No Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2 For Existing Devices

Well, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Unconfirmed, but comes from a reliable sources. The news that Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2 will not be released for existing devices.

Instead, Redmond only plans to make it available on new models.

This latest version of Windows Phone 8.1 was recently spotted on a number of new devices that Microsoft and partners showcased at MWC 2015 in Barcelona earlier this month. Many believed that this was to be another set of improvements that will make their way to the public.

In order to keep the existing handsets updated and pave the road for Windows 10 for Phones.

It turns out that this may not be the case.

Paul Thurrott has it on good authority that this version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system will not roll out on existing handsets:

Unconfirmed, but source tells me Windows Phone 8.1.2 will not roll out to previous phones, just ship on new devices.

— Paul Thurrott (@thurrott) March 6, 2015

Although Windows Phone Update 8.1 Update 2, also known as Windows Phone 8.1 GDR2 only brings a small set of improvements, this strategy of only bundling it on new hardware means that owners will have to wait until Windows 10 launches later this year to update their smartphone.

This could potentially annoy and alienate more users that are already frustrated at the slow pace at which Microsoft refreshes its mobile operating system — and there are many of them around.

Unconfirmed, but let’s hope, unfounded.