After a four month wait since the desktop Windows 10 Technical Preview was launched, Windows Phone users can now finally see how Microsoft’s latest operating system will look on their smartphones.
The company made Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones available on 15 February and so far it’s quite impressive. You can read our full review by following this link and, if you want to give it a whirl yourself, you can follow this step-by-step guide to upgrading your phone to Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones.
Windows 10 Tech Preview for phones: before you start
Before you do anything else, you’ll need to sign up to the Windows Insider program, if you haven’t already. Registration is free, all you need is a Microsoft Account – i.e. an Outlook.com email address.
Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones is only available on certain phones (see below) so make sure you have one of these before you go ahead and try to upgrade.
Devices that can run Windows Phone 10:
- – Nokia Lumia 630
- – Nokia Lumia 635
- – Nokia Lumia 636
- – Nokia Lumia 638
- – Nokia Lumia 730
- – Nokia Lumia 830
As a side note, we tried to install the OS on a Lumia 830, but kept getting an error message saying there were “no builds available”. This bug appears to affect a minority of all models, so even if you have the right phone, there’s still a slim possibility you won’t be able to upgrade just yet, but the only way to find out is to give it a go.
You’ll also need to be running Windows Phone 8.1, so make sure your OS is up to date before you start.
How to install Windows 10 on your phone:
1. Go to the Windows Store and download the Windows Insider app. Once installed it will appear in your apps menu under the name Preview for Developers.
2. Open the app, and tap “Get Preview Builds” on the welcome screen.
3. This is the point at which you will find out if your individual phone will accept the update. If it does, you will see the below enrollment screen and should tap on the Insider Fast option to get all the updates as they are released. If not, you’ll get the “no builds available” message.
4. You will now see a warning message about installing Windows 10 for phones on your device. If you want to back out, or don’t accept the terms, tap reject. If you’re happy to go ahead, tap accept.After a short pause, you will see this screen. As indicated, you should now come out of the Windows Insider app and head over to “phone update” in Settings.
5. In “phone update”, tap check for updates. You will be told an update is ready to download – tap download.
6. Now you will get a message saying your update is ready to be installed. Before you go ahead and tap install, you should probably plug your phone into a charger.
7. Once installed, your phone will tell you the update was successful. Tap done. You will then get a message informing you another update is ready.
8. This is Windows 10 for phones itself – you should download and install this update. Once finished, you will be running Windows 10 on your phone.
Windows 10 Tech Preview for phones: Additional notes
Your phone will likely restart repeatedly during this process – while it may seem pretty brutal, don’t be alarmed. We’ve put Windows 10 on one of our own phones and it hasn’t done it any harm.
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