Note – This is our 2nd post on Windows Phone 8.1 leaks
Yesterday saw a lot of info leak about Windows Phone 8.1 courtesy of the SDK releasing to developers. It did not end there and the leaks took the form of Screenshots and there are many of them. Let’s have a look at them plus more info.
Here we go
- Native sharing is seeing a change in WP8.1. Users can no longer share to multiple networks at a go. Dedicated apps will have to be downloaded & used for sharing except Facebook Blue which is built in to Windows Phone.
- Users must tap the ‘search button’ twice to activate search – this is to prevent accidental pressing. This holds true in full-screen apps whereas at other places single tap will work (contextual as it is said).
- New Emulator Skin
- ‘Separate volume controls’ for Ringer + Notifications and Media + Apps.
- Xbox Music app in WP8.1 has version 2.2.267.0 (against the current 1.5.2720.0)
- Project your devices screen on TV, Monitor or Projector
- New Calendar view
- ‘Photos’ app also sees a change in UI (now you can swipe to albums, favorites etc)
- No ‘SkyDrive’ album integration in ‘Photos’ app. You need to open the app to access it.
- Bing News app with Sync option across devices with Microsoft ID.
- Share Contract (1st image), after clicking Social Networks (2nd image)
- Battery Power Sense in action
- ‘Messaging’ app settings (ability to download messages, ability to select the default messaging app – this is interesting)
- Sign in to Gmail with OAuth (read about OAuth here
- Podcasts app (1st image), Podcasts app settings (2nd image)
- Clock now looks bigger on Lockscreen
- Tabs are removed in IE11 (we will have to wait till Apr for the final changes)
- However you can press & hold the links in to new tabs in IE and can access them via App Switcher
- Contextual Volume control (you can’t see ‘Ringer + Media’ in Music player)
- IE11 will feature the ability to Download stuff from over the Web
- Windows Phone 8.1 will come to all existing WP8 devices
- ‘Advertising Id’ under settings (purpose not yet known)
- Keyboard settings (3 images) (actually nothing new in this build)
- Photos tile setting (select what appears on your homescreen)
- ‘Vibrate while ringing’ & ‘Vibrate while in silent mode‘
- ‘cellular + SIM’ settings (Data connection now having toggle for ON/OFF )
- ‘About’ under settings
- Debug info
- Language settings
- Now disable ‘location icon’ in settings & presence of Geofence monitoring
- Bing News at version 3.0.xxxx in WP8.1 unlike the current version 1.0.xxxx
- Use of NFC for payment
- Cortana voice shows ‘Microsoft Kate’
- A look at the supported resolutions & how navigation bar can be activated on all of them
- On screen buttons & the arrow to hide them
- Navigation Bar settings (check ‘Allows apps to automatically show or hide the Navigation bar’ .. cool)