wait for the return to the main menu. Now click Fix Permissions and wait;

Reboot the device and you're done. But the first turn on will be long.

Now you know is it possible to upgrade Android to Windows Phone and how to do it correctly.

There are people who constantly find something to find fault with the Windows Phone OS. Some criticize the platform for the annoying tiled interface, while others find the reasons in the insufficient, in their opinion, diverse application store. One can argue about these two topics for a long time, but there is one circumstance with which it is completely pointless to argue: Windows Phone is the simplest and most convenient mobile operating system. And this manifests itself not only during use, but even if the smartphone fails for some reason.

Usually the term "firmware" is associated with a complex and very risky process that can only make the situation worse. But in the case of Windows Phone, the situation is radically different. Never before firmware mobile device was not that simple. Unlike the good old Symbian or the super popular Android, you don't have to do a lot of manipulations with the firmware files, do magic in the flash program menu, setting the desired mode, unlock the bootloader, and so on for flashing a Windows phone. Without exaggeration, Windows firmware Phone is up to anyone, even an inexperienced user.

Why do I need a flashing

First of all, a flashing may be needed for some large-scale software problems, for example, if the smartphone freezes during the update and even the coveted combination “volume down button + lock” (+ camera button, possibly with a memory card removed from the smartphone) does not help. In addition, flashing will come in handy if you have upgraded to Windows 10 Technical Prewiew, but want to return to your native firmware due to the dampness of the update.

Before flashing

Before flashing, if the smartphone is functional, do not forget to back up important data in order to then restore photos, videos, applications, achievements and settings, including settings for the Notification Center and desktop, on an already flashed device. You can check for backups and make a new one by going to "Settings" -> "Backup".

How to flash Windows Phone

Regardless of the model that you need to reflash, you need only one program installed on the computer to upload the firmware to a smartphone on Windows Phone. You do not need to download any additional files. Everything you need for your model, the program Windows Phone Recovery Too l will download itself. All you need to do is click on special button and wait a few minutes for the flashing process to complete.

You can download WP Recovery Tool from Microsoft at go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=522381. The program (at the time of this writing) weighs just over two megabytes and is extremely easy to install.

After launching the utility, it will first check for new versions, and then it will greet you with a window asking you to connect a smartphone to the computer. WP Recovery Tool does not work with all WinPhones, so if your model is not in the list of supported ones, you will immediately find out about it as soon as you connect the device to your PC.

If the phone is not detected, you can try to click the corresponding link in the program window, and then the utility will try to find a solution.

Also, make sure that your smartphone has installed the necessary drivers on your computer. If the drivers are installed, but the smartphone is still not detected, restart it without disconnecting from the computer. Sometimes the reboot process provokes the installation of additional software.

In our case, the device was successfully identified:

Click on the tile with the name of the identified phone. The program will scan the model for important data and start the process of downloading the latest firmware from the official servers.

The size of the firmware can be more than a gigabyte, so you may need to be patient. If the download is suddenly interrupted halfway through, do not be discouraged, because by reconnecting to the Internet and even after restarting the computer, the download will continue from the same moment where it stopped last time.

In the future, if you need to reflash the vinfon again, you will not have to download the firmware for it again either, because it was automatically saved in one of the folders on your PC.

When the program finishes downloading the firmware, a active button Reinstall software. This means that the smartphone is ready for firmware. Make sure the USB connection is secure before clicking Reinstall Software.

The smartphone turns off and the software reinstallation process begins.

During the firmware process, it is forbidden to disconnect the smartphone from the computer, forcibly turn on the smartphone, or press any buttons on it. WP Recovery Tool itself also warns about this. The whole process will take a few minutes. At the end of the process, the phone will turn on by itself, but note that the first launch will take a little longer than usual.

Now all you have to do is activate and configure your smartphone, as you once did when buying it in a store. Connect to WiFi networks when the smartphone prompts you to do this, and log in to your account Microsoft entry... After that, the system will check if you have backups and, if there are any, will offer to restore from them. Select an available copy, click "Forward" and wait for the vinphone to take the form you saw it before flashing it. You also have the right not to restore the backup, but to start working with the phone again.