First Windows Phone Update Rolling out Today...But Don't Get Too Excited

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_phone/b/windowsphone/' target='_blank'>http://windowsteamblog.com/windows_...b/windowsphone/</a><br /><br /></div><p>This was kept a secret <em>almost</em> until it happened, but later today - on a rolling basis world-wide - the first official Windows Phone update is rolling out. The first thing to understand is that this update should be thought of as a test run - the update is upgrading the software on the phone that handles the software update. This update <em><strong>does not have copy and paste</strong></em>, or any other bug fixes that Microsoft is commenting on.</p><p>There are some interesting questions around exactly who is going to get the update. At the time I'm writing this (Sunday), no one I've communicated with knows if this update will go out to all Windows Phone 7 devices, or only if it&rsquo;s a &ldquo;proper&rdquo; phone on a &ldquo;proper&rdquo; carrier &ndash; like an HD7 on T-Mobile. What about me using an AT&amp;T LG Quantum on Rogers in Canada? Rogers doesn&rsquo;t sell the Quantum, so will I get the update? What about someone using a non-SIM locked phone in a country where Windows Phone 7 hasn&rsquo;t launched yet? Will they not get the update notification on their phone, but still get the update when they connect their phone to the Zune desktop software?</p><p>Lots of questions - and, when you think about it, it's not such a bad idea to get this "non" update rolled out to see how things work and iron out any last minute glitches before the first real update in a couple of weeks.</p><p>A couple of things to note:</p><ul><li>Some people will see the update right away, some won't see it for a few hours - that's the way the process works</li><li>You'll need to physically connect your phone to your computer with the Zune software - it won't work over WiFi sync</li><li>As part of the update, a backup of your phone will be capture - expect the process to take more than a few minutes. As in, don't start it if you need to run out the door in five minutes</li></ul><p>Because this is the first update for the Windows Phone 7 platform, there are more questions than answers at the moment. Please post a comment if something strange happens for you with the update, and I'm especially curious to hear from those of you out there with phones that aren't on official carrier-partner networks, etc.</p><p><strong>UPDATE:</strong> Want to see the update in action? <a href="http://www.mobilityminded.com/12359/first-windows-phone7-update" target="_blank">Check it out</a>.</p>

[Fritzly]

I have a TMobile HD7 and so far I have not seen anything...........

Also a friend of mine with a Samsung Omnia, supposedly SIM free, has not received any update....

The more I hear and see the less I like the situation but........ let's' see what happens.........

[Jason Dunn]

The more I hear and see the less I like the situation but........ let's' see what happens.........

Remember it will roll out all day today - I already know someone in Europe that has the update, so patience... :)

[rone0001]

Thanks for the news but so far I honestly have almost zero issues with the phone. The marketplace freezes sometimes and I have to soft reset but otherwise I honestly don't miss copy and paste etc. My big issue as a developer is that hopefully ms will support sqlce with this update. Has anyone heard anything? I know this is a big topic for developers and we need isolated dbase storage. Yes there are 3rd party apps for this but knowing that sqlce must be coming soon is better to wait for than rewriting past dbase tables etc. Anyone know of an upcoming release? Many of my old apps need the dbase support to be ported over.

[Jason Dunn]

My big issue as a developer is that hopefully ms will support sqlce with this update. Has anyone heard anything?

This update has no changes of the sort. It's just like I said: it's updating the update software to the next update in a few weeks will work better.

There are a lot of things Microsoft needs to add to Windows Phone 7 to make it better for apps...hopefully they're working on it!

[Nurhisham Hussein]

I've seen the notification already, though I'm on a carrier issued HD7 (Maxis - Malaysia). I haven't started it yet as my internet line is a little flaky today - waiting to get home.

Anyone know whether this update will wipe all my text messages? I'm leery of losing them.

[Jason Dunn]

Anyone know whether this update will wipe all my text messages? I'm leery of losing them.

It shouldn't wipe anything at all - the entire contents of the device should be protected.

[Jason Dunn]

Darn. Still no update for my device. :confused:

I'm not sure if that's because it hasn't rolled out my way yet, or if it's because I'm using an AT&T LG Quantum on Rogers in Canada. :(

[Nurhisham Hussein]

That's not what it says here (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/howto/wp7/basics/restore-a-backup-to-my-phone.aspx).

Quote:

"You'll lose all changes made from the previous version to the current update, including text messages, ringtones, music you've downloaded, and settings you've changed. If you're using Outlook without Exchange, your recently-added contacts may not be restored. Find out how to import Outlook contacts to Windows Phone 7 using other methods.

For apps you've installed—whether you bought them on your phone or on your PC—the data and settings you added or changed won't be restored. Trial versions of apps can't be restored, but you can reinstall them from Marketplace on your phone."

[Jason Dunn]

"You'll lose all changes made from the previous version to the current update, including text messages, ringtones, music you've downloaded, and settings you've changed. If you're using Outlook without Exchange, your recently-added contacts may not be restored. Find out how to import Outlook contacts to Windows Phone 7 using other methods.

That's when you restore from your last backup. As in:

1) You connect your phone
2) You install the update, it creates the backup
3) You use the phone for a week, then you restore from the backup
4) You'd lose text messages, etc., from the point of the previous backup

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Phew!! Thanks Jason, that's a load off my mind.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Done the update - it went pretty smoothly. The longest part was creating the backup, but everything else was pretty fast.