Mobile 10. Windows Insider Program User Guide. Check if you have the latest build version

This material is difficult to write correctly. After reading more than a dozen reviews of mobile Windows 10, I came across approaches that are radically different: from the usual description of menus and their capabilities to a deep analysis of system codes from the point of view of developers and programmers. I wanted to approach this review a little differently, from other positions. Describe not only what the user gets today, but also where the development of the system can go, what ideas are embedded in it and what they can result in in the end. One cannot exist without the other, and therefore, in addition to descriptive, specific points with illustrations taken from Lumia devices, I will need to deviate to the side and describe what is not on this platform, but is present on the modern market. Why? The answer is obvious, the Windows 10 Mobile platform does not exist in a vacuum, but competes for the attention of the buyer with systems such as Android / iOS. And only by understanding these differences will it be possible to break out of the trap of Microsoft's worldview, which prefers to describe only what exists within their systems, but not to pay attention to competitors.

Reasons for Windows 10 Mobile - a clean slate for the third time

We already live in a post-PC market where the majority of web browsing is done on mobile devices rather than personal computers, be it home systems or laptops. The irony lies in the fact that one of the pioneers of this direction and the company that accurately predicted the development of events, but made a slight mistake in the dates, was Microsoft Corporation. She never had a shortage of visionaries, people who could predict the development of the market and give accurate forecasts. The problem was in making predictions, putting them into practice, and building a mobile version of Windows. There has always been one approach that can be called dominant within Microsoft, it has not changed for the last decade or even more. The mobile operating system should be a copy of the desktop system and give the user a similar experience. So, when Windows Mobile appeared, users were convinced that it was ideologically the same system as on their computer, look, it even has a Start button! Many people bought devices on Windows Mobile to realize that they are nothing like their computers, are not compatible with them at all or are almost incompatible and belong to a completely different class of portable devices. Nevertheless, at the dawn of the smartphone market, the role of Windows Mobile was quite serious, this system influenced the development of Symbian, its ideology was considered by many as promising.

But Microsoft made a number of serious mistakes, building a business model on cooperation with Chinese manufacturers that created Windows Mobile smartphones, the company launched the process of destroying its platform. Noticeable unit sales, programmers who rushed to create applications - everything whispered about the success of the undertaking. But the trouble came from those same Chinese who, in the battle between themselves, gave up on quality, as a result, the platform became associated with powerful, but buggy devices. The same Symbian lost functionally, developed not so fast, but it was guaranteed to work. The direction of Windows Mobile has become a kind of cursed place inside Microsoft, there was no person who would present a coherent and detailed plan development. More precisely, there were too many such people, and each had his own plan of salvation. They, as in Krylov's fable, each pulled Windows Mobile in their own direction. And the result was that the company suddenly realized that they were losing the market and could lose the race for the consumer. It was at the starting point of Android's growth, around 2009, when the system first showed its potential and it became obvious even to die-hard naysayers. And at that moment, Microsoft's throwing began, which did not end today, the first zeroing of the company's mobile platform took place - the appearance of Windows Phone.

By and large, Windows Phone has become Microsoft's anti-crisis plan, a response to the conquest of the market by iOS / Android. In 2010, at a congress in Barcelona, ​​the company showed Windows Phone as an animated screensaver on dummies of future phones, no system existed, it had to be created in the coming months. We were all shown pictures that had nothing under them, and the choice of tools for developers, code for the mobile OS was chaotic, it was designed on the knee, just to have time to share the pie in the form of end users. The only task that was set within Microsoft was to meet the deadlines; in a state of time pressure, the creation of the system could not be properly planned. The first devices in the Lumia series from Nokia had many problems, each of which was fixed along the way, the most serious errors were fixed in the first few months of sales, and the "little things" were finished off for about a year.

But inside Microsoft, already in the first months of Windows Phone 7's life on the market, there was an understanding that this system was built incorrectly and that the kernel needed to be reworked, switching to source code similar to the desktop version of Windows NT. In the future, this would make it possible to create the same applications for different branches of Windows, with minimal differences and labor costs. The decision was controversial, as the company's PR and advertising for the new platform promised that users would receive updates. But instead, a year later, the market received Windows Phone 8, and enthusiasts and pioneers of the new system received version 7.5, in which they added external similarity with 8, but the key features were missing. Many people felt cheated, as once again Microsoft has reset its mobile platform and started its life from a new point.

I want to draw your attention to the fact that all these years at Microsoft, the idea that the mobile system should be similar to the desktop OS has not disappeared anywhere. With persistence worthy of a better application, the company implanted in phones an interface that few could call successful, it was unusual (Metro UI in the original name or tiles), but from the point of view of ergonomics, not the best.

The change in company management, the lack of spectacular success in the field of Windows Phone, the murder of the tablet version of Windows RT - all these events took place during the existence of Windows Phone 8.x. And they showed inside Microsoft a simple thing: the system that the company created is not viable without iron subsidies, when it is sold below cost and only therefore has 3% of the world market. Billion-dollar marketing investments, the purchase of Nokia's mobile division - nothing has brought success to Windows Phone. The problems only got worse. And what has become next step? At Microsoft, they did what they are already accustomed to doing - they decided to start life from scratch.

The advent of Windows 10 Mobile is a reset of the impasse of Windows Phone 8.x, when the system did not receive any noticeable sales, and the few developers who wrote software for it constantly felt like outcasts. There was an opinion that those who are unable to create software for Andorid / iOS can write it for Windows Phone, where the quality of programs does not play a big role, since these programs are few and users are eager for them. On lack of fish and cancer, fish, as they say in our area.

Such a parameter as the cost of owning Windows Phone for the end user was noticeably higher than for Android / iOS, since in the absence of competition between programs, any price could be set for them. For example, Microsoft paid for the development of the official Instagram client for Windows Phone, it was shown at one of the press conferences, and it seemed that this was the turning point when everyone would start writing for this platform. But it didn't work out. Moreover, in 2016 the official Instagram client for Windows 10 Mobile is still in beta status! It does not have most of the settings available on other platforms, there is no support for working with video. The best alternative product 6tag does not work with all filters, and you will have to pay 119 rubles to work with video. This is just a small touch that shows the state of affairs with software for Windows Phone.

Microsoft realized that they had lost the battle for the mobile device market and went into loss minimization mode. The arrival of Windows 10 Mobile is an attempt to capitalize on the key event of 2015, the release of the Windows desktop version, which was number ten. Part of the success of the Windows desktop was supposed to jump-start and support mobile device sales, until the company came up with a new plan and reset this direction once again to start everything from scratch.

