Microsoft internally testing multiple builds of Windows Phone 8.1

Microsoft rolled out Windows 8.1 a.k.a. Blue for desktops and tablets a while back. There has, however, not been any concrete word on when the update will be released for the company’s mobile OS, Windows Phone. While the company has been reportedly testing the same since August, according to PhoneArena, devices have so far only seen the GDR3 update which focuses more on opening up new hardware setups rather than adding software features.

A new leak, however, suggests that Windows 8.1 is still being internally tested, and that there are multiple builds of the software currently being tried out. The evidence, coming from Twitter user Nawzil, presents analytics information of the Facebook Pages Manager, which shows that at least eight different builds of Windows Phone 8.1 are being currently tested.

Microsoft is still at work, testing Windows Phone 8.1 (Image credit: Nawzil)

FB Pages Manager for Windows Phone essentially helps the user to manage their Facebook pages while on the move.  The app comes with numerous features that are absent from the official app, and was recently bumped up to version 1.5 for the platform. The new data presents solid evidence that Microsoft is in fact running tests for the updated version of Windows Phone. It is currently unclear, though, as to who exactly is using the FB Pages Manager or what pages they are managing.

Windows Phone 8.1, from what we know so far, is expected to be released in early 2014. The new OS should bring some big software changes to waiting Windows Phone users, including a notification center as well as Microsoft’s new voice assistant, codenamed Cortana. Apart from that, leaked images helped show off the notification tiles in the OS. Microsoft, apart from the update, may also be working on onscreen buttons for the OS, which should help to reduce the cost of manufacturing by a considerable margin.