The first build of Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones is now available for download, as Microsoft just released it for users in the Windows Insiders program.
Considering that it's the first Technical Preview, interested users in the Windows Insiders program should keep in mind that various bugs, crashes and glitches are always on the menu with early software builds.
"This is the earliest publicly available preview we've ever done for Windows on phones. This preview is still very much under development and you're going to see some rough edges. We're sharing it with you so you can be with us at every step, and provide your feedback to help make this the best release ever-because it's the one made for you. You will encounter bugs. You will see experiences that are clearly just not done yet, and UX that lacks polish at this point. DON'T WORRY! It will improve as we go and new features, stability and performance improvements, and more polished UX will come at each step," Microsoft explained in a company blog post late on Thursday, Feb. 12.
"You will likely feel like this first preview build for phones seems 'less complete' or 'earlier' than the PC. That's true-it is. Although Windows 10 is built on shared code that runs on both PCs and phones, keep in mind that Windows 8.1 for PC was finished months earlier than Windows Phone 8.1, so the PC build has had more bake time. But we're not worried about getting a great final product out or the progress we're making. Much of our work until this point has been on platform development rather than the completeness of the UI, so a lot isn't immediately visible - like the fact that we have a common OS core and app platform across PC and phones. But those 'fundamentals' represent a ton of work and are going to enable a lot of cool things to come, like apps that work seamlessly across devices, consistent manageability of devices, and the ability to run a whole new generation of Office Universal Apps on all of your Windows 10 devices."
This first build of Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones is initially available only for a limited number of devices. For now, supported handsets include the Lumia 630, Lumia 635, Lumia 638, Lumia 730, and Lumia 830. Microsoft will add support for more devices in each new build.
As previously mentioned, this early Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones is available for download via the Windows Insiders program. If you're not already a member, you can easily sign up with your Microsoft Account credentials.
The new software is now closer to the one on the desktop and Xbox One, bringing a number of changes and improvements. Users will be able to enjoy customizable photo backdrops, notification syncing between desktop and mobile, a better Settings menu, Skype chat incorporated in messaging, VoIP incorporated in the phone app, and more. At the same time, messaging in this preview build of the software does not support dual-SIM for now, nor does the build support voice note, search, drafts, ringtone sharing, and a few other features. This build also supports only English for Cortana. In fact, several new features will not be available just yet with this preview, but Microsoft will keep working on the software and gradually improve the experience with each new build.
In the meantime, check out the video below to get a better idea of the new features and improvements the first Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones has to offer.