In early 2015, when they showed Windows 10 Mobile, Microsoft told a very interesting thing - the launch of the system will take place later than the release of desktop Windows 10. Why? The answer was obvious - all forces are thrown on the main product, and they will try to finalize it in short time. From October, after the launch of desktop Windows 10, most of the programmers will switch to finalizing Windows 10 Mobile, and in a couple of months it will be brought to mind. Even then, these words confused me, it turned out that Microsoft reduced the priority of the mobile OS to the minimum.

But at the same time they announced the Windows Insider program, which allowed anyone to become a beta tester of the mobile system. Windows Phone fans perceived this as a good attitude of the company towards them, business pragmatists - as a reduction in development costs, shifting tests to the shoulders of end users. Which always leads to negative results, since testing must take place within the company, and only then can they give an adequate result.

Unfortunately, the number of innovations for end users that were shown at the beginning of 2015 for mobile Windows turned out to be so meager that it caused consternation. In my material, I described them and expressed bewilderment how you can wait almost a year to release such an update on the market.

Already at the time of the announcement, the system looked archaic, and the speed of development of Windows Phone compared to other systems was lower. In fact, Windows Phone not only remained a catch-up system, but iOS/Android began to catch up with it, and over the past five years, Microsoft has not been able to close this gap, or at least close it.

Initially, Microsoft plans to update almost the entire Lumia line to Windows 10 in November 2015, then the deadline was postponed to November, and then to early 2016. This is because internally the company is aware that the current version of Windows 10 Mobile can hardly be called a beta version, it is unstable, has many problems and flaws, and even against the backdrop of Windows Phone 7, it is striking in the number of problems. The company could not but release its flagships on Windows 10 Mobile, they were put into production, components were purchased for them. But at the same time, Microsoft is trying to minimize the damage from launching raw products as much as possible. So, the company does not distribute devices for tests if the publications and journalists do not agree that they will not mention the minuses, but will focus only on the positive aspects. However, no one warns Lumia buyers that the system is flawed and cannot be called out of beta.

Unfortunately, the classic situation for Microsoft is repeated, the company will not be able to develop Windows 10 Mobile in 2016, as all efforts will be spent on fixing bugs and working on firmware. This means that Microsoft needs to minimize the number of phones sold, as the company has already officially announced, the model range of 2016 will be minimal and represented by several models. Eliminate iron subsidies, since there is no more competition for market share, why sell a raw product that will scare away users? And preparing for life from scratch, which will be Surface Phone, although the name of this product can be anything.

It turns out that Windows 10 Mobile is yet another page in the history of the mobile platform from Microsoft, which can be considered a passing and temporary one. The company does not build any serious plans for this system, to some extent they want to forget it as soon as possible in order to start building the “correct” system for the new time. But many people do not know this, do not understand and can buy a Lumia smartphone. Let's take a look at the system itself and what it offers to its users today. Let's move on to the description of the Windows 10 Mobile interface.

Windows 10 Mobile tiles and UI features

The originality of the Windows 10 Mobile interface is hard to deny, the main screen consists of tiles of different sizes, you can choose a small square, a larger square, a rectangle. You need to hold the tile for the icons to appear, and you can also pin the tile to the screen.

The screen has a vertical orientation, that is, the tiles need to be scrolled down. You never know how many tiles you have in total, the screen can be conditionally infinite. Considering that most of the necessary applications can easily be placed on the main screen, this does not cause any problems. Everything you need can be posted here.

Unfortunately, when it comes to customization, Windows 10 is far behind modern platforms, you can't customize the color of individual tiles - only choose a color scheme for everyone. This can be confusing for those who are not familiar with the system and are used to WhatsApp having a green icon. On my phone, for example, the default color for all tiles is blue, and the WhatsApp icon is the same color.

Does this confuse people who are used to WhatsApp being green? Definitely. But for software developers, this creates certain difficulties; when advertising and promoting your application, you cannot achieve the uniformity you expect. Why is this done in Windows? Apparently, they thought that the icons might be too colorful. Or they just didn't get it, I don't know. But the fact remains, you won’t be able to customize everything for yourself. And the experience of other systems and the vast world outside of Windows should be forgotten - here the icons will be in the color that you have chosen or for you.

In the "Options" section, you can also choose whether to show more tiles or less, this setting adjusts the same size. There is a choice of wallpapers and tile transparency, interestingly, compared to Windows Phone 8.x, wallpapers appeared both on the central screen and in the application list.

Now an amazing moment that remains a mystery to me. In desktop Windows, many functions have been duplicated in different menus so that the user can change the setting in a matter of seconds. In mobile Windows, everything is different, to change the wallpaper, change the color of the tiles, you need to go to the settings (this section is called "Settings"). Not very logical and not very convenient. But, apparently, the developers proceeded from the assumption that it is not necessary to adjust the color of tiles and wallpapers so often. There is a certain logic in this.

Unfortunately, toggling the more/less tiles mode messes up the grouping of tiles on the screen when there are a lot of them. They suddenly line up not in three vertical rows, as before, but in two. It is possible that this glitch will be removed later, but it looks strange, the system does not remember the previous state.

Many of the tiles are animated and show information, for example, the mail tile scrolls through the headers of new emails, there is a circle with the number of new messages. This is quite simple and informative, but this approach is rather an exception. In most cases, the information is displayed randomly, and there is no system in it, that is, you cannot assess at a glance what you missed or what happened. For example, news shows headlines, changing them one after another. Something similar was in widgets at the very beginning of the development of Android, then the system evolved, but this did not happen in Windows.

I don’t presume to evaluate what the tile looks like for the end user, you can get used to it and even fall in love with it. Evaluating UI design is a matter of taste, everyone will have their own opinion. I would like to dwell on how this UI manifests itself in work.

In standby mode for phones with AMOLED screens, it is possible to display information from certain applications, such as the calendar. On a black background, white inscriptions burn brightly, for example, this may be a message that your friend has a birthday. You are free to choose the applications that will display information here. Plus icons of missed events and time are shown.

This screen operation is convenient and allows you not to take the phone in hand to see what was happening while you were doing other things. In lock mode, when you have not yet got inside the device, you can see information from other applications, such as Twitter - as a rule, this is one entry. Therefore, it can be considered more of a design element than something useful and really helping to navigate the flow of information.

The vertical orientation of the interface is due to the fact that the list of applications (swipe to the left) is better displayed this way. You see applications sorted alphabetically, there is a search bar at the top or a letter selection, then you can jump to a specific section. The irony is that for users outside the US who use two languages, the alphabet goes like this - first the local layout, then the English one.

