What's new windows 10 mobile: all the details

What's new Windows 10 Mobile. After months of waiting Windows 10 Mobile is reaching all devices released with Windows Phone 8 in recent years. Launched in December on the Lumia 550 and then on the Lumia 950 and 950 XL, the new version of the operating system has the advantage of being Windows-based in terms of performance and attractive aesthetics. Let's see how this operating system works on smartphones and what are the new Windows 10 Mobile.

What's new Windows 10 Mobile: everything you need to know

Before continuing in our article Windows 10 Mobile voices the first question is the compatibility with the devices released for both Nokia and Microsoft. The first surprise is the departure from the list of the Lumia 520, the most purchased Windows Phone smartphone in history.

• Compatible devices to receive the update: Lumia 930, Lumia 830, Lumia 730, Lumia 735, Lumia 1520, Lumia 640, Lumia 640 XL, Lumia 635 with 1 GB of RAM, Lumia 636 with 1 GB of RAM, Lumia 638, with 1 GB of RAM, Lumia 540, Lumia 535, Lumia 532, Lumia 435 and Lumia 430.

What's new Windows 10 Mobile

Windows 10 Mobile brings a number of new features. The main one is the support of universal apps, which can also work on PC, Xbox and even Microsoft's HoloLens glasses.

Office apps have also become more powerful as they offer editing capabilities that were previously limited to the PC (and to competing platforms like Android and iOS), while Outlook uses the same rendering engine as Word to open its e-mails.

In new devices, Windows 10 Mobile also brings the Continuum, which allows you to connect the smartphone to a larger screen (via Miracast or USB), and display an interface similar to that seen on a PC. For this, a Snapdragon 617/808/810/820 processor and 2 GB of RAM are required.

What's new in Windows 10 Mobile also includes Windows Hello, a biometric platform for logging in without using a password: on the Lumia 950, for example, there is an iris scanner that scans the eyes to unlock the screen.

Windows 10 Mobile also removes some features from Windows Phone 8.1. This is the list reported by Microsoft:

- Notifications of missed calls, messages and emails do not appear in the contact blocks.

- Group blocks cannot be used to receive updates from social networks.

- Cortana is not capable of searching for settings, applications, email, SMS messages and contacts on the device, and does not open applications via voice command.

- "Hey Cortana" is not included in some updated devices.

- The Outlook Calendar application does not support Tasks.

- The Outlook email application does not open attachments with an.EML extension.

- The MDM facility is not supported to prevent recording and sharing of Office documents.

Graphical interface: the old and the new

Windows 10 Mobile is an intelligent operating system, which departs from both the positive aspects of Windows Phone 8.1 and its different competitors, being so original and practical. You will find a user interface basically very similar, but with very interesting functions and design.

Start

The main screen is now well established in its appearance: we find once again the tiles, which were introduced with Windows Phone 7 and that differentiate this operating system from the competition. Tiles are simple icons in a rectangular or square shape: they are small portals that can give you information taken from the application to which they are connected. The WhatsApp tile is going to show you maybe just how many unread notifications you have and the content of the last message. With the News application you will have an overview of what is happening in the world. The weather tile will provide you with the current temperature and forecast information for the next three days, while the one in the image gallery will show the latest photos taken.

The tile gives a good dynamism to the home screen, which would otherwise be static as in Android or iOS. These tiles are animated, rotate to display more content, and can be resized and repositioned with a simple long touch. The features, however, are not affected compared to the previous versions of Windows Mobile and, as always, a tap on one of them will open the application as if it were a link. Some applications allow, for example, creating a tile for a specific function: then you can create a shortcut for a contact, a conversation or a geographical location, if the application allows it.

A long press on an app allows you to display additional options, such as quick uninstall or rate an app in the store. This method is always very fast, but maybe a bit annoying when you have many apps installed.

From the Settings you can customize the appearance of the Home screen with just a few taps, establishing a background under the tiles or creating one from the same tiles, which will have to adapt to the image you chose. In addition, you can also choose the main color of the interface, thanks to a selection of various colors, all very bright.

Lock screen and multitasking

The Windows 10 Mobile lock screen has remained largely unchanged from Windows Phone 8.1. In fact, it is always very simple and clean in appearance. The main information is always the same: at the top of the background you will find the time and date, and below is a notification of a particular application. It can be the next appointment in the calendar or a message in Telegram: only a notification can appear expanded, and you will have to choose the application in the Settings. There you can also choose which applications can display smaller notifications, in the form of an icon with a counter. Compared to Android and iOS, you can't see all notifications, but only a limited selection of them, which can cause you to miss an unread message or receive an email.

Multitasking is activated with a long press of the back button: This menu allows you to quickly jump from one application to another, and it has a couple of new features compared to Windows Phone P8.1. First of all, you are going to have a single app view, but you can scroll like a carousel from right to left. With a simple swipe of the finger to the bottom, you will completely remove it from RAM. There's also a button to close all apps in one fell swoop.

