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New Features Arrive with Windows Phone 8.1 Update

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Microsoft's Joe Belfiore updated the Windows Phone blog with news that the company is gearing up to release the platform's first update. The changes include adding Cortana in other countries, live folders, an update to Xbox Music, the Store live tile and more. Those on the Windows Phone 8.1 Preview for Developers should see it next week, whereas average customers should see the update in the coming months.

Belfiore reports that North American customers will see some improvements in Cortana such as new natural language scenarios, snooze times for reminders, and "a number of neat additions to her personality." For phones connected to car Bluetooth kits that are integrated with the user's contact list, the customer will be able to activate Cortana hands-free by saying "call Cortana" and then talking to her as usual.

"You can now organize your apps into folders on your Start screen!" Belfiore wrote in the blog. "We call this Live Folders because the live tiles of apps appear in the tile of the folders—you won't miss tile updates because you group apps in a folder! To create a Live Folder, just drag a tile over another tile and then name the folder. Open the folder to change the folder name and arrange and size the tiles however you want."

As for Xbox Music, the service will provide faster app loading and list scrolling. There will also be a "quickplay" of recent playback activities, support for Kids Corner, the ability to sync the music collection in the background, and swipe to advance. There is also a change to the Live Tile, although additional information wasn't provided in the blog.

Belfiore indicated that the Store live tile will be easier on the eyes, revealing the latest info about apps and games available in Windows Phone Store every six hours. The update will also provide SMS merging and forwarding, an Apps Corner feature for displaying apps in a special "sandboxed" mode, and enhanced privacy and security.

"We've made some improvements in the Windows Phone 8.1 Update to keep your data and identity more protected on public networks," Belfiore explained. "For example, we have added the ability for you to send and receive data through a virtual private network (VPN) when connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots giving you another layer of protection. If you're on your home wireless, creating a VPN provides anonymity to help shield your device from being identified by other devices on the network."

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8 Comments Comment from the forums
  • therogerwilco
    They've come a long way. After having each phone from each OS over the years, WP8.1 ftw!
    Reply
  • jacobdrj
    2 steps forward, 1 step back. There are aspects of older versions of Windows Phone that many Windows Phone users loved, and now miss, with the updates.
    *With Cortana, came the loss of 1 tap access to the Bing Vision. Its still there, just harder to get to scanning QR codes and the like... Which makes it that much less intuitive and helpful when you are trying to do quick QR code scans...
    *With 8.1 DP we got additional tiles columns, image backgrounds, and the access center. But we lost facebook integration, which was a wonderful stripped-down view of facebook, that actually made me want to use facebook to keep in touch with my contacts. No longer.
    *Quiet time, a concept that had to reside as an app on my blackberry and android phones, are now built in, but only if Cortana is enabled (which is just too slow on my low end Lumia 521.
    *Apps can now be moved to SD card, but, the limited map-moving to SD now works worse (I have to keep maps on my main phone memory, otherwise they won't load, where as before, the maps were on the SD card and worked fine in 8.0).

    In generally, I am quite happy. My wife generally has no problems with the phone (she was the one who picked it out). I am actually going to try a Lumia 928, which is a more adequately powered phone, to see if some of the quirks are less. We shall see.


    Reply
  • soldier44
    Waiting for Win 9 next year not even wasting time on 8.
    Reply
  • SchizoFrog
    They need to release a full on top end phone with the full works camera to tempt me. I waited for years for WP8 and now it just seems like they have taken their foot off the pedal. The phones were ace but the OS (WP7) was good enough, now they have the OS the phones seem out of date.
    Reply
  • sykozis
    Waiting for Win 9 next year not even wasting time on 8.
    This has nothing to do with Windows8.... This article is about Windows PHONE 8.1....
    Reply
  • back_by_demand
    we lost facebook integration, which was a wonderful stripped-down view of facebook, that actually made me want to use facebook to keep in touch with my contacts. No longer.
    Actually, its more integrated, toasts for FB now appear in the notification area

    And using Cortana already I can tell you it isnt slow at all
    Reply
  • pbrigido
    I would love to jump on a WP8. I just depend on some apps for my job that don't exist in the Store yet.
    Reply
  • carlcamera
    Yes Windows Phone has come along way but Tom's still thinks it's still 2010. That photo you're using appears to be an extinct Lumia 800 running Windows Phone 7 -- a stock photo from about four years ago.
    Reply