That is, the English language is almost always on the second screen, it turns out that you need to scroll the screen and only then select the desired letter. Ergonomics is manifested in such trifles, and in Windows 10 Mobile it is lame on all fours. It felt like an army of Microsoft programmers were working on individual features and applications, but there was no chief architect to explain and show how all these parts should work together.

At the top of the list are the latest apps you have installed on your device.

By analogy with Android and iOS, Windows 10 has a curtain for notifications and quick activation of certain functions. You drag the screen down, 4 icons appear, each of which you can customize to your liking by choosing what you need from a list predefined by the manufacturer. You can expand the icons, then a 4x4 matrix will appear, but in a large matrix for three new rows, you can no longer select functions, they are determined by the manufacturer.

Notifications in the curtain are grouped by programs, you can disable their display here for each application. For SMS / MMS there is a quick response from the curtain, just type the text, and you can immediately send it.

Some notifications do not make any sense, for example, after a system update, this is reported in the blind. Clicking on the notification does not show any information, i.e. it is a dead end. There are a fair number of such messages, and why they are needed is decidedly unclear.

Those who use the phone actively and who do not have enough space on the first screen can create folders for icons, just drag one icon to another and they will be grouped in a folder. When you click on the folder below, a window opens with all the icons, but there are no inscriptions with the names of the applications. But you can give a name to your folder.

The vertical orientation of the main screen and menu plays a cruel joke with the phone, because modern devices may well work in landscape orientation, that's how you watch the video. For example, I'm starting to watch a video, but I don't want to see the credits, so I want to drag the scroll bar to fast-forward the video. The slider is at the left edge, but instead of rewinding, a curtain pops out. Why? It's simple, it is tied to a vertical UI, and the curtain does not change orientation - landscape in the video player, vertical in the curtain. Brain blow!

It remains to say that the buttons are made on-screen, and to call them, you need to pull from the bottom up. In many applications, they automatically disappear, do not take up space on the screen. But in some cases, for example, when calling video playback from another application, they remain on the screen and are constantly lit. Which also raises questions.

The buttons are as follows - return back (long press the list of recent applications), the central house from Microsoft (exit to the main menu), search.

A short line about multitasking, in the last running applications, only seven windows are shown, from the list they can be closed individually or all together.

For me, the last seven applications are an anachronism, since I'm used to displaying dozens of applications, even if some of them have long been unloaded from memory and take time to launch (which is almost always imperceptible). Moreover, on Windows 10, even "running" applications sometimes require restoring the state, and this takes the same time as on other platforms. The restriction is stupid and annoying.

In each phone, important information for me is the battery charge, not only its graphical display, but also the percentage, and I would like to see this information in the status bar, choose the possibility of such a display (there is on almost all Android smartphones, as well as on iOS) . In Windows 10, to see the battery percentage, you need to pull the shutter down. It's damn inconvenient. And then someone will quite rightly say that I find fault and you can evaluate the charge by the icon. Of course it is. But I would like to get the same convenience that I see on other systems.

In general, I have a distrust of how the various progress bars are shown in Windows 10, they were written by some schoolchildren. This is best seen in the example of downloading apps from the Microsoft App Store. For example, you have an application that takes 10 MB, downloaded about 8 MB, how much do you think the download indicator will be painted over? Common sense suggests that it will be about 80 percent, visually the same story as with a battery. It's a pity, but usually it's half! I specially experimented, and it turned out that almost always the loading indicator lags behind what the system shows in the same window. How it can be, I don't know - the feeling that Windows 10 draws information about the boot with a long delay and does not immediately show it in the graphic element.

Now a nitpick that can be safely ignored. When updating the system software, gears spin on the screen, one larger and one smaller. Exactly the same arbitrary display of progress under them. But it finishes a trifle that is contrary to common sense, the gears do not mesh with each other. They spin in the air, each on its own. Finding a more accurate metaphor for Windows 10 Mobile is hard, the company did it itself.

All felt-tip pens are different in taste and color, but Windows 10 Mobile is distinguished by numerous roughnesses in the interface, which were laid down at the design stage of Windows Phone. The system is saved by the absence of a large number of applications and users who can be called “heavy”, those who squeeze every last drop out of modern smartphones. Compared to Android/iOS, Windows 10 Mobile has much more limited customization options, from widgets to other aspects of the system. A matter of taste, but for me this is an indicator of predestination, the lack of flexibility of the system. It cannot be customized, although in the same Android you can change literally any element of the system.

File system - where are my files?

Microsoft has a lot of experience in developing desktop systems, but for their mobile OS they borrowed a lot from iOS and did it thoughtlessly. For example, I can't help thinking that by taking Apple's approach to the file system, Microsoft shot itself in the foot. The device has an explorer (file manager) that shows the following folders:

• Video
• The documents
• Downloads
• Images
• Ringtones
• Music

And it doesn't show anything else. At all. For example, if you decide that it's 2016 and you can download a torrent from where you can download videos, music or something similar to your device, then get ready for the first surprise. By default, the torrent client will download everything to its own folder, which is not visible from the file manager. You will not see these files! They can only be viewed from a torrent client! It was 2016...

Let's remember how it works on Android, you upload files anywhere, and in the player they become visible immediately, you don't even think where they are saved. You just press a button and start watching or listening to them. Voila. In Windows 10 Mobile, this is an impossible operation, something that comes from the distant future.

Further more. You may have a dozen video players, but only the one that is preinstalled on the phone will open from the torrent client. Surprise! The "Video" application cheerfully announces that "the videos that are copied from the PC will be shown here." We live in a post-PC world, what kind of computers are you talking about? I want to download videos to my device directly and be able to open them with regular tools and without dancing with a tambourine.

But that's not the Microsoft way, is it? If you think video is the lucky exception, forget it. With ringtones the same story, do you remember the folder of the same name? Accordingly, the file must be in it, otherwise you will not be able to select it, you simply will not see it. How you could shoot yourself in the foot like that, I don't know. But those people who believe that such an approach is convenient, I have doubts about the adequacy. These are unreal dances with a tambourine, and out of the blue.

Microsoft Edge is the fastest browser on the planet

With Internet Explorer, Microsoft did not work out, a heavy legacy of the past, bad karma and a loss to its main competitor in the face of Chrome. The way out was found in Microsoft's simple way, it is necessary to rename the "unsuccessful" product, and after that it will become "successful". This is how Microsoft Edge was born, the latest generation browser that has the same icon as its predecessor.

Microsoft has taken the Blackberry route and competes in virtual parrots, citing benchmark data that proves that EDGE is best compatible with HTML5, works faster than competitors, in a word, is a work of art. I would add contemporary art, since the browser does not have any advantages over its counterparts in the face of Safari or Chrome.

