Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones is now available to download. This is a pre-release version of Microsoft's upcoming mobile operating system. You should only download this if you want to try a new operating system on your Windows Phone device. Since this is beta software, many of your favourite apps may not work on it and upgrading to it right now is not recommended on your primary phone as the preview is still very much a work in progress.
If you have a spare Windows Phone device lying around or if you love playing around with latest (potentially buggy) builds of operating systems, then read on.
Supported devices
Currently, Microsoft says only six Lumia phones can download and install Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones. These are:
- Lumia 630
- Lumia 635
- Lumia 636
- Lumia 638
- Lumia 730
- Lumia 830
More phones will be supported in future builds, but for now only users of the phones listed above can try Windows 10 Technical Preview.
Backing up your data
This is beta software and hence can be very buggy. That's why we recommend that you make a complete backup of your Windows Phone first. We have written a detailed guide on how to backup and delete all data on your Windows Phone device and you must go follow all the steps listed there before proceeding.
(Also see: How to Backup Contacts on Your Smartphone)
Downloading and installing Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones
The process for downloading Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones is not too hard, especially if you know how to download and install Windows 10 Technical Preview on your PC. Follow these steps.
- Head to the Windows Insider page.
- Click Get Started to sign up for the programme.
- Enter your Outlook.com email address and password.
- Click Sign in.
- Read the terms of service, scroll down and check I accept the terms of this agreement (required).
- Click Submit.
- Scroll down and click Phone.
- Scroll down and click Get the preview.
- Download the Windows Insider app on your Windows Phone device.
- Open the app and sign in using your Microsoft account.
- Tap Get preview builds.
- Here you'll have to choose between receiving OS updates as they're released or after some bugs have been fixed. Tap Insider Fast to stay on the bleeding edge or pick Insider Slow if you'd like a slightly more reliable build.
- Take a look at all the warnings and then tap Accept.
- Tap the Windows button on your phone.
- Go to Settings > Phone Update.
- Tap Check for updates.
Now you'll be able to download the latest Windows 10 builds for your smartphone. Tell us about your experience with Windows 10 on mobile and PC via the comments. For more tutorials, visit our How To section.