Microsoft launches updated Windows Phone 8.1

Washington: Tech giant Microsoft has released the first update to Windows 8.1, for developers.

However, anybody with a Windows Phone can register freely to install the update through Microsoft's App Studio program. App Studio participants don't even have to pay the 19 dollars fee to be a Windows Phone developer, and one can still be able to get early access to Update 1. The Verge reported.

Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 includes a number of improvements just a few months after the original 8.1 release to developers. One main addition is the introduction of folders for Windows Phone. Microsoft has always used Live Tiles for its apps, and the new Live Folders feature simply allows Windows Phone users to drag a tile over another tile to create and name a folder, report said.

Live Tiles will still function within the folder, and appear on the main tile of the folder. Microsoft is also adding the ability to select multiple SMS messages for forwarding or deletion, user-customizable snooze settings for alarms, and improvements to the Live Tile for Xbox Music, the report said.

Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 also brings Cortana to new markets, including the UK and China as beta. Australia, Canada, and India will also be able to take advantage of Cortana in an alpha form.