Windows Phone 8 Apollo Plus Update Coming At MWC – Report

Windows Phone 8 screens

Windows Phone 8 Apollo plus could add VPN support, OTA updates and notification centre

Microsoft is reportedly preparing the first update to Windows Phone 8, codenamed Apollo Plus, which will add a range of features to the mobile operating system.

Windows Phone 8 Apollo Plus will not be a major update but will add functionality that wasn’t ready in time for the latest version, which was rolled out earlier this month.

Microsoft has already admitted that it simply “ran out of time” on a notification centre for Windows Phone 8 and this could be among the improvements included as part of Apollo Plus, which is due to be announced at Mobile World Congress next year, according to The Verge.

Windows Phone 8 Apollo Plus

Windows Phone 8 Apollo Plus will apparently include VPN support, which will allow business users to connect to a work system, and is a feature that has been absent from recent versions of Microsoft’s mobile operating systems.

A Wi-Fi connection fix will allow connections to remain always-on, while there will be some audio improvements. Apollo Plus will also test out Windows Phone 8’s ability to receive updates over-the-air.

It is unclear whether the update will address any of the problems experienced by users of the HTC Windows Phone 8X and Nokia Lumia 920. Users of these smartphones complained of random reboots, screen freezes and battery problems on various support forums shortly after launch.

Three other Windows 8 smartphones, the Nokia Lumia 820, HTC Windows Phone 8S and Samsung Galaxy Ativ S, are believed to be unaffected by the problems.

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