Windows Phone 8.1 users who were looking forward to joining desktop users in using Microsoft’s latest operating system may be waiting a little longer than expected. The update that was supposed to roll out this month has been officially pushed back to 2016.
The delay, announced in a Windows blog post, actually applies to all Windows 10 updates. But Microsoft previously said eligible phones would receive an over-the-air update to Windows 10 in December, bring more Microsoft devices in line with its latest Lumia lineup.
The announcement was made in a post introducing the latest Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Mobile Insider Preview, which is available today for both fast- and slow-ring insiders.
The post explains that the “engineering team will be running at a slower pace and many of our key people who drive our flighting process will be out … This means we won’t be releasing any new builds to Windows Insiders until January, for both PC and mobile.”
So Insiders may see new software next month, but Windows Phone 8.1 users outside the preview program may have to wait a little longer. According to a Microsoft statement provided to GeekWire, “the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade will begin rolling out early next year to select existing Windows 8 and 8.1 phones.”
It’s unclear which phones will get the update. Feature like Continuum will likely take more power than some Windows Phone 8.1 devices are capable of producing, so some phones may be left out.
