The Redmond giant might have been asleep for the past couple of years, as it missed the introduction of folders in both iOS and Android. Now, it seems this will be one of the major selling points of Windows Phone 8.1.
The tech world is definitely not impressed with the addition of folders in Windows Phone 8.1, since this feature has been around since 2012. While most people would yawn at this news, others think that folders could help Android and iOS users make the switch. I don’t know why on Earth would an Android user make the transition to a mobile OS with such a poor app ecosystem as Windows Phone.
Ebin Babu (in case that’s a real name and not just a nickname in an unknown language), better known as @ebin_5 on Twitter, stumbled upon a page that detailed how to create folders on the Start screen. Microsoft even provided the steps necessary for achieving this:
- On Start , tap and hold a Tile.
- Drag the Tile on top of another Tile that you want to have in the same folder. You have just created a folder!
- To name the folder, tap Name folder, and then type whatever name you like.
- To add another Tile to the folder, simply tap and hold a Tile, and then drag it into the folder.
In the meantime, Microsoft took down that page, but Ebin pointed out that the page is still available in the Google cache.
While the exact launch date of Windows Phone 8.1 is currently unknown, Microsoft India was kind enough to tell someone who had asked about it that the update should become official in the first two weeks of July.
We can only hope that the addition of folders is not the only news that Redmond has in store for us, as far as Windows Phone 8.1 is concerned. Microsoft could make some waves by announcing the unified apps that run on all of its operating systems, or some updates to its own cloud and devices. While still handy, the folders will certainly not be a differentiating feature, and people would still turn their eyes to an iOS or Android device before deciding to spend their money on a Windows Phone. It remains to be seen how the next Windows Phone will look like when it’s launched.
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