Summer Windows Phone 8 Update Continues Google Support

Microsoft has announced that it will roll out an update to Windows Phone 8 later this summer that will bring a number of improvements to the platform, including continued support for Google services.

The update will ensure that Windows Phone users can continue to use Gmail and other Google services, using Google’s newest sync protocols, CalDAV and CardDAV. At the moment, Windows Phone uses Google Sync, a protocol which Google is phasing out, with support ending on 31 July 2013.

The upgrade will ship with the recently announced Nokia Lumia 925, but Microsoft is expected to release updates for all existing Windows Phone 8 smartphones before the 31 July cut-off point.

Windows Phone 8 update

The new software will make the Data Sense feature available for more carriers to offer and will include a number of additional features for Xbox Music. It will be easier to select, download and pin tunes using the service and will improve the accuracy of song information and metadata. Radio fans will also be pleased to learn that Microsoft has restored support for FM radios in smartphones that have one.

The Nokia Lumia 925 is the Finnish manufacturer’s latest flagship smartphone, boasting an improved 8.7 megapixel PureView camera and an aluminium metal casing. It will come with a number of imaging innovations, including the Nokia Smart Camera app, which will be rolled out to all Windows Phone 8 Nokia Lumia smartphones as part of a firmware update known as Nokia Lumia Amber.

According to figures released by Gartner earlier this week, Windows Phone currently has the fourth largest market share of any mobile operating system in the world, although it has been predicted that it could overtake BlackBerry in third place should current trends continue.

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