Let's start with simple and understandable things, this is the browser UI. At the bottom of the page is a line for entering the address, as well as search. On the left is the windows icon, it never displays the number of windows you have "open". In Chrome, you always see how many windows you have, which is nice and useful. For example, when I reach 70-80 windows, I close them in order, usually I have 10-15 working tabs.

By double tapping, the page and the text on it adapt to the screen, in one column. Unfortunately, this does not happen very quickly, and even on simple pages. The second disadvantage, noticed on different devices (Lumia 550/950/950 XL), by default, when adjusted to the screen width, the font becomes small, not very readable. The feeling that the developers forgot about the complaints in the 8th version of the system and simply spit on all subsequent fixes. Here again it is small and inconvenient to read. You can adjust by hand, but this is an extra step.

Unfortunately, the browser renders pages slowly, it is impossible to call it fast. And this happens with any site, there are no exceptions.

When you access the page again, it should load again! The phone does not keep a cache, which creates certain delays, and if you do not have a network, then it is impossible to view the page. There is a very convenient "Reading List" function, you leave pages for later, they have a large icon, a brief description. Probably, someone will decide that the pages in this list are stored in the phone's memory and can be called up even without the Internet? But this is not so, on the plane I looked at the splash screen that there was no connection. What is the deep meaning of the function, I'm not very clear. Additional bookmarks and nothing more.

Favorites usually, you can synchronize it with your desktop PC running Windows 10, which will please users of this system. But there is no possibility of synchronization with more popular browsers.

Search engines for Russia have Bing, the default is Yandex, but no Google. This is surprising, since in the outside world EDGE masquerades as Google Chrome, and does not present itself under its own name. This sometimes leads to very funny consequences, for example, when calling a link from the Windows 10 system application on the phone to download MS Outlook, the Play Store opened in the browser with the corresponding Android application. The error is very rare, but revealing and funny.

Unfortunately, no one except Microsoft develops decent browsers for Windows Phone, you won't find Chrome or Safari here. As a consequence, in the absence of alternatives, you will be tied to this browser. One hope is that someday they will finish it, increase performance, add a data cache. At the time of writing the review, the EDGE browser is also one of the most energy-intensive applications, it consumes the battery with a bang. Fans of the system from Microsoft are already coming up with options on how to avoid this, for example, you can disable the browser from running in the background or manually close it after work. Comfortable? It's Windows!

The Microsoft App Store, the cost of programs and their features

The app store design has been redesigned in the style of the previous version of Android, tiles have been abandoned in each of the views, now it is something in between. Again, this is a taste that does not deserve attention, another thing is the quantity and quality of applications, as well as their capabilities.

I'm used to the fact that on Android / iOS you can find many programs that perform the same functions, they differ from each other both in features and in design. If in the past on Android many programs were crooked in terms of following Google's design wishes, this has hardly been observed in the last year. They all look about the same style and are perceived the same, on iOS, Apple has achieved this from developers much earlier.

Windows 10 status and third party programs can be characterized simply: some in the forest, some for firewood. No uniformity can be traced even remotely, the program settings are randomly scattered across different menus, as well as the font size, the arrangement of elements and other “little things” differ. All together creates a feeling of slovenliness of the system, you never know and are not sure how the application that you download from the store will look like.

Historically, third-party developers, both large companies and small players, have not wanted to create software for Windows Phone. Microsoft had to pay for the adaptation of existing programs, but very quickly at MS they realized that they would go down the drain if they gave everyone money for it. The path was a dead end. Moreover, the complexity of programming for Windows Phone was rejected by developers, plus a small number of users, most of whom are not ready to pay for applications, since they use phones for calls and SMS, but not as modern smartphones. All this created the conditions when the struggle for the number of applications in the Microsoft store began, when it was necessary to catch up with other systems. And this led to disastrous results, the store turned into a garbage dump that lives its own life, different from the life of the entire planet.

So, in the store you can find programs that were created on the knee in a couple of hours to show how to program! For example, this is one of the video players that I stumbled upon by accident. And the creator is not at all shy about this and added this information to the description of the program.

But these are flowers, berries begin at the moment when you are trying to find something, searching the app store almost never gives an adequate result. Descriptions for programs are so crooked that many of them drop out of the search, you will not be able to find them unless you know the exact name. Not cool.

Despite the fact that there are program charts, you can find not so much interesting software in them. See what the top 10 apps look like on Android, iOS and Windows 10 Mobile and feel the difference.

Windows 10 Mobile

I will give a simple example from life. I love to play different games on the road, I prefer the widespread Tower Defense genre. There are more than a dozen great games on iOS/Android, they are almost the same on both platforms, and the total number of toys in this genre is in the hundreds or something, if not more. How many games of this genre are on Windows 10? Exactly one, according to a search query in the Microsoft store.

As I mentioned above, many free programs from other platforms are not available on Windows 10 or have severely reduced functionality. For example, the same Instagram is in beta, there is no support for videos and many effects, as well as editing tools. In the alternative and best 6tag client, you will have to pay 119 rubles for the opportunity to work with video.

The main complaint about the software for Windows 10 Mobile is that it has no alternative, there are no different versions of programs. But even more depressing is the fact that the software itself is extremely simple, to match the system. By the standards of the world of modern operating systems, this is some kind of stone age. I tried to remember at least one program that on Windows 10 Mobile would be superior in its characteristics to similar software on iOS / Android, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not do it.

Moreover, MIcrosoft considers its own operating system to be so miserable and limited in its capabilities that they create software for their services primarily for iOS / Android, this is the trend of the last year. Interestingly, software for foreign systems is the first to receive features that will appear on Windows 10 Mobile in a year or not at all. That is, a natural question arises, what is the advantage of the operating system from Microsoft, if all branded services are available in the best quality on iOS / Android? For Microsoft fans, this fact is very painful, they try to come up with many excuses to shield the company. But all I see here is that development for other systems is so much easier that even Microsoft proves it with their software. What could be the best anti-advertising for Windows 10 Mobile?

And this is another indirect indication of where the company is going and why it is going to abandon the current version of the system in favor of the usual Windows 10 running on Intel processors.

Microsoft Outlook - mail on the "top ten"

Many of my friends like MS Outlook on a personal computer so much that they install some version of Windows on their MacBook and use mail in this particular environment. Mobile Outlook did not inherit all the features from the older one, but it did not become an ugly duckling either. The mobile version of mail from MS got the ability to attach files to letters from OneDrive, other programs, but not from the file system, which is actually not there for the user. The engine has added formatting of letters, as in MS Word, which is not bad, many HTML pages open in the MS EDGE window. There were even gestures when you can swipe certain messages in the menu and set an action for them (check the box or archive - this is the default, but you can set other actions). There is a unified mailbox, but there is no filter system, which can upset someone. But there is good integration with the calendar, when events can be entered into it with a few taps. Another thing is that there is simply nothing unusual or differentiating this program from the standard GMail on Android.

