Well, as Microsoft has now released the first wave of the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade, for those waiting for it, there are a few caveats you might want to know about.
Firstly, it won't be available for every phone running Windows Phone 8.1. Vodafone have software updates listed for the following devices http://community.vodafone.com.au/t5/Software-Updates/17th-March-2016-Software-Update-Weekly-Wrap/td-p/407035
Lumia 640
Lumia 640XL
Lumia 735
Lumia 930
About the only phone of significance supplied by Vodafone that did receive the Win8.1 update, the Lumia 925, is not on the list. Nor is it on the officially released list by Microsoft. So, I think we can safely assume the Lumia 925 will not be getting the Windows 10 Mobile upgrade.
Now that might not be such a bad thing. If you consider the list of deprecated features, I'm happy to stick with WP8.1 on my Lumia 925.
See here for the Windows 10 Specifications for Mobile page to see what phones are listed for the upgrade. On that page, some of the deprecated features and requirements for others are given too. Here's what they say:
Feature deprecation
When you install the Windows 10 upgrade, some features currently on your device will be modified or removed, including the following:
- Notifications for missed calls, messages, and emails on contact tiles is not supported at the time of Windows 10 Mobile release.
- Me Tile and Me Card are no longer supported.
- Cortana can no longer search for apps, setting, email, text messaging, contacts and QR Codes on the device and can no longer open apps through voice commands.
- "Hey Cortana" is no longer available on some upgraded devices.
- Group tiles can no longer be used to receive social networking status updates.
- Indoor Maps are no longer available for some locations.
- Certain enterprise features, including Data Protection Under Lock, are not available; please contact your Microsoft Volume Licensing representative for more information.
- At time of Windows 10 Mobile release Outlook Mail app cannot open .EML attachments.
- Outlook Calendar app does not support Tasks.
- MDM capability to prevent saving and sharing Office documents not supported.
Additional requirements to use certain features
- Cortana is currently only available on Windows 10 in the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain.
- Speech-to-text is currently only available on Windows 10 in the United States (English), United Kingdom (English), China (Simplified Chinese), France (French), Italy (Italian), Spain (Spanish), Germany (German), Canada (English), Australia (English), India (English), and Japan (Japanese).
- Speech recognition, including Cortana, will vary by device.
- Windows Hello is limited to select premium phones at launch, and requires specialized hardware, including illuminated infrared camera sensor for facial recognition or a finger print reader which supports the Window Biometric Framework. To check for device compatibility and other important information, visit your device manufacturer's website.
- Continuum for phones limited to select premium phones. Feature requires external monitor with DisplayPort, HDMI connector, or compatible adapter and Continuum for phones-compatible accessories, all sold separately. App availability and experience varies by device and market.
- Office 365 subscription required for some Office features.
- Music and video streaming through Groove Music (formerly Xbox Music) or Movies & TV apps is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to the Xbox on Windows website.
- Xbox app and some games and features only available in Xbox Live-supported countries and regions. You can see the list at Xbox Live Countries and Regions website
- Skype available only in select countries and regions. Calling to select countries and regions only. Excludes special, premium and non-geographic numbers. For details, visit the Office FAQ page
- Microsoft account required for some features.
So, after reading all this, I'm kind of comfortable my Lumia 925 will not be getting the Win10 Mobile upgrade. However, as Vodafone have readied the Lumia 930 for the upgrade, I'm not sure what I will do with it. Maybe, I'll adopt a "wait and see" approach to find out what works and what doesn't before I decide to updgrade.
-PaulC