The Notification Center

What's new in Windows 10 Mobile includes the notification area that has evolved a lot in recent years. In Windows 10 Mobile it is a mix between Android and iOS, and those who use Windows 10 on the computer will immediately recognize why it is practically identical to that of the computer. Once you open it with a finger from the top of the screen to the bottom, there are four quick links and notifications: this allows you to turn on or off functions, such as Wi-Fi or bluetooth, increase the shine or open a note in OneNote.

Regarding notifications, they are grouped by application and also allow quick response if the application is compatible. You can, for example, reply to a text message without having to open the application, just by typing and pressing "Send". With one tap you will be able to delete a single notification, while with a two-finger tap, remove everything in one shot without having to press the button dedicated to this function. There are also other notification buttons to activate other features: on Android, for example, you can archive or mark an email as read without having to go to Gmail, a very useful opportunity to not waste much time on trivial operations.

Telephone, Messages and Contacts

The basic applications are, of course, to make calls and send messages. Both depend on a third application, that is, the Contacts, which contains your phone book. A peculiarity of this application is that, in the presence of a dual SIM terminal, it is literally divided: on the home screen, in fact, you will find two tiles for the Phone application and two tiles for Messages, which are marked with the numbers 1 and 2, to differentiate them. This allows you to easily manage the two phone cards, avoiding confusion and allowing to distribute outgoing traffic from one or the other SIM. For the rest, these applications offer nothing special compared to what is found in other operating systems.

From Phone you can view the history, contacts for quick calls and make calls by manually entering the number with the keyboard, which does not support the quick search function. The application also offers quick access to voicemail and blocking of unwanted people. Support SMS and MMS messages, and group conversations, can be blocked from here.

In Contacts you will see the numbers of the people, taken from the SIM and the configured cloud account. This application is also compatible with groups and allows you, thanks to the integration with social networks, to see a summary of the latest news regarding the people you have precisely on the phone's agenda.

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Finally, a common thread in all these applications is integration with Skype: the instant messaging service is a default app, and it allows you to make a normal call in a video call and text messages in Skype with your contacts. Of course, Skype is also available as an application, but this integration is certainly very convenient and beneficial for those who use this service.

Setting

What's new Windows 10 Mobile includes the menu configuration that was one of the critical points of Windows Phone, at first it had few functions and it was very confusing and disorganized but now you can navigate within it without effort. First, there is a new tree that is much cleaner and easier to navigate, but there is also a search bar at the top that allows you to immediately find what you are looking for.

In the configuration you will find all the configuration values ​​to change the experience: the one that goes from modules to connectivity to the aesthetic of personalization with backgrounds and colors. By going to "security options" you set the unlock pin and password, and also go to the accessibility settings to adjust the behavior of the phone when connected to another device.

Microsoft Edge

We continue Windows 10 Mobile news with the new web browser created by Microsoft. Windows 10 Mobile said goodbye to Internet Explorer and incorporated Microsoft Edge. Edge is the new application for internet browsing, where fortunately the aesthetics of the internet browser on mobile are maintained, however, it introduces some useful functions to move between pages. The new browser is also faster and better handles complex, heavy and dynamic pages, and supports all the latest technologies for developing web applications.

One of the most appreciated features of this browser is the interface: in fact, it is one of the few that has the navigation and search bar at the bottom of the screen. This means that even on a sizeable smartphone you will have no trouble getting to and connecting to a website.

Cortana and the search

We follow our post Windows 10 Mobile news with Cortana, which is highly integrated with the operating system and allows you to perform various functions with your voice, from the set of a simple timer to call contacts, to search for information online. In addition, Cortana can recognize music, add a Google Now card with useful information at certain times of the day, and report the weather.

To get the full experience you will have to reveal some personal details so that you understand what can be really useful for you. To tell you the city where you live, the place where you work and your interests day after day, the way to your house when you leave the office, the most important news of the day and many other things.

Photos, Groove Music, Films & TV and Xbox

What's new in Windows 10 Mobile includes the multimedia aspect of Windows 10 Mobile that is covered by four applications: the image gallery called Photos, the Groove Music player, the videos downloaded from Films & TV and everything related to games will be on the Xbox. These four services have their strengths and weaknesses, but they all push in one common aspect, that is, integration with the cloud.

Upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile

To conclude our article about what's new in Windows 10 Mobile, we'll tell you how to update your compatible device. Before starting the Windows 10 Mobile update: Back up your data, just in case. Go to Settings > Backup, and send everything to the OneDrive cloud. You can also simply connect the phone to a computer using a USB cable and copy the data to an external hard drive.

Pick up your old Windows Phone and make sure it's charged. Install the Windows 10 Advisor application, which is used to update your phone.

To get the app, you can visit the Microsoft site and download it.

Checking for updates

Once installed, open the Upgrade Advisor. The application will confirm that your phone is approved. Press the Next button, and the App Advisor will begin to determine if Windows 10 can be downloaded.

If your Windows 10 is available, your phone should allow you to go to the Settings menu and select the option " Update phone " to start the process.

From here, the update should go smoothly. This update can take up to an hour to complete the entire process. After this, the device will reboot.