Windows 10 mobile is not dead, there is still hope

Windows 10 Mobile may not be fully extinct yet, but recent events from the Windows Insider program suggest that the operating system still has life ahead of it.

Specifically, on April 14, Microsoft made some changes to the Windows Insider fast ring, when the company separated the development of Windows 10 Mobile into a different branch. In short, Windows 10 Mobile was removed from the "Redstone 3" branch and its development happened under the "Feature2" branch.

Windows 10 Mobile: What should we expect from the future?

Let's see what these changes made by the company could mean in the development of Windows 10 Mobile, and what hopes really remain for this operating system.

Different numbers of Builds

Windows 10 Mobile will no longer receive new Builds in the same development branch as PCs. Also, you will not receive new builds simultaneously with the Windows 10 desktop version. This change represents the first time that the Mobile code was separated from the main branch under the Windows Insider program, at least as far as we know.

According to Microsoft, “this is the result of the work we do to merge the codes in the OneCore, the heart of Windows on PCs, tablets, mobiles, Internet of Things, HoloLens, Xbox and other devices as we continue to develop new improvements for Windows 10 Mobile and for our corporate clients . ”

However, in response to Microsoft's statement, many wondered how the company plans to merge the codes into OneCore if it has just moved its mobile operating system to a different branch.

But another thing that is obvious comes from Dennis Berdnarz, one of the editors of Windows Central, who points out that Windows 10 Mobile was completely deleted from the rs_prerelease branch, so that at this point its development would be practically frozen.

What is Feature2?

Feature2 is a new branch designed specifically for Windows 10 Mobile builds released after the Creators Update, as part of the Windows Insider program for the few Windows Phone devices that are still available on the market.

The only thing that is not currently known is whether these Feature2 builds represent a temporary or a permanent measure, and Microsoft has not been helpful in answering our concerns.

If it's a temporary measure, Windows 10 Mobile could get back in sync with the “Redstone 3” or “rs_prerelease” branches, but if it's a permanent measure, Feature2 could be a simple maintenance platform designed to serve users who are still using Windows on their mobiles with different security updates or bug fixes.

However, it appears that this is a simple temporary change and that Windows Phone Insiders will return to the rs_prerelease and Redstone 3 branches in the near future.

Has Windows 10 Mobile development come to an end?

What is already very clear by now is that Windows 10 Mobile will never be an operating system capable of competing with iOS or Android in the coming years. If Microsoft really wants to make it a competitive platform, it needs to implement more new features and launch high-end devices that really highlight the potential of the operating system.

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Chances are that Windows 10 Mobile will end up disappearing in the coming years, but for now the new development branch Feature2 at least points to that it still has some life to the operating system, since through Feature2 the company plans to supply insiders new builds, fixes and even the occasional new feature.

conclusion

If we were to take a look at history, Microsoft would probably never announce or speak about the death of Windows 10 Mobile. As in the case of Windows RT, its disappearance was simply confirmed when Microsoft stopped releasing new updates. The company never failed to acknowledge that it had finished developing Windows RT to focus on something else.

This same strategy could be applied in the case of Windows 10 Mobile. But for now we know that Windows 10 Mobile users will continue to receive bug fixes and security enhancements through the Feature2 branch of Windows Insider.