What to expect from today's Windows 10 for Mobile build

Sean Michael

Windows 10 for mobile

Today is the day. Get your phones all laid out and make sure your Wi-Fi is working at full capacity. We’re getting a new build for Windows 10 for mobile today! Here’s a quick recap of what we know, what we don’t know, and what we think may happen.

When will the new build drop?

The new build drops at 10am PDT. That news was initially revealed on the Windows Weekly Podcast by Gabe Aul himself.

Who gets the new build?

The last time a build came out for Windows 10 for mobile many users were disappointed by the number of devices that could receive it. This build addresses some, but not all, of those users. Here’s the list of the phones we EXPECT to receive the latest build.

Lumia 520, Lumia 525, Lumia 526, Lumia 530, Lumia 530 Dual Sim, Lumia 535, Lumia 620, Lumia 625, Lumia 630, Lumia 630 Dual Sim, Lumia 635, Lumia 636, Lumia 638, Lumia 720, Lumia 730, Lumia 730 Dual SIM, Lumia 735, Lumia 810, Lumia 820, Lumia 822, Lumia 830, Lumia 920, Lumia 925, Lumia 928, Lumia 1020, Lumia 1320, Lumia 1520

Microsoft Lumia 430, Microsoft Lumia 435, Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM, Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM DTV, Microsoft Lumia 532, Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM, Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM, and Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM.

Notable phones missing from this list include the Lumia Icon and Lumia 930 which will not be receiving this build due to a bug they couldn’t fix. Initially it was reported that the Icon would receive this build but that is no longer true. Microsoft continues to promise preview builds for non-Lumia phones like the HTCs, but that won’t be happening this time.

What could be in this build?

There have been a number of leaks and rumors circulating about Windows 10 for mobile and as usual we don’t know exactly which ones will be in this build, future builds, or no builds at all. Here’s a few of the more notable changes that we COULD see in this build.

Changes to the contacts and messaging options.

More background and wallpaper options including a background that takes up the whole screen with Live Tiles having different levels of transparency.

Windows 10 for mobile wallpaper

Task Switcher: The leaks of this that have been  seen show a task switcher. When you hold the back button in the builds from these leaked photos you get four different apps in a task switcher instead of having to scroll sideways between them. It appears to be a much smoother way to switch apps.

Text editing tools: Leaks have shown text editing tools that are more like Word 2013.

Connect flash and external hard drives: Rumors are that Windows 10 for mobile may support USB On-The-Go. There’s a chance that in this latest build you’ll be able to connect flash and external hard drives to your phone.

Spartan: Could this be the legendary release of Windows’ new browser on the mobile platform? We’ve seen leaks of the new browser running on Windows 10 for mobile and hope to see it in this build.

Spartan Screenshots on Windows 10 for mobile

Could this be the tip of the iceberg?

On the Windows Weekly Podcast Gabe Aul gave clear and direct answers and information about this build. He also hinted “you’ll see a bunch of new stuff in this build.” We’ll have videos, articles, and our own podcast talking about any new snippets we find in the new build.  If you find anything over the weekend that we’ve missed please let us know. Stay tuned for all the latest news