Microsoft has confirmed to ZDNet that it will change its behavior for handling updates for devices running Windows 10 Mobile when the first wave of new devices is launched later this year. Microsoft currently allows carriers and manufacturers to handle updates for phones running Windows 8.1 with varying results, which resulted in the change to direct control over updates.
“We take our responsibility to keep Windows secure seriously. We [will] proactively update supported devices with necessary updates to address issues. And today, we’re announcing this continuous update process applies to all Windows 10 devices, including phones.”
Microsoft will not be providing the same control over updates to older Windows 8.1 devices updated to Windows 10 Mobile and instead will continue to allow carriers and manufacturers to control those updates, but the software and hardware company is suggesting that more savvy owners will still be able to update their own devices by joining the Windows Insider program in order to receive the latest updates as they roll out.
Microsoft previously attempted to control mobile device updates in the same way it controls operating system updates with Windows Phone 7, only to face severe stonewalling by both carriers and manufacturer partners, which led it to relent on update control for Windows Phone 8 and 8.1. With inconsistency in updates being one of the chief lessons learned from developing updates for Windows Phone 8, Microsoft is putting its foot down for Windows 10 Mobile devices, as it wants the mobile version of Windows 10 to complement the desktop version, right down to the frequency of updates.
