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March 23, 2011
Mobile

“Copy and paste” update status

UPDATE—Wed. Mar 30

Yesterday we started delivering the “copy and paste” update to Windows Phone customers at more than a dozen new mobile operators around the world. You can see the list at Where’s my phone update?, which we’ll be refreshing on Wednesdays with the latest schedule changes. So far, the rollout is progressing smoothly.

We’re happy to finally be making the copy and paste update more widely available. But remember that we deliver updates gradually to start. So even if the status for your operator changed today to “Delivering update,” it could still take about two weeks or so before you see a notification on your phone that it’s available for download. We are taking the time to really scrutinize quality to make sure your update experience is great.

Some of you might actually get two update notices on your phone in the weeks ahead (if you see “Delivering update” in both status columns). The first notification you’ll get is for the February update. After you’ve installed it, you’ll receive a second notification for the “copy and paste” update. I’ve already started seeing a few questions about the timing of these in blogs and forums. Because of how our process works, these two updates most likely won’t arrive back to back, but days or even a week or two apart. You can learn more from this support article.

I know many of you are disappointed, even angry. You certainly have a right to be. We’ve fallen far short of your expectations, and our own, and for that I’m truly sorry. We didn’t set out to let you down. But it’s clear we did. Whether you’re someone who has followed our progress from the start, or are new to Windows Phone, you deserve the updates we’ve promised. My job is to get us on the right path and deliver them.

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Hello again. As you might have heard, yesterday we kicked off our “copy and paste” update, which comes with a bunch of improvements for your phone. Today I want to briefly explain where we are in the process—and also tell you about a new update-related resource we’ve created based on your feedback.

This week we’re sending out the new update only to “open market” Windows Phones around the world. If you own one of these phones, you probably already know it: these are unbranded devices that aren’t customized for a specific mobile operator.

In next phase of the rollout process, we’ll start making the update available to a broader range of customers. When the update is available for your phone, you’ll get a message on the device letting you know. All the instructions you need to install an update are here on the Windows Phone website. (Some new phones come with the update already installed.)

As I explained in my last post, we intentionally deliver updates in batches, ramping up gradually to help ensure the process is as problem-free as possible. (And so far, the copy and paste update is proceeding smoothly.)

But it was clear from your comments that many of you want a better idea of when to expect your update. Is it on the way—or weeks away? These are natural questions.

To help answer them, we’ve created a new online resource called Where’s my phone update? that provides some insight into where we are, and where your phone is, in the multi-stage update process.

Much like when you buy a PC online, you’ll be able to see when the update is being tested and packaged, when it’s about to ship, and when it’s “left the warehouse.” We’ll update the site once a week with the latest status changes.

Thanks again for your patience as we work to streamline our phone update process. And I’m looking forward to hearing what you think about copy and paste and the new update status tool.

Eric Hautala

General Manager, Customer Experience Engineering