Navigation online and offline, Here maps

For me, the quality of navigation is measured not only by the drawing of maps, but also by the number of POIs by which you can search for certain objects. In Here, the number of points that are available both online and offline is not very large, and their relevance leaves much to be desired, the same Google Maps is a cut above. In the US, I used Here navigation for a week, compared with Google Maps, and all the time I realized that without such insurance I would often miss when the stores are open, where they are located, and the routes would be far from optimal. The main reason is that cards can improve when they are used by a large number of people, and here it simply does not. The only plus is the ability to download maps of different regions for offline navigation (free of charge).

Universal Apps, or UWP

Microsoft decided to fight the lack of quality apps for mobile devices by creating a platform for universal applications (UWP).

Developers with a minimum number of changes can create their applications for different devices, and the user gets virtually the same application on each of the devices. Comfortable? Undoubtedly. The problem here is exactly the same as before. Many Windows desktop software creators are not represented in any way on mobile platforms, which means that they cannot be the source of such software. But those developers who are active on iOS / Android will almost never create applications for Windows, because they do not see this market. Isolated cases of universal applications show that they are created either by Microsoft itself or by large companies. As a rule, such applications are not too complicated when it comes to third-party developers.

All sorts of things and some impressions

It so happened that Microsoft began to actively release its key applications for iOS / Android, for example, this concerns the office suite, that is, now these applications are more functional on foreign platforms. Marvelous? Not that word. And there is no reason to get them as part of Windows 10 Mobile, except for the cost of a subscription, which may differ in the future, now it is zero everywhere. I don’t see much point in describing this software, it is well known.

As well as stopping at MS Groove, TV and Cinema, News and Finance applications. They are all standard and familiar, they have both positive and negative features, but they cannot have any decisive influence on the choice of system.

Almost two months since the Lumia 950, several OS updates received in that time, and a conclusion that many will not like. The system remains raw. It gets to the unimaginable, the Photos app (album) suddenly starts consuming power like crazy, about 7% battery per hour. In half a day, the phone is discharged to zero, and the only thing left for me is irritation. The error is well known, documented, and they promise to fix it in the near future, in a month or two.

I like the fact that now at least you can get the GMail phone book, pull up contacts from the cloud from Google, no crutches are needed. But I don’t like at all that the applications live an independent life, and the system is assembled from separate bricks that they didn’t bother to bring to a common denominator.

Of the funny, but typical errors for Windows 10 Mobile, I can remember the alarm clock. If you miss your alarm in the morning, if you don't touch your phone, you'll know the next morning that you missed it twice. That is, first you will be shown a new alarm, and then the missed old one. It doesn't fit in my mind. The system does not replace with a new event something that has already passed and has not received a user response. I don't care what happened to the alarm yesterday, I already missed it, and I don't need it. Why show it a second time? Especially since the alarm is set to the same time throughout the week.

Another point that is very annoying is the constant offers to restart the phone, as it thinks that the SIM card or its settings have changed. There were no changes, and after a reboot everything starts all over again. A floating glitch, it happened that he was gone for a week, and then he again appears and annoys.

The system turned out to be very raw, moreover, many things that worked in Windows Phone 8.1 are missing here or do not work correctly. And this is a clear step backwards, which cannot be corrected in any way. For example, for the "People" tab, all social accounts associated with a person's name have been removed; now they cannot be viewed from the bookmark, as before.

This system is great for budget devices that make calls, write SMS, and sometimes use other functions. But it is impossible to call it a full-fledged and modern platform for a smartphone. Of course, here everyone can have their own opinion, but even after waiting a couple of months since the start of sales of Lumia 550/950/950 XL, I did not wait for a stable version of Windows 10 Mobile and fixing minor and serious bugs. The reason is that the system is not actively developed and de facto has already been abandoned, it is a living dead. Of course, many of its elements will form the basis of the next version, even today Windows build numbers do not differ in any way between the mobile and desktop versions, in the future the unification will become even greater. It was possible to delve into individual details, but this is not necessary. What is described above is enough to appreciate what Windows 10 Mobile is capable of and what it cannot do and will never learn. At the moment, the demand for Windows 10 Mobile smartphones is at a historical minimum for Windows Phone, sales of three Lumia models are so low that with the same Lumia 950 they give the Lumia 550 to the load and completely free of charge. And here it should be noted that the devices have normal hardware, but everything rests on the system itself, which the market and consumers on it have not accepted. And there is simply nothing to add to this, the share of Windows Phone in the world has fallen to the level of 1 percent and continues to decline. It's not even the "Other" category anymore, but less. In the first quarter of 2016, third place after Android and iOS, oddly enough, will take Tizen, sales of a month and a half speak of this with all clarity.

P.S. Reviews of Lumia 950/550 will appear one of these days, in which I will focus on my impressions of the hardware and the devices themselves.

The new system is life from scratch. Everyone needs a reboot from time to time, even giant corporations like Microsoft. Historically, the office from Redmond has suffered defeat after defeat, releasing their own mobile devices, which, it turns out, no one needs. After many attempts, wanderings, and collaboration with Nokia, the company decided to make fundamental changes: Windows Phone was abolished, a new era of Windows 10 Mobile has come. In fact, the Windows 10 Mobile update is a new system, with a new vision, but at the same time retaining principles that have wandered from iteration to iteration.

Many resources, including Russian ones, carefully follow the development of Windows 10 Mobile. w3bsit3-dns.com, Mobile-Review and others spoke positively about the system and predicted a positive future for it. However, let's take a closer look at what awaits the owners of modern gadgets based on the new platform.

Installing and configuring Windows 10 Mobile

In principle, the process of installing and configuring the system does not take much time, and it cannot be called laborious. However, there are a number of things you need to know before you install Windows 10 Mobile.

The system can be installed officially on a number of initially supported gadgets. You can install a test build. You can install a hacked system on unsupported gadgets.

In addition to those gadgets that come with new firmware on board, there is a whole line of Lumia phones that can be upgraded. The update will not come automatically, as they say, “over the air”, so you will have to use the Upgrade Advisor utility. The utility is supported by all intermediate smartphones from Lumia 430 to Lumia 1520. After the update, no initial setup is required, all data will be transferred automatically. Still, in order for the phone to work better, it is worth resetting the settings to zero (when installing a major update, some files may be damaged). That's all you need to know about installing Windows 10 Mobile. Developer builds can be obtained by registering on the Microsoft website and then installing the Windows Insider app.

