How to install Windows 10 Technical Preview on you Windows Phone

During the January event early last month, Microsoft showed off new inclusions to the window 10 family. Apart from unveiling the futuristic HoloLens headset, they also showed off for the very first time a version of Windows 10 made for small tablets and phones. Windows 10 for phones (or whatever it ends up being called) was destine to replace the Windows Phone name later this year. Today, Microsoft has released the first technical preview for existing Windows Phone device.

Supported devices:

• Lumia 630
• Lumia 635
• Lumia 636
• Lumia 730
• Lumia 830

However there are some restrictions, one of them is that you'll need to have one of the currently supported device(s). Besides being in the support list, you'll also need to take extra care as this is still an unfinished build and like on the desktop side, bugs are expected and Microsoft has compiled a list of known issues for this first build. Microsoft does not recommend you to install this on your main phone as it might not be suitable for day to day use and the terms does note that this will indeed void your warranty. But if you do insist on trying this on your phone this weekend you can try installing it and getting back WP8.1 before the weekend ends, Microsoft is providing a recovery tool to restore back to WP8.1

• Guide to restoring to Windows Phone 8.1 from Windows 10
• 10 facts about Windows 10 you need to know

Pre-requisite:

1. Supported device
2. Stable Wi-Fi connection
3. 700mb of free internal storage
4. At least 40% of charge (best if fully charged)
5. 60 minutes of time to spare (approximately)

Step 1: Backup your data

This is probably the single most important thing you'll need to get done before installing the Windows 10 for phones technical preview. Thankfully, the process is quite easy and you don't even need a computer to backup your phone (a stable wi-fi connections is all you need). The only option to do so is through OneDrive, head over to the settings > backup and turn on the backup for your 'Apps + settings', 'Email + messages', and also 'Photos + videos'. This shouldn't take too long but it does depends on the amount of apps and media you have on your phone.

www.onedrive.live.com/Options/DeviceBackups

After that is complete, you can check whether your backup is live from OneDrive. If everything goes well, you should see the backup for your device on the list.

Step 2: Download the Windows Insider app

After backing up everything, the next step is to install the Windows Insider app on your phone (don't be confused with the Preview for Developers app, this is another app). Also you'll need to enroll yourself into the Insider program first, if you've tried out the Windows 10 Technical Preview then you should be enrolled into the Insider program. If not, head over to www.insider.windows.com and sign in using your Microsoft account.

Download the Windows Insider app

After installing the Windows Insider app, jump into the app and choose either Slow or Fast (currently only the Fast option will give you the Windows 10 TP update). Then you'll be asked to accept the terms of service, after accepting that your phone will reboot.

Step 3: Clear space to download the update (optional)

Besides backing up your device, you'll also need to clear up your internal storage only if you do not have 800mb of free internal storage (downloading the update onto the microSD card is currently not supported). There are two way you can do this, one is to move your apps/videos onto your SD card and the other option is to uninstall apps and deleting your photos/videos.

To clear up your storage, you can do it inside the Storage Sense app. Just click on phone > apps+games or phone > photos to start moving or deleting your apps and photos.

Step 4: Download and install the update

If you've installed the Preview for Developers before, you'll know that the Windows Insider app is not where you'll download the update. Instead head on over to the settings > phone update > check for updates. If you chose the Fast option, an update will pop out and from here on out you'll just need to wait for the update to download.

By now, your phone should have at least a 50% charge before starting the installation. For my device, it took about 15 minutes to install the update and another 20 minutes to completely migrate the apps and settings. However if you have a large catalog of app, you'll need to wait a little longer before all the apps get fully restored. Well there you go, Windows 10 for phones is now installed.