At BUILD 2014 Microsoft finally unveiled Windows Phone 8.1, the next major platform update. It then released developer preview on April 14th. Microsoft doesn’t place any restrictions on the preview. So even if you’re not a developer you can easily get your hands on Windows Phone 8.1 today. Many people did just that, which caused Microsoft’s App Studio to crash for a few hours when the developer preview was released. Since this isn’t the best software to use as a daily driver some users might have wondered if it is possible to downgrade Windows Phone 8.1 to 8.0. It definitely is.
The official Windows Phone 8.1 release is destined for summer 2014. Developer preview isn’t optimized with carrier or manufacturer settings so users might face a number of issues. Some report deteriorating battery life, overheating and a plethora of other bugs. Its not like this is unexpected, these issues exist on unrefined software.
It isn’t that hard to downgrade Windows Phone 8.1 to 8.0. Users will need the Nokia Software Updater app on their computer, and since it will wipe the device during downgrade, its best to backup the data first. A video has been posted online which details all of the steps that need to be followed. It should take more than a few minutes to downgrade.
Keep in mind though that this method only works with Nokia devices, then again, its most likely that majority of Windows Phone owners are on a Nokia Lumia smartphone.