Interface design

Despite the fact that the update is so global in nature, visually the system has not undergone major changes. After the basic setup of Windows 10 Mobile is completed, the user will see a familiar "tiled" interface in front of him. With the new release, the user is given more options to change the appearance of the desktop. First of all, these changes affected the wallpaper. Now the user can set any background that will cover all tiles and applications that do not have their own background. It also became possible to change the size and color design of each individual "tile". The spacing between interface elements has been reduced, allowing even more content to be placed on the desktop. This is useful if you want to get up-to-date information from a large number of labels. It looks quite bright and unusual, albeit confusing, at first glance. Otherwise, the interface has remained the same, only instead of a black background, the same wallpaper is now used that was applied on the desktop, the details have become thinner (calculation for new high-resolution displays), the settings and other lists, which used to be it was impossible to figure it out. The list of programs has changed slightly, now freshly installed applications for Windows 10 Mobile are placed at the top of the list, in the "Recently added" field. However, it is worth dwelling on the programs installed in the new system separately.

Apps for Windows 10 Mobile

In connection with the update, external changes overtook almost all standard applications, instructions for developing programs were updated, visual elements were associated with the desktop version of the operating system. Functional changes affected such programs as:

Mail and calendar	Now merged into one application called Outlook. The client has become similar to an application for Android and iOS. There was support for "swipes". Swiping your finger over the letter, you can delete it or put a label (customizable gestures). There is a deeper integration with a smart calendar that allows you to create events directly from incoming emails.
Photo gallery	The snapshot library has evolved into something more advanced. In addition to photos on a smartphone and screenshots, photos stored in the OneDrive cloud storage appeared in the standard snapshot storage. Now, next to the pictures, information about where and when the picture was taken is displayed. There were elementary tools for editing pictures (photos can be cropped). The desktop tile still displays the latest snapshots taken in random order.
Microsoft Edge	The built-in browser hasn't changed much. The updated app has two new features that have been borrowed from Safari. The first is Reading List (similar to Pocket, allowing you to save pages to read them later). The second is "Reading Mode" (clearing the page of informational garbage in order to focus on the material).
Messages	The built-in messenger has become smarter. There was integration with Skype (there was an opportunity to communicate with contacts from this service). There was a function of "quick response" through notifications. There was an opportunity to use MSN Messenger (if someone still uses it).
Xbox	The good old hub with games has been updated. In addition to the fact that all game projects remained in their places (your scores, match results and game partners), the Xbox SmartGlass console control system was also built into the program (a remote control that allows you to comfortably type messages on the Xbox and so on).
Manizan Applications	Major changes have also affected the app store. The terrible confusion that baffled even the most experienced users is now gone. The store was combed and brought to a single design with the "desktop" version. Problems with the search, alas, have not been resolved.

Another important change has affected third-party applications. A tool has appeared that allows you to convert finished products on iOS and Android into programs for Windows 10 Mobile. At the same time, the developers promised seamless integration of new applications, even without interface changes, which in theory should lead to terrible chaos in the store, which can be put up with if developers really start to transfer their projects to a new platform, but something tells that it's already too late.

"Shutter" notifications

One of the most important and frequently used elements of the system is the so-called curtain, which contains notifications from various kinds of programs and keys for quick access to various smartphone functions. Its design has undergone a minimum of changes, the old controls remain:

• A key to turn Wi-Fi on and off (also displays the name of the network to which the gadget is currently connected).
• Key to turn Bluetooth on and off (also displays connected media devices).
• Key to lock screen rotation.
• Key to access settings.

Below is a list of notifications, which is now grouped by the applications they belong to. This makes it easier to sort and delete them. One notification is removed with a swipe gesture on it, a group - with a swipe gesture on the program name. To delete all notifications, there is a "Clear All" button.

Among other things, there are extended notifications that you can interact with without opening the application. For example, if a message has arrived on the phone, by pulling the notification, you can open the text input line and reply to it without going to the messenger itself. Naturally, this feature is available to developers, and they are free to use it as they please. The developers of Twitter, for example, have added keyboard shortcuts for popular actions such as "retweet" and "like". In the same way, you can stop the alarm.

Continuum

The cornerstone of a new platform from Microsoft. This know-how is the main connecting element between the desktop and mobile versions of Windows. As conceived by engineers from Redmond, the ideal smartphone is a smartphone that is also a computer. Instead of spawning various gadgets and pulling information through the clouds, creating all sorts of "ecosystems", the creators of Windows offer one device that can replace everything at once. The idea is this: a person who has a smartphone pre-installed with Windows 10 Mobile with Continuum support can install it in a specialized docking station, which, in turn, is connected to a monitor and input means. After that, the peripherals are activated, the smartphone acts as system block, and the end user sees classic Windows on the desktop.

The idea always lay on the surface, but no one dared to bring it to life. Microsoft decided to take matters into their own hands and, together with HP, created a device equipped with the latest technology, operating in Continuum mode.

Unfortunately, such a grandiose idea is unlikely to turn into something good in the short term, since there are at least two serious problems. First, not all Windows 10 Mobile-based smartphones support this function, a solid power reserve is required for its operation (in fact, there is only one candidate for this role and other manufacturers, including Microsoft, are in no hurry to release new solutions). The second is the system that the person behind the monitor and mouse will work with, not exactly Windows 10, but Windows RT. In this case, the user loses support for Win32, and without it, the computer is not a computer at all. For real professionals, ARM will never replace the "adult" architecture. In the long term, we have a real device of the future and a system that will finally break out of the “desktop” monopoly into the leaders in the mobile segment.

Keyboard and one-hand operation mode

Keyboard - an amazing and powerful tool in Windows 10 Mobile. w3bsit3-dns.com and other resources that track the development of the platform have posted tweets and screenshots more than once, in which the keyboard built into Windows corrects terrible errors and completes single-letter words.

The keyboard in the new system has not changed much. The usual functions remain, such as:

• Word Flow - typing hints based on data from the system's dictionary database, the user's individual dictionary and experience;
• Swipe input - the ability to type text and communicate by simply sliding your finger across the keyboard.

• Point for moving the cursor (joystick) - a small point appeared between the letters Z and X, with which you can move the cursor over the text, so as not to resort to using a virtual magnifier.
• Now you can change the position of the keyboard, as well as its size. On a large display, you can move it to the right corner and slightly reduce it to make it more convenient to operate with one hand (the problem of all fans of "phablets").

Also, for one-handed control, an analogue of the Reachability function from the iPhone was added. Now, if you hold the Win button for a long time, you can lower the interface to the level of your finger so that you do not have to intercept the gadget and reach for the top of the display.

Sound and ringtone settings

In principle, the sound in Windows 10 Mobile does not require any special fine-tuning. Everything works the same as in the previous version. The only thing left is the problem with the appointment of ringtones. Users are still wondering how to change the Windows Mobile 10 ringtone. Fortunately, changes in working with desktop Windows (defining a smartphone as a flash drive) allow you to do this without any problems. To do this, you need to connect your smartphone to a PC, open the Phone - Ringtones folder in it and upload the desired audio file there, the main thing is that it does not have DRM protection on it. After that, you should open "Settings" - "Personalization" - "Sounds" in your phone. There, select the "Ringtone" option, find the audio file you just downloaded and select it as your ringtone. Also, the system now has a built-in application for creating ringtones, which can cut ringtones for calls directly on the phone.

File manager

Users have been asking programmers from Microsoft for a long time to equip the system with a full-fledged file manager, such as is available in Android and in related desktop Windows. Initially, the developers were reluctant to add such features, since the system had to be much like iOS, which lacks such features for security and simplicity reasons. Windows 10 Mobile should have been just as simple and closed. Microsoft's bug, fortunately for fans, has been fixed in latest update. A rather primitive, but still file manager, a kind of stripped-down analogue of Explorer, was built into the system. It is possible to create documents, view them without going into applications, move, copy, and so on. There is no synchronization with OneDrive; to work with cloud storage, you will have to download an additional application and import files separately.

Windows hello

Security is paramount, so modern smartphones are mostly equipped with biometric data reading systems (hello iPhone 5s and Touch ID). Microsoft went further and developed some kind of intermediary system between scanners and the system responsible for process security. Instead of a fingerprint sensor, gadgets based on Windows 10 Mobile use a camera that scans the iris of the eye. A similar solution was used in the recently released and “burnt out” Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The recognition system does not work very well. Firstly, the phone should be quite close to the owner's face, at arm's length the smartphone simply does not "recognize" the owner. Secondly, even if the phone is close to the face, it can still make mistakes, often asking for a passcode. The function, of course, is interesting, but it would be better if Microsoft opted for a fingerprint scanner that works quickly and reliably.

Instead of a conclusion

It's hard to sum up what's going on with the mobile platform from Redmond. On the one hand, the Windows 10 Mobile update shows us some growth, the system is clearly evolving, its creators have ideas and certain thoughts on what Windows will be like in the future. New unique features appear, beloved old ones improve, new manufacturers of Windows smartphones enter the market. Developers have been given carte blanche and can sell their apps for Android and iOS in the Windows app store without any difficulty (without even redrawing the program interface).

But something goes wrong. It's too late. The credit of trust has been exhausted. Despite all efforts, loud statements and announcements, Microsoft cannot attract a sufficient audience. People have become accustomed to advanced systems from Google and Apple and have trusted Windows more than once. But, alas, they were let down every time, and the new platform could not give them as much as it required. modern man. Windows 10 Mobile is what Windows Mobile should have been 3-5 years ago. At the moment, it remains only to wait for Redmond to realize how to convince the public that their platform deserves attention, but for now, all Windows fans are in limbo, and it is not known what will happen next.

The future of Windows 10 Mobile has been a hot topic among fans and critics ever since Microsoft announced that Windows 10 Mobile development will move to and stay in the feature2 branch. While Microsoft has said the change is minor, Windows Central resource sources paint a different story; development of Windows 10 Mobile was separated from the rest of Windows 10 on other platforms. But why?

Microsoft separated the development of Windows 10 Mobile from the rest of Windows 10 because Windows 10 Mobile is no longer required for what Microsoft has planned for Windows on mobile devices. Sources suggest that Microsoft's next mobile device will run what the company calls Andromeda OS internally; a version of Windows that aims to be modular enough to run on any form factor and, as a result, eliminates the need for the Windows 10 Mobile edition. So Microsoft no longer needs a Windows-specific version of Windows 10, which means that Windows 10 Mobile is now redundant.

This is great news, except for one important detail; existing Windows smartphones will not receive updates to this "Andromeda OS".

feature2 branch

According to the sources, the feature2 branch exists to continue supporting what Microsoft's internal documentation calls "legacy ARM chipsets" for the next year and a half. The main goal of the feature2 branch is to continue servicing Windows 10 mobile devices through 2018 with bug fixes, security updates, and new enterprise-specific features. It is also reported that Microsoft will support the new UWP APIs that will be introduced in Redstone 3 and Redstone 4 on PC.

The reason these APIs are "backward" and not originally introduced is because the feature2 branch is technically Redstone 2 (but it's frozen). When Microsoft split Windows 10 Mobile into feature2, it also froze OneCore development in Redstone 2. Now, given that Windows 10 Mobile won't recreate the rest of Windows 10 development, that means Windows 10 Mobile will support Redstone 2 for the remainder of the own life.

So, to compensate, Microsoft will be supporting the new UWP APIs that will be introduced in Redstone 3 and Redstone 4. This means that if an app developer targets any new UWP APIs that will be introduced in the next couple of Windows 10 releases, those apps will continue to work with feature2 Windows 10 Mobile. This should give Windows 10 Mobile an extra boost to life in the next year or so.

That is why the Skip Ahead setting for Windows 10 mobile devices does not exist. There is simply nothing to miss. The only development of Windows 10 Mobile is Redstone 2.

It is indeed true that Microsoft continued to compile builds of Redstone 3 for Windows 10 Mobile for a while, but only to continue developing CShell on smaller engineering devices. However, sources have said that this is no longer the case as of last month as CShell will not be available for existing Windows smartphones. It's also worth noting that Microsoft's efforts to bring new APIs to Windows 10 Mobile are only planned until Redstone 4, but that could change.

App support won't last forever

Once the APIs stop receiving hits, Windows 10 Mobile devices will very quickly fall behind the rest of Windows 10 when it comes to supporting UWP apps. As developers start integrating the new APIs coming with Redstone 5, these apps won't be able to run on feature2 with Windows 10 Mobile, meaning devices like the Lumia 950 and HP Elite x3 will quickly lose support. applications. Microsoft may continue to serve Windows 10 Mobile with security updates in 2018.

Microsoft will continue to release production builds of Windows 10 Mobile (outside of the Insider Program) and may also continue to align them with PC releases such as the Fall Creators Update. But since development is split between Mobile and Desktop, Microsoft can choose to release mobile updates on its own schedule if it wants to.

In short, Microsoft will support Windows 10 Mobile for the foreseeable future to serve the remaining users.

Windows 10 Mobile is a mobile version of the system from Microsoft, which is much better adapted for mobile devices, especially if they are with a touch screen.

Microsoft is famous for its operating systems and office products. However, recently she has also started working on mobile versions of the OS and released Windows 10 Mobile. This is not the first experience of the company in this direction. Prior to that, there was a mobile OS with the prefix Phone. But not so long ago it was abolished and a newer and more advanced version was put into development. It is about its features and some of the nuances of use that we will talk about further.

Features of Windows 10 Mobile

The steps for installing and configuring the system cannot be called complicated, and it doesn’t take much time for all this. However, there are some features worth pointing out. For example, it is officially possible to obtain a system, both directly upon purchase on the site, and as a result of the acquisition of an officially sold phone or gadget. In this case, the system itself can go as a bonus.

There are some mobile phones that allow you to update the system in an official way, regardless of how you got it. In this case, you can receive individual assemblies that developers use. This requires pre-registration on the official service, and then it remains only to download the required system.

Since some users received Windows 10 Mobile as a result of the update, they could see that many standard applications have changed in some way:

• Calendar;
• photo gallery;
• Messages;
• Xbox;
• edge.

An application such as Calendar was merged with Mail and received the single name Outlook. Here, users can customize the work with letters, events and other elements in a special way. All this can be synchronized with a smart calendar.

New features in the latest version of Windows 10 Mobile

Recently, developers have made it possible to use OneDrive cloud storage to store their own photos. The information about the place of shooting and its date is now added to the pictures taken. Most of the devices on which this system is installed have a built-in camera, so this feature was logical and much needed. We wonder why it was included in the software only after a few years of the product's existence.

The user can integrate the Messages application with . It is possible to quickly respond to some messages that now appear as notifications. A special system has been thought out for notifications, which allows you not to be distracted by some notifications that are not important to you. And you don't even need to brush them off all the time. The system will remember your interests and will try to display only what is really important. Of course, errors are possible, but at the same time, you can manage all the processes manually, it all depends on your settings.

The built-in browser did not change much. However, it now has the ability to switch to reading mode so that the user can work directly with the material of the article and not be distracted by ad blocks.

Summarizing our short review of Windows 10 Mobile, we note that so far it is not yet a competitor on iOS or Android. Both competitors are head and shoulders above the product from Microsoft. However, if we compare this assembly with what it was at least a couple of years ago, then this is heaven and earth, and therefore, you can give the system a second chance if you have already used it before and you might not like it.

For those who have had experience with WM 10, we remind you that you can leave a comment or even a full review about the system, we will be happy to read your impressions about the real experience of using this product.

Many gadget owners often wonder how to install Windows 10 on a mobile phone if it supports the new product. The answer is quite simple, Microsoft developers have released a version of OS Windows Phone 10 specifically for smartphones. However, not all gadgets support it. Therefore, let's look at examples of how to install Windows 10 Mobile on unsupported smartphones and compatible devices.

How to install Windows 10 Mobile on Nokia Lumia?

Since Microsoft bought the Nokia Lumia brand, the new Windows Phone 10 operating system was immediately adapted to these devices. However, this only applies to new Lumia models. Old smartphones that were released by Nokia are not included in the list of compatible devices, which can be viewed on the official website of the developer.

If your mobile phone is compatible with Windows 10 and you decide to install a new operating system, then follow the instructions:

We charge the device to 100%. The battery of the gadget must be full.

• Personal data may be deleted during installation. Therefore, we copy everything you need to a USB flash drive or computer.
• We follow the link to the official website of the developer and register in the customer support program.

A new page will appear. We go down and accept the terms of the license agreement. We press "Send".

Now we go to the Windows Phone Store and download the program for evaluating the new OS.

After installing the application, you should click "Get preview builds".

In the next window, you need to sign in to your Microsoft account.

After that, the version of the update will appear in the Windows Insider program (the very first line). You need to go to the gadget settings, select the "Update" item. It will start searching for updates. Installation will take up to 30 minutes or more.

If you don't like the new operating system or if critical errors occur, you should connect the device to a PC and download the Windows Phone Recovery Tool and restore Windows Phone 8.

IMPORTANT! After installing a new OS on your phone, you may experience problems with language packs, connection to WiFi networks, alarm clock and calendar, other standard programs. They will have to be downloaded from the Store again.

How do I install Windows 10 Mobile on unsupported devices?

The question of how to install Windows 10 on a mobile phone is of interest to many. Therefore, we suggest that you read the instructions for installing the OS on unsupported devices.

IMPORTANT! All actions you perform at your own peril. It is worth copying all the data from the phone. The manual is intended for Lumia models manufactured by Nokia.

What is necessary?

A device that has Interop Unlock with Registry Editor or just has Registry Editor installed.

• A utility for editing the WP SDK8.0 registry if there is no Interop Unlock installed.
• Utility CustomPFD Registry Editor for hacking Windows Phone 8.

Instruction

On unsupported Lumia, run the CustomPFD Registry Editor.

• We follow the branch HKLM/SYSTEM/Platform/DeviceTargetingInfo.
• We find the parameters (strings): PhoneHardwareVariant, PhoneManufacturer, PhoneManufacturerModelName, PhoneModelName and write out their values ​​on a sheet so that in case of an error these parameters can be returned back.
• The following values ​​need to be replaced:

PhoneHardwareVariant on RM-1085

PhoneManufacturer at MicrosoftMDG

PhoneModelName on Lumia 950 XL

PhoneManufacturerModelName on RM-1085_11302

We return to the “Insight” program (we wrote above how to install it). Choose a slow update circle.

• We are waiting for the download to finish and reboot the device (in the classical way, no pulling out the batteries and pressing the buttons).
• Ready. Windows 10 Mobile is installed on your device. For more detailed instructions on how to install Windows 10 on your phone, see the video.

How to install Windows 10 Mobile over Android OS?

Before trying to install Windows 10 on Android, there are a few key points to consider:

Not all smartphone processor chips support the Microsoft operating system.

• Windows Phone 7, 8 only support ARM and i386 processors. Things are different with Windows 10.
• The new operating system requires a lot of memory. Weak gadgets should not be flashed under Windows 10, as you can damage the old OS beyond the possibility of recovery.

Instructions for installing Windows 10 over Android will be as follows:

Download the sdl.zip archive.

• Download the sdlapp.apk program.
• Install the application on the phone.
• Extract the archive data to the SDL folder.
• Copy the system image file to the same directory (usually c.img).
• We start the utility.
• We are waiting for the installation to finish.
• We reboot the device.
• Ready.

It is important to note that we do not recommend installing a Microsoft product on Android. Operating Systems may conflict and may damage the device itself. If you are eager to learn how to install Windows 10 on an Android phone, then it is worth noting that it is better to wait for the official method or change your phone altogether. That will be more reliable.

For detailed instructions on installing Windows 10 on Android, see the video.