Windows 10 Mobile rollout schedule: Lumias with Windows Phone 8.1 will not receive the firmware until early 2016

Microsoft will not roll out the Windows 10 Mobile update to older Lumia handsets with Windows Phone 8.1 on board in 2015.

Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet citing an official statement says, Microsoft plans to send out the latest OS firmware to WP 8.1 users sometime in early 2016. “The Windows 10 Mobile upgrade will begin rolling out early next year to select existing Windows 8 and 8.1 phones," an official spokesperson of the company said in the statement.

A previous report had hinted that Lumia smartphones running the WP 8.1 OS will get the Windows 10 Mobile update in December. However, Microsoft never revealed the actual release timeframe specific to December. Similarly, the latest official statement does not give out the exact release date in 2016 either. GSM Arena says, the words “early next year” could mean a reasonable April or even later.

With innumerable Lumia handsets waiting to be updated across the globe, the tech giant has not revealed the complete set of eligible handsets yet. However, a couple of months back, Microsoft did list out a handful of Lumia devices (first batch) earmarked to receive the Windows 10 Mobile update. The list includes the Lumia 640, Lumia 640 XL, Lumia 735, Lumia 830, Lumia 930, Lumia 430, Lumia 435, Lumia 532, Lumia 535, Lumia 540 and Lumia 635 (1 GB RAM).

As a statement of caution, Microsoft says, some features of the new OS may act differently depending on the configurations of the old handset. The eligible devices should have at least 8 GB of native storage space to get the update. Furthermore, the devices must have “Lumia Denim” software update on board, prior to availing the new firmware.

The Windows 10 update comes bundled with an improved Action Center and a powerful Microsoft Edge browser, along with tweaks to universal apps like Maps, Calendar and Photos. To top it off, Cortana has apparently been equipped to cross communicate with all the devices including PCs, tablets and smartphones.

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