Microsoft Ships a New Build of Windows 10 Insider Preview for Phones

As expected, Microsoft has delivered a new build of the Windows 10 Insider Preview for phones—build 10080—today. As you might expect, it adds a bunch of new features and some long-awaited UI polish. But the big news is that build 10080 also supports several new phone models, including the first-ever non-Lumia handset.

Note: Build 10080 will show up as version 10.0.12562.84 in Settings, System, About. Why? Because Microsoft.

Here’s what’s new.

Support for new phones. In addition to all of the Lumia models that are already supported by the Windows 10 Insider Preview for phones, build 10080 adds support for Lumia 930, Lumia Icon, Lumia 640 and 640XL, and the HTC One (M8) for Windows. That said, if you’re on Verizon and your HTC One (M8) for Windows is at version 8.10.15143.154, you won’t be offered today’s build yet. Microsoft says it is working on that.

Windows Store Beta. This build provides the first peek at the new Windows Store app for phones, in beta form (as it is on PCs and tablets). It has a new visual design based on that of its big brother, and is in fact a universal app now. That said, the app has limited functionality, with no carrier billing, no music purchasing, and other missing features.

Office apps. This build is our first hands-on experience with the Office universal apps—Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, plus Outlook Mail and Calendar, which did debut earlier on phone—on Windows Phone.

Xbox app. The Xbox app debuts in universal app form in this build as well, letting you access your activity feed, achievements, friends list, activity alerts, and messages, watch Game DVR clips, and connect to your Xbox One. Future updates will add OneGuide integration, Live TV Streaming, Game Hubs, and more, Microsoft says.

Music Preview app. A new version of the Music preview app includes OneDrive support and a new Now Playing experience. Microsoft says future updates will include now playing info on the app’s Live Tile, the ability to pin favorites to your Start screen, full Xbox Music Pass support, Kids Corner support, ability to shop for music in the Store Beta, and more.

Video Preview app. The preview version of the Video app now supports MKV files, folder-based video organization, and support for purchased and rented movies and TV shows. Future app updates will add the ability to download movies and TV shows for offline playback, new device management features for managing offline downloads, improved search results, movie reviews and cast info, and more.

Camera app. The new Camera app for Windows 10 Mobile comes with absolutely no notes at all, so I’ll need to check that out when the build is installed on my test phones.

Fixes. Microsoft says it has fixed a few bugs in this build. So tapping an e-mail notification now leads the correct email message, as you’d expect, and incoming calls will play a ringing sound now. Progress!

Microsoft also provides a long list of known issues for this build, as usual. You can read the Microsoft post for the full list, but here is the only important one:

Message not received. Microsoft notes that there “is a condition in which you may never receive MMS messages.” To ensure that MMS messages are not lost, be sure to turn cellular data on (via Settings, Network & wireless, Cellular & SIM, Data connection). This issue will occur any time your cellular data connection is turned off in this build.

Finally, Microsoft also confirmed what it told me and other press and bloggers at Build a few weeks back: Windows 10 Mobile for phones will arrive after Windows 10 for PCs and tablets.

“For phones, Windows 10 will arrive later this year – both on new devices and also upgrades for existing Windows Phone 8.1 devices,” Microsoft’s Gabe Aul notes. “Even though Windows 10 will be arriving for phones later than it does for PCs, the underlying OS code is still the same. As Terry [Myerson] mentioned earlier this year, Windows 10 will support the broadest device family ever – from PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s to phones to Xbox and the Internet of Things. To enable this, we work to specifically tailor Windows 10 to these device types. And what you’re seeing with phone builds today is that work in progress to tailor Windows 10 to be great on phones.”