Microsoft has been forced to withdraw a Windows 10 preview build for selected Lumia handsets following reports that installing it then attempting to revert to Windows 8.1 results in a bricked smartphone.
Due to launch later this year, Windows 10 is to be a refresh across Microsoft's entire product portfolio. As part of that, Windows Phone 10 will replace the current Windows Phone 8.1 on the company's Lumia handsets - and those eager to experiment with the new operating system have, like their desk-bound brethren, the option to join the free Windows Insiders programme and install pre-release beta builds on their devices.
As you might expect from a pre-release beta, however, things don't always go smoothly - although few owners of Lumia 520, 525 and China-exclusive Lumia 526 handsets will have expected a problem of this magnitude: installing the preview build then attempting to roll back to Windows Phone 8.1 through the Windows Phone Recovery Tool results in a bricked handset.
'We are seeing some reports of failures on Lumia 520/525/526 devices when trying to roll back to Windows Phone 8.1 using the Windows Phone Recovery Tool,' a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed on the company's support forum this week. 'We are pausing build availability for these devices temporarily while we investigate the issue and work with customers who have reported problems.'
Microsoft's official stance is that the bug is restricted to the 500-series devices, although some users are reporting the same symptoms during roll-back on devices including the Lumia 620, Lumia 920 and Lumia 1320, for which the seemingly-affected builds are still available for download and installation through the Windows Insiders programme.
Due to launch later this year, Windows 10 is to be a refresh across Microsoft's entire product portfolio. As part of that, Windows Phone 10 will replace the current Windows Phone 8.1 on the company's Lumia handsets - and those eager to experiment with the new operating system have, like their desk-bound brethren, the option to join the free Windows Insiders programme and install pre-release beta builds on their devices.
As you might expect from a pre-release beta, however, things don't always go smoothly - although few owners of Lumia 520, 525 and China-exclusive Lumia 526 handsets will have expected a problem of this magnitude: installing the preview build then attempting to roll back to Windows Phone 8.1 through the Windows Phone Recovery Tool results in a bricked handset.
'We are seeing some reports of failures on Lumia 520/525/526 devices when trying to roll back to Windows Phone 8.1 using the Windows Phone Recovery Tool,' a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed on the company's support forum this week. 'We are pausing build availability for these devices temporarily while we investigate the issue and work with customers who have reported problems.'
Microsoft's official stance is that the bug is restricted to the 500-series devices, although some users are reporting the same symptoms during roll-back on devices including the Lumia 620, Lumia 920 and Lumia 1320, for which the seemingly-affected builds are still available for download and installation through the Windows Insiders programme.
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