Windows Phone

The next release of Windows Phone is here and it is packed with great new features that are going to make you want to update straight away. To find out about the new features (of which there are over 500) head over to our announcement post here.

Do check the ‘where’s my update page’ to see when the update should be rolling out to you. Once you know it’s available, get updating. To help, here’s a guide on how to do just that.

Check your phone for notifications

Your phone will inform you when an update is available, through a push notification. You can find out which version of the software you have now by going to Settings > About > More information. You can also check ‘where’s my update’ to find out when the update will be coming to you.

Prepare

Install the latest Zune software on your PC, or the Windows Phone Mac connector if you have a Mac. This is required to download the update. To check you have the latest version of Zune, go to settings > general > check for updates. On the Windows Phone connector for Mac, go to the Mac App Store and check the updates section.

Make sure your phone isn’t full to the brim with music and apps. The update will take up a little room, which shouldn’t be an issue for most people, however if there is virtually no space left on your phone you may need to remove a few unwanted items.

Similarly, if your computer is full to the brim then there will be no space to save a backup of your phone. While most PCs have a sizeable hard drive these days, you may have downloaded enough movies to last you a lifetime. So remember to save a little space for the backup.

Make sure you have a reliable internet connection that isn’t going to cut out. It’s probably best to do the update at home where you can trust the network, and using an Ethernet cable will help too.

Lastly, verify that your phone is set to the correct date and time. That’ll help your phone determine which updates you need.

Install

When you have received the update notification, find a convenient time to install the update on your phone as the process can take up to an hour.

Use the USB cable that came with your phone to connect your phone to your computer. Then simply follow the backup and installation instructions that appear in the Zune software or Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac. Et voila, one phone update complete.

If you want to find out when the next version of Windows Phone will be available to you, check ‘where’s my update’. Find out more about the next release of Windows Phone